What Stopped the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge?
16th December, 1944.
Germany launch Operation Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine)
‘Wacht am Rhein’ was the German final major offensive of World War II against the Western Allies, and colloquially known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ (16 December 1944/15 January 1945).
This major effort was supported by a number of subsidiary operations including ‘Hermann’ otherwise known as ‘Bodenplatte’, ‘Greif’, ‘Nordwind’ and ‘Währung’, and had as its overall objective a breakthrough of the Allied front in the thinly held sector of the Ardennes region between Monschau in the north and Trier in the south, so splitting the Allied armies into separate northern and southern groupings, and thus paving the way for a German drive to seize Antwerp and the vast stocks of Allied supplies in its docks.
This, Adolf Hitler believed, would further open the way for the German encirclement and destruction of four Allied armies (from north to south General H. D. G. Crerar’s Canadian 1st Army, Lieutenant General Sir Miles Dempsey’s British 2nd Army, Lieutenant General William H. Simpson’s US 9th Army and Lieutenant General Courtney H. Hodges’s US 1st Army) and thus compel the Western Allies to negotiate a peace which would make it possible for Germany to concentrate its military efforts against its perceived mortal enemy, the USSR.
There are several reasons why the Germans lost the Battle of the Bulge.
Overall, the Germans lost the Battle of the Bulge due to a combination of poor planning, unfavorable weather conditions, strong Allied resistance, and the loss of the element of surprise. Despite the initial success of the attack, the Germans were ultimately unable to achieve their objectives and were forced to retreat.
Allied Intelligence & codebreaking!
The Allies had successfully cracked the German Enigma code and were able to intercept and decrypt many of the Germans’ communications. This allowed them to anticipate the German attack and prepare their defenses accordingly.
Poor German Planning!
The Germans made several mistakes in planning and executing the attack. They underestimated the strength of the Allied defenses and overestimated the effectiveness of their own forces. In addition, the Germans failed to properly coordinate their units and supplies, which hindered their ability to achieve their objectives.
Poor Weather!
The weather during the Battle of the Bulge was extremely cold and snowy, which made it difficult for the Germans to move their troops and supplies. As a result, this slowed their advance and made it easier for the Allies to hold their ground.
A Strong Allied Resistance!
Despite becoming caught off guard by the German attack, the Allies fought fiercely held their ground.
Furthermore, they were aided by the arrival of reinforcements, including the 101st Airborne Division, which played a key role in blunting the German advance.
Losing the Element of Surprise!
The Germans had hoped to catch the Allies off guard with their attack, but their plans were ultimately foiled by Allied intelligence. This robbed the Germans of the element of surprise, which was crucial to their success.
In conclusion, although unsuccessful, the offensive nevertheless tied down much of the available Allied resources, and the Allies’ slow response to the resulting gap in their line imposed a delay of several months on their timetable for the defeat of Germany.
On the other hand, the offensive also allowed the Allies to tackle and effectively destroy much of Germany’s strength on the Western Front well forward of the fixed defenses of their Siegfried-Linie, destroyed much of the matériel which could have been used for the defense of western Germany, and exhausted the very limited supplies available to the remnants of the Germans’ western armies. Lastly, this greatly facilitated the Allies’ subsequent assault on Germany.
Written by Kim Hansen
World War 2
What Stopped the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge?
