The Ardennes Offensive Braden Castro, Manon M, Brandon Zhan, Kevin Nutt, Aayush Budhiraja, Oscar Zahuita Minus the first slide, each person should be responsible for three slides.

The Ardennes Offensive

Intro to the Ardennes offensive The Ardennes Campaign is also known as The Ardennes Offensive, or the battle of the bulge. The Offensive was a last attempt made by the Germans to break through the Allied front in the west. Their goal was to capture Antwerp and cut off Allied troops in northern Belgium and the Netherlands who were preparing to invade Germany. Because the Americans were holding the Ardennes. Hitler decided to counter-attack through this difficult terrain of forests, and roads. The weather conditions for the Ardennes Offensive was harsh with fog, wind, and snow.

Beginning of the Offensive By attacking during a prolonged winter storm, they ensured that the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air power would be useless, at least in the important early stages of the offensive. Hitler created the Sixth SS Panzer Army with four SS panzer divisions and placed his favorite, Sepp Dietrich, in command.

Beginning of the Offensive There was a total of 30 divisions that were amassed along with 1,000 aircraft in utmost secrecy. The commander in chief of the West, General von Rundstedt, had been kept in the dark and was appalled when he learned of the campaign. Rundstedt thought the campaign lacked all the right conditions for success. Because the Americans were holding the Ardennes with a minimum of troops, Adolf Hitler decided on a counterattack through this difficult terrain of forests and a minimum of roads. The weather was harsh with fog, wind, and snow. In the past German armies had successfully invaded through the Ardennes in 1914 and 1940.

What Happened? The offensive included an airborne assault, which the Germans had not used since the very earliest days of the war, and a special unit, the 150th SS Brigade under Otto Skorzeny, the brilliant special forces commander who had successfully pulled off the rescue of overthrown Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

What Happened? The attack came as a complete surprise because German artillery had knocked out telephone lines, word of the attack reached the US headquarters only after much delay and was misinterpreted as a local attack. The conclusions was overruled by the judgment of Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower, who ordered the armored division of George Patton's third U.S. army and the 7th Armored Division to reinforce the Ardennes line.

Impact On World War II The battle is significant in the course of World War II because it is seen as Hitler’s last major offensive in the war. While the battle was intended to split Allied lines and force negotiated peace, American forces were able to contain the battle and inflict heavier losses on the German forces.

General Timeline 1944-1945

December 16th, 1944 Ardennes Offensive launched - 25 German divisions attacked an Allied defensive line located in the Belgium Ardennes Forest Germany’s Initial Assault push through the Allied forces Allies begin to fight back and hold strong at Eisenborn and Malmedy Bad weather starts to set over the Ardennes Region, limits Allied air support to counter Germany’s Assault

December 17th, 1944 Allied POW’s killed by the Germans in cold blood, ordered by Colonel Joachim Peiper Town of Stavelot lost to the Germans

December 19th, 1944 Allied forces located at the Schnee Eifel region are surrounded by German divisions 6000 Allied troops surrender to the Germans Along the Ardennes line, US strengthens defensive positions, Germany starts getting counter-attacked by Allied forces Germany loses the town of Stavelot to the Allies Germany advances through the area between Bastogne and Echternach to flank the Allies

Germany also surrounds the US 10th and 19th Armoured Divisions December 20th, 1944 The Allies’ 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne is completely surrounded by the advancing Germans Germany also surrounds the US 10th and 19th Armoured Divisions

December 22nd, 1944 German supply lines become too outstretched and flanks start to overexpose the German forces German General Rundstedt requests that Hitler halt the advance - Hitler Refuses

December 23rd, 1944 Bad weather starts to clear over the Ardennes region Allied air force launches around 2000 aircraft into the skies against the German offensive Allied forces holding at Bastogne receive supply drops from the Allied air force The German forces start to weaken against the Allied aircraft Germans have no air support of their own, could not respond to the emerging threat of the opposing air force

December 25th, 1944 After acquiring around 60 miles of territory in the Ardennes region, the German 2nd Panzer Division led under Lieutenant-General von Lauchert, is stopped by combined forces from Britain and America The German losses included 3500 infantrymen and 400 military vehicles, 81 being tanks

December 28th, 1944 Hitler orders a halt on the offense but not a retreat German forces become weaker as the Allies grow stronger

January 1st, 1945 German and Allied forces fight for weeks Battle results in the German army destroyed, taken prisoner, or retreating

January 7th, 1945 Germany is defeated by Allied forces. All gains of Germany’s offense on the Ardennes region is erased Germany lost 82,000 men while the Allied lost 5,000 less men

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