16th December 1944 Battle of the Bulge begins

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by CL1, Dec 15, 2017.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Interactive Timeline  |  The Battle of the Bulge  |  Articles and Essays  |  World War II Military Situation Maps  |  Digital Collections  |  Library of Congress

    December 25, 1944
    The 101st Airborne Division is Encircled


    The 101st Airborne Division is shown as encircled in Bastogne with three German infantry division and one panzer division deployed around the town. The distinct bulge in the American front lines that gave the battle its name has formed.

    [​IMG]

    [December 25, 1944], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map.
     
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  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    What You Need To Know About The Battle Of The Bulge
    On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched a massive attack on Allied forces in the area around the Ardennes forest in Belgium and Luxembourg during the Second World War.

    Allied forces in the Ardennes consisted primarily of American troops - some new and inexperienced, others exhausted and battle-worn. The Germans had some initial success. They achieved complete surprise and pushed westwards through the middle of the American line, creating the 'bulge' that gave the battle its name. But this success was short-lived.

    The quick arrival of Allied reinforcements and the Americans' tenacious defence of the vital road junctions at Bastogne and St Vith slowed the German advance. The offensive also required men and resources that Germany did not have. Fuel shortages were made worse by bad weather, which disrupted German supply lines. The weather, which had previously restricted Allied air support, eventually cleared and air attacks resumed. By the end of December, the German advance had ground to a halt.

    On 1 January 1945, the German air force caused serious damage to Allied air bases in north-west Europe, but it sustained losses from which it could not recover. The Allied counterattack in early January succeeded in pushing the Germans back and by the end of the month the Allies had regained the positions they held six weeks earlier.

    British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said the Battle of the Bulge was 'undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war'. It was also one of the bloodiest. The Allies could offset these losses, but Germany had drained its manpower and material resources. The Allies resumed their advance and in early spring crossed into the heart of Germany.

    A German parachute
    Two American soldiers examine a German parachute found in an area where German paratroopers were dropped at the beginning of the Ardennes offensive in December 1944.


    [​IMG]

    Between St Vith and Malmedy
    Men from 1st SS Panzer Division in a Schwimmwagen at the Kaiserbaracke crossroads between St Vith and Malmedy in Belgium on 18 December 1944.

    See object record

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

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  5. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Malmedy Massacre

    Malmedy Massacre Investigation: Military Legal Resources (Federal Research Division: Customized Research and Analytical Services, Library of Congress)
    Malmedy Massacre Investigation
    Malmedy, Belgium
    December 17, 1944
    On December 16, 1944, the German Army began the Ardennes offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge. On December 17, 113 American soldiers surrendered to a German armored column under the command of SS Colonel Joachim Peiper [variant: Piper]. After the American prisoners were disarmed, they were assembled in a field near Malmedy, Belgium, and shot. The German soldiers involved in this massacre of the American prisoners were later prosecuted by the U.S. Army for war crimes in 1946 in what is known as the Malmedy Massacre Trial.
     
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  6. Little Friend

    Little Friend Senior Member

    And Peiper got away with it, as did others !
     
  7. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

    Someone caught up with him, albeit 30 years too late. Thirty more years those poor buggers never got.
     
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  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Interactive Timeline  |  The Battle of the Bulge  |  Articles and Essays  |  World War II Military Situation Maps  |  Digital Collections  |  Library of Congress

    January 1, 1945
    British Reinforcements Move Against the German Advance


    The reinforced British 6th Airborne and 53rd Infantry Division are shown moving against the western tip of the German advance. Notice that some German units that were identified in the bulge on earlier maps have begun to be listed as Unlocated in a box on the right portion of the map near Frankfurt.

    [​IMG]

    [January 1, 1945], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map.
     
  9. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  10. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    On 3 January 45 the Panzer Divisions were not (yet) withdrawing. By the end of Dec 1944/start of Jan 45, the Germans were merely reshuffling units for a renewal of the attack against Bastogne. At the start of January 45, the SS-Pz Divisions (1st, 9th and 12th SS) were pulled out of the line in the northern Ardennes and concentrated at Bastogne for a counterattack against the town. The whereabouts of the Panzer Lehr at the appex of the salient were unknown, hence the '?' on the map. The division reappeared in the area to the west of the Bastogne corridor, defending the sector around St Hubert. 9th Panzer and what remained of 2nd Panzer Division were holding the apex of the Ardennes salient.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2022
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  11. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  12. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hang on a mo... they didn't go into action until 9 January. I think 53rd Division was still trying to make headway in the Ourthe Valley at this point. On the plus side, you can do links to stolpi's posts in his great thread about 51st Div in the Ardennes.
     
  13. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Chris if you look at the site

    The counter offensive had began on the 3rd January but for the 51st Highland Division operations commenced on the 9th January. 153 Brigade advanced first clearing the enemy from Hodister and other villages south west of the Ourthe valley.

    Read more: Ardennes - Battle of the Bulge, January 1945 | 51st Highland Division
     
  14. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

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  15. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  16. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  17. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  18. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  19. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  20. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Hitlers code name for it
    Watch on the Rhine

    From After the Battle number 4

    upload_2022-12-16_18-41-14.jpeg
     
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