Today is the 75th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge

The last German offensive of the Second World War. Over 400,000 men and 550 tanks poured into the Ardennes Forest on this day in 1944, catching the Allies completely by surprise. The German plan was to punch a hole through the Allied line and pivot north to take the vital port city of Antwerp. The hope was to bring Roosevelt and Churchill to the negotiating table and convince them to give up their fight against Germany and aid Hitler in his crusade against the Soviet Union.

Initial German Plan


The assault began at 0530 on the morning of 16 December 1944 with a 90-minute artillery bombardment from 1,600 pieces of artillery, spread out over an 80-mile front. On the receiving end of this barrage were the largely inexperienced U.S. 99th and 106th infantry divisions. But since this was viewed as a relatively safe and quiet part of the line, the battle-hardened U.S. 28th infantry division was also here "resting" after the trials of the previous weeks and months.

The bombardment was shrugged off by the high command as nothing more than a preliminary barrage for an expected, localized German counterattack. But when the bombardment had ended, some 30 divisions of the 5th and 6th Panzer armies, as well as the 7th Army went forward into the Ardennes Forest. The 6th attacked in the north toward Antwerp, the 5th attacked in the center toward Bastogne and St. Vith, while the 7th attacked in the south toward Luxembourg.

While many American units melted away in the initial onslaught, the German offensive began to encounter problems from the outset. Poor weather made conditions on the roads downright terrible, causing massive traffic jams. Stiffer than expected U.S. resistance in the northern sector from the 2nd and 99th divisions hampered progress, especially at Elsenborn Ridge, which did more to slow up the German advance than the 101st Airborne did at Bastogne.

Still...by the end of the day on December 16, the Germans had punched sizable holes in the Allied lines and the Allied high command was sent into a panic as many were unsure of what to do with the present situation. Two of the men who didn't panic: Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and U.S. 3rd Army commander George S. Patton. Both men would have decisive roles in the days and weeks to come.