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Battle of the Bulge Facts
Battle of the Bulge facts including location, date, summary and significance of the battle.
Also includes casualties statistics, commander information, quotes and weather conditions.

Location

  		The Battle of the Bulge took place in the heavily wooded Ardennes Forest region of southern Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. The surprise German offensive took place between the cities of Monschau in the north and Trier in the south.
   

Date

 December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945.
   

Significance

 The Battle of the Bulge was intended to split the American and British forces in two, capture much needed supplies, and achieve a negotiated peace on the Western Front. While initially successful, the surprise German counteroffensive was contained and the Germans were driven back. It was the largest and costliest battle fought by the American forces in World War II. The Germans lost experienced soldiers and vital equipment that they could not replace.
    

German soldier during the battle of the bulge
  
German soldier
Battle of the Bulge

101st Airborne Division Patch
 
101st Airborne
shoulder patch
  

Summary

 The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last offensive on the Western Front. It was a very ambitious plan and while initially successful, the surprise German counteroffensive stalled by the end of December 1944. The objective was to gain crossings over the Meuse River and then advance and capture the port of Antwerp. Initially the counter-offensive caught the American and British forces by surprise and created wide confusion among the largely inexperienced troops stationed in the Ardennes Forest. Some German forces managed to advance deep into the Allied lines, however they had failed to capture the strategic town of Bastogne. Combined with winter weather, fierce fighting, rough terrain, and superior Allied air power, the offensive was eventually contained around December 25th and the Germans were forced to retreat over the Rhine and into Germany itself.
  

Commanders

 General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander)
General Omar Bradley (12th U.S. Army Group)
General Courtney Hodges (1st U.S. Army)
General George S. Patton (3rd U.S. Army)
General Anthony "Nuts" McAuliffe (101st Airborne Division)

Field Marshall Gerd Von Rundstedt (Commander in Chief West)
Field Marshall Walter Model (5th Panzer Army, 6th SS Panzer Army, 7th Army)
General Hasso von Manteuffel (5th Panzer Army)
General Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (6th SS Panzer Army)
General Adolf Robert Erich Brandenberger (7th Army)

  

Order of
Battle

 American: 500,000 to 840,000 infantry; 1,300 tanks and tank destroyers, 394 artillery guns
German: 300,000 to 500,000 infantry; 1,800 tanks; 1,900 artillery guns
  

Casualties

 American: 89,500 (19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded, 23,000 captured POWs or missing)
German: 67,200 to 100,000 killed, wounded and prisoners of war/missing
British: 1,400 (200 killed, 1,200 wounded or POWs/missing)
  

Photos

 View Large Collection of Battle of the Bulge Photos Here
  

Quotes

 "We gamble everything now. We cannot fail." - General von Rundstedt's reaction to Hitler's order for a last ditch offensive.

"... an operation of the most extreme daring" - General Alfre Jodl, Chief of Operations, on Hitler's Counter-Offensive.

 "To the German Commander: 
NUTS!
The American Commander" - General McAuliffe's one word response to the German's request for the surrender of Bastogne.

"We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas" - General McAuliffe on the 101st Airborne's heroic defense of Bastogne.

"Drive like hell!" - General Patton during the planning for the final offensive for the relief of Bastogne.

 

 

  

 

Sources:

1) Patrick Delaforce (2004), The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's Final Gamble

2) Hugh M. Cole (1965), The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge

3) Wikipedia.com - www.wikipedia.com

4) Dennis Showalter (2005), Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century

 

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