Allies And Fire Upon The German example essay topic

The battle of the bulge The battle of the bulge was Hitler's last chance to win the war or at least make the allies go for a treaty. He did this because his forces were being pushed back into Germany and soon they would run out of supplies and other resources for war. Hitler thought of this bold plain when he recalled how a German hero Frederick the great was facing defeat, Frederick went on a offensive attack at his foe who had superior numbers but the bold moved worked and Hitler thought he could do the same thing. The Battle of the bulge took place on December sixteenth 1944. More than a million men participated in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British which made it one of the biggest battles of the war. It happened at the same place were the Germans first crossed over to attack France the Ardennes forest.

The allies who were stationed there called it a ghost front because there was never any fighting so the allies sent their new solders and the tired battered solders here. The Germans mobilized at this last chance they had to win the war and if they would lose this battle Hitler wanted all the Germans left in Germany to all burn any thing useful in Germany and every one to move to Berlin were all the German people would fight to the death. The Germans needed to cut the American forces in to two parts, this way the could easily be destroyed because the allies all ready had a tough time supplying all the troops and Hitler new that if they took control of Antwerp he would have a chance against the allies. Hitler felt he had enough of the resources he would need to win the battle. The main things that the Germans were hoping for was bad weather so that the allies planes could not get off the ground and support the allies and fire upon the German forces the other main thing the Germans needed was complete surprise. Hitler was mobilizing a task force of 500,000 Germans solders which included tanks special spies and many others.

The allies at this time was slowly pushing its way through the Ardennes Forest and into Germany they also were pushing into the Belgium Boarder. But they were having a tough time getting past the maginot line in France. The allies had a force of 600,000 American solders And 55,000 British solders. Hitler hoped to surprise the Allies off guard and quickly separate the army. The Germans decided to pushed through this area because they felt this was the least likely of a place the Americans thought would be attacked thus assault the Allies off guard.

It was the place were they had great success against the French people in the beginning of the war. The Germans also selected it because it was easy to hide troops in the hills which they did at the first major offensive. Hitler code-named this attack as the "watch am Rein" The Americans the area were in a thin line because they wanted to give support to the flank were the attack was expected so they thought. During the War Eisenhower and his staff felt this spot was the least likely to be attacked.

The thought the Germans would not try any thing through the narrow passageway. The Germans wanted the opposite of what the Americans wanted to do. As stated above the Allied troops were 'resting' and reforming; they consisted of General Simpson's 9th Army and General Hodges 1st US Army in the north and General Patton's 3rd Army to the south. The Ardennes was held by General Middleton who had the 8th US Army Corps, 106th and 26th Infantry Divisions and 4th and 9th Armored Divisions.

The object of the German offensive was to push through the Belgian Ardennes, cross the Mousse, retake Antwerp and its harbor facilities, thrust to the north and reach the sea which they almost succeed in doing. This would cut off the Allied troops in Holland and Belgium, making it impossible for them to withdraw. The success of the operation depended on three important parts, the speed of the initial breakthrough, the seizure of Allied fuel supplies and communications centres between St. With and Bastogne, and the widening of the breach in the Allied lines to allow German troops to pour into Belgium. There would be three armies the 15th Army in the North, 7th Army in the South and the main push by Sepp Dietrich's 6th and Von Manteuffel's 7th Panzer Divisions in the center! Specially trained German soldiers who spoke English fluently were infiltrated behind the Allied lines wearing American uniforms with orders to disrupt the deployment of Allied units and prepare the way for the German advance. The crucial problem for the German was their lack of fuel and the whole 'adventure' depended on their initial thrust capturing the allied supplies.

Without a supply of fuel they where sitting ducks but only if they ever ran out. Hitler's last attack had to work or he would be defeated. The plan was to march 85 miles from Southern Belgium to Luxembourg and attack the allies by surprise. The Germans would attack during the Christmas season in the Ardennes Forest, an area where there were only a few allied solders. The invasion was designed to split the American and British armies in half.

However it did not succeed the allied lines bent but never split like the Germans hoped. At the beginning of the battle Hitler had fighter jets fly over his troops which sent his troops fired up for the fight now they could see Hitler did have the wonder weapons he said he had. With this battle happening the Germans did one of the most worst things, as some Americans surrendered the Germans would shoot them it was later called the Malmedy massacre. The Americans were able to hold on to the city of Bastogne the Germans pounded and pounded the city but the troops in there would not surrender the people in the Bastogne were finally saved by general Patton's armored core which broke into the German lines. The German armies caught the allies by surprise and with this they were able to take over a lot of land and many prisoners. The allied forces fought Hitler's armies bravely.

They held on to their ground wherever they could which was vary hard to do when facing such a great opposition. They slowed down the German armies until American and English reinforcements arrived to fight the Germans. Also in slowing down the German army the weather started to clear up and the allies could use their air supremacy against the German army. The German army was no match for the allied forces as soon as the allies regrouped and figured out what was happening they attacked the Germans.

The Germans were running out of fuel, men and ammunition much of this happened because of the bad weather which they needed in the beginning but ended up being as much of a hassle to both sides. After the fierce battles the German forces were pushed back and gave up all the land they had conquered in the beginning of the battle. The allied forces completely destroyed the German armies. After this last attack the Germans were never able to raise a large army again to attack the allies and when the allies finally pushed into Berlin the German army was made up of young kids and old people a mere shadow of its former self. BATTLE FACTS The coldest, snowiest weather "in memory" in the Ardennes Forest on the German / Belgium border.

Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans (more than fought on both sides at Gettysburg) and 55,000 British. 3 German armies, 10 corps, the equivalent of 29 divisions. 3 American armies, 6 corps, the equivalent of 31 divisions. The equivalent of 3 British divisions as well as contingents of Belgian, Canadian and French troops.

100,000 German casualties, killed, wounded or captured. 81,000 American casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed. 1,400 British casualties 200 killed. 800 tanks lost on each side, 1,000 German aircraft. The Malmedy Massacre, where 86 American soldiers were murdered, was the worst atrocity committed against American troops during the course of the war in Europe. The 106th Infantry Division, average age of 22 years, suffered 564 killed in action, 1,246 wounded and 7,001 missing in action at the end of the offensive.

Most of these casualties occurred within the first three days of battle, when two of the division's three regiments was forced to surrender. In it's entirety, the "Battle of the Bulge", was one of the worst battles - in terms of losses - to the American Forces in WWII.

Bibliography

used Chris Meyers, July 25, 1996, 'The Battle of the Bulge-An Ardennes Christmas', [World Wide Web], web D.
Rein bol, April 4, 1997, 'The Battle of the Bulge', [World Wide Web], web John Kline, January 1, 1997, 'The Battle of the Bulge', [World Wide Web], web Chris Meyers, July 25, 1996, 'The Battle of the Bulge-Hitlers Last Gamble', [World Wide Web], web.