1940: The Battle Of The Bulge

It is very intriguing when someone who is related has personal experiences with major events such as World War II. My Great-Great Uncle Angelo was one of those ‘special’ people. I thought it would be very interesting to learn more about his involvement during such a tragic time in our world. He was in deployed to five places . Some major battles he was in were the Battle of the Bulge and Omaha Beach and I researched those because I did not know much about what happened.

On December 16, 1944, Adolf Hitler ordered a massive attack on the Allied forces. This attack, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was a last dich effort to split up the Allied forces in their drive towards Germany. The attack failed and effectively led to the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. With few supplies and resources, German forces were heavily outmatched. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in wake of Germany’s inevitable defeat. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered (National Geographic staff,

The Germans defeated the Polish and almost all of Western Europe. Although the British had no help when it came to Hitler and his army, the remains of Europe had been overturned already. The Battle of the Bulge also called Battle of the Ardennes as well, which began Dec. 16, 1944 and ended Jan. 16, 1945. This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory . Winston Churchill made a promise that he would fight as long as it would take to overcome Hitler. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill he referred to “the bulge” as the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.

     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

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt. December 7th 1941 marked an event in history that everyone in the world looks back to. On that date the Imperial Japanese Navy surprised attacked the American port of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marked the beginning of World War II for America. World War II was the bloodiest war in history with over 60 million deaths. World War II started in Europe when an Nazi controlled Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939. Great Britain entered the war soon after along with the rest of her (Great Britain's) allies

Throughout all of history the United States have always found themselves in the midst of a conflict between other nations. One of the more significant conflicts that the U.S. intervened in is World War II. “World War II was the largest armed conflict in human history. Ranging over six continents and all the world's oceans, the war caused an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths, including those of 6 million Jews” (World War II 1). World War II officially began when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland was a country that was guaranteed military assistance from France and Great Britain if Germany were to attack. If Hitler were to invade Poland he would not only have to fight against the British and French, but he would also have to fight against the Soviets. Therefore, in order for Hitler to prevent fighting a two front war he needed to create an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. This agreement was called the Nonaggression Pact, which was agreed on August 23, 1939. This agreement stated that in the future neither country would declare war on each other. As a result of this Pact, Hitler was free to invade Poland without worrying about the Soviet Union. Subsequently, on September 3, 1939, France and Britain declared war on the Germans. This marked the beginning of World War II. However, the United States will not decide to enter into the war until December 7, 1941 when the United States is bombed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the

The post D-Day Allied assault that swept through France was halted by Hitler’s unexpected counter-attack through the Ardennes, resulting in a confrontation named the Battle of the Bulge.

The Battle of the Bulge was more pivotal than the D-Day invasion because of the benefits the battle brought to Allied operations in ending the war in Europe. The Germans’ defeat at the Battle of the Bulge resulted in vast amounts of their equipment and experienced soldiers being lost. During the invasion of Normandy, the Allied forces faced resistance from standard German ground forces who they swiftly defeated. But during the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies were immediately outnumbered by forces with superior equipment. When the offensive began on December 16th, the four divisions of the 8th Army Corps immediately faced 14 German divisions. To add onto the Allies’ numerical disadvantage, the German forces deployed during the offensive didn’t only consist of veterans of the western front,

The Battle of the Bulge Due to technological advancements in modern military and Artillery, the 16 December 1944 Battle of the Bulge statistically will never be recreated again. This battle stands to be a pivotal point in World War II, when Adolf Hitler relentlessly proved steel rain to break the front lines in Nazi Germany… There are not too many battles ever recorded that best shows the awesome power of Artillery better that the Battle of the Bulge. There are many factors that helped create the rare circumstances that statistically will never be recreated. The advancements of Artillery from World War I to World War II had a significant impact on making this battle possible.

After the U.S. began to push out the Germans and enlarge the pathway to Bastogne at the end of December 1944, the U.S. troops and some British soldiers started a counterattack, to eliminate the bulge in the American line. This success was largely due to General Patton’s third army, that attacked from the North and the South. On January 8, 1945, the German forces began to pull out of the Bulge. As the Americans advanced, they continued to erase all German gains. By the end of January, 1945, all territory that was captured by the Germans was back under Allied control (“Battle of the Bulge”). The Battle of the bulge was one of the most difficult battles of the war for the United States. Along with having the most American casualties of any other battle, many of the soldiers suffered great emotional and physical trauma from the cold, and lack of medical supplies, and the horrors that many of them witnessed on the battlefield (Farmer). One battalion, the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion, is a notable example of the physical and emotional trauma of the Battle of the Bulge. At the start of the battle the battalion had 793 men. By the end, only 110 were left alive. The 551st was the worst casualties of any unit during the Battle of the Bulge (Orfalea). Nearing the end of the battle, the allied troops fought harder than ever, partly to ensure that all of the bloodshed and death was not in vain.

Nearing the end of World War II and after the successful D-Day invasion by Allied Forces, Adolf Hitler would personally plan a counteroffensive he believed would turn the tied of the war in his favor and prevent his unconditional surrender. Historically known as the Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes Counteroffensive, from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945, would showcase the power of a full-scale German offensive while highlighting the ingenuity and heart of the United States Army as they encountered a seemingly undefeatable foe.

When the Allied Forces effectively invaded Normandy France on D Day, it seemed to the watching world as if World War II was over. During the winter of December 16, 1944, the German army sent out a counter offence to fight against the Allied forces. This was known as the Battle of the Bulge. It was the last significant German battle on the Western Front during WWII. The battle got its name due to the location it took place in (the area was shaped like a bulge). After D-Day, the Nazi Party started to decline. Hitler decided to create this battle, so he could win back the war against the Allied troops. This was the battle to end the war and was the biggest battle in WWII.

Brigadier General (BG) James M. Gavin, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was one of the distinguish Generals to contribute in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. BG Gavin commanded the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions. He was responsible for many decisive operations that were key for the success of the battle. He maintained firing positions for engaging the Germans counteroffensive attacks. Simultaneously, his Mission Command practices brought him to the success of occupying two important cities in Belgium.

The Battle of the Bulge was one of the Bloodiest battles of World War II with around 175,000 total casualties and played a key role in ending the War. The Battle started as a German surprise attack on Allied Forces along an 80-mile front in the Ardennes Forest of southern Belgium. The Germans initially had a great deal of success in their attack but through a series of Allied counter attacks the Allied Forces were able to cripple the German Forces. The Field Artillery played a crucial role in this Allied victory in that they were able to effectively thin out the German Tanks which allowed Allied Ground forces to push back the German Forces. The strategic setting, the battle itself, and the overall significance of the battle clearly displays the Field Artilleries importance in both the battle and the war.

How was the Battle of the Somme significant to the British in World War 1? The Battle of the Somme was significant to the British in World War 1 because the British started and ended the battle, there were horrific casualties as a result of this Battle and it led to many lessons being learnt. The Battle was started by the British on the 1st July 1916 and ended on the 18th November 1916. Throughout the Battle, many smaller battles took place the most significant being day Z. The death toll was very high and many lessons were learnt from the Battle. The battle of the Somme was started by the British on the 1st of July 1916 at 7:30 am (Johnson, 2016). The plan developed by the British involved the British army (BEF) attacking the Germans along a 15 mile front north of the Somme and the French army to attacking the Germans along an 8 mile front. They planned a weeklong bombardment on the German trenches which would use a total of 1.7 million shells (Johnson, 2016). The plan was developed in hope to relieve the French army fighting at Verdun with the Germans. Two other goals were to destroy German’s reserve power and inflict heavy losses on the German army. Throughout the Battle, many important events occurred. The most gruesome day was the first day also known as day Z which led to disaster on the British side. From here there were a series of smaller attacks in preparation for a large scale assault on the 4th of July (BBC, 2016). This attack