Germany Downfall At The Battle Of The Bulge Analysis
Arcesio Medina
Cpl Jonathan Marks
G2 MIC Analytical Paper
10 August 2016
Germany’s Downfall at the Battle of the Bulge Germany’s lack of preparation
The third reason the offensive failed was for lack of supplies. Fuel was especially the resource the offensive (any offensive) depended on, and as soon as the weather improved (a couple of weeks into the offensive) Allied planes struck German supply depots and storage facilities, convoys and trains at will. Without that fuel, German panzers were sitting ducks for airstrikes. By mid-September, American troops had reached the Siegfried Line, a series of defensive fortifications stretching along Germany's western border. By now, Hitler had lost over 500,000 soldiers in the West. By now, Hitler …show more content…
The element of surprise was needed. To keep the Allies from detecting their plans the Germans used a clever variety of deceptive tactics including a flurry of fake radio messages sent to non-existing frontline command posts, false rumors spread in public places for anyone to overhear, and relied primarily on secretive face-to-face conversations to relay the actual battle plans. At the same time, three whole armies, including twelve Panzer tank divisions, were quietly rolled into position for the offensive using a fragmentary approach to avoid detection. Along with the element of surprise, the Germans needed to sow confusion to succeed. Here one of the more interesting exploits of the war unfolded, the brain child of Hitler himself. A special "School for Americans" was set up by SS spy master Otto Skorzeny to train 2,000 German commandos to speak and behave like American soldiers. Using captured uniforms and Jeeps, the commandos intended to confuse U.S. troops in the zone of attack by giving bad directions, mixing up road signs, killing dispatch riders, cutting phone wires, and would try to generate panic by depicting a hopeless situation to anyone who would listen. The offensive began December 16, …show more content…
Three of the divisions were new and had no battle experience while the remainders were experienced but tired-out men sent to recuperate in what had been the quietest sector of the Western Front. The German success continued unhindered for five foggy days, creating a 50-mile westward bulge in the lines, which gave the Ardennes Offensive its popular name Battle of the Bulge. To counter the German surprise attack, General Omar Bradley, Commander of U.S. troops in Europe, immediately sent reinforcements and slowed the German advance which resulted in uneven progress along the front. On December 21, 1944, the 101st Airborne Division had rushed in and formed defensive lines around the key city of Bastogne in Belgium. This kept German forces at bay despite the barrage of artillery fire. Weather conditions improved as the fog lifted on the morning of December 22 and Allied aircraft were able to be deployed onto the battlefield dropping supplies into Bastogne and providing the defense with air support to counter the German offensive. The German’s
Cpl Jonathan Marks
G2 MIC Analytical Paper
10 August 2016
Germany’s Downfall at the Battle of the Bulge Germany’s lack of preparation
The third reason the offensive failed was for lack of supplies. Fuel was especially the resource the offensive (any offensive) depended on, and as soon as the weather improved (a couple of weeks into the offensive) Allied planes struck German supply depots and storage facilities, convoys and trains at will. Without that fuel, German panzers were sitting ducks for airstrikes. By mid-September, American troops had reached the Siegfried Line, a series of defensive fortifications stretching along Germany's western border. By now, Hitler had lost over 500,000 soldiers in the West. By now, Hitler …show more content…
The element of surprise was needed. To keep the Allies from detecting their plans the Germans used a clever variety of deceptive tactics including a flurry of fake radio messages sent to non-existing frontline command posts, false rumors spread in public places for anyone to overhear, and relied primarily on secretive face-to-face conversations to relay the actual battle plans. At the same time, three whole armies, including twelve Panzer tank divisions, were quietly rolled into position for the offensive using a fragmentary approach to avoid detection. Along with the element of surprise, the Germans needed to sow confusion to succeed. Here one of the more interesting exploits of the war unfolded, the brain child of Hitler himself. A special "School for Americans" was set up by SS spy master Otto Skorzeny to train 2,000 German commandos to speak and behave like American soldiers. Using captured uniforms and Jeeps, the commandos intended to confuse U.S. troops in the zone of attack by giving bad directions, mixing up road signs, killing dispatch riders, cutting phone wires, and would try to generate panic by depicting a hopeless situation to anyone who would listen. The offensive began December 16, …show more content…
Three of the divisions were new and had no battle experience while the remainders were experienced but tired-out men sent to recuperate in what had been the quietest sector of the Western Front. The German success continued unhindered for five foggy days, creating a 50-mile westward bulge in the lines, which gave the Ardennes Offensive its popular name Battle of the Bulge. To counter the German surprise attack, General Omar Bradley, Commander of U.S. troops in Europe, immediately sent reinforcements and slowed the German advance which resulted in uneven progress along the front. On December 21, 1944, the 101st Airborne Division had rushed in and formed defensive lines around the key city of Bastogne in Belgium. This kept German forces at bay despite the barrage of artillery fire. Weather conditions improved as the fog lifted on the morning of December 22 and Allied aircraft were able to be deployed onto the battlefield dropping supplies into Bastogne and providing the defense with air support to counter the German offensive. The German’s