Ardennes 1944 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Europe / Western
ISBN: 9781612006703
Publisher: Casemate
Published: 2018-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

December 1944, the snow has not yet fallen. Medics attend to a GI with a leg wound. (U.S. National Archives)

On the 5th Panzer Army front, the northern flank clashed with Saint-Vith’s defenses and the southern flank with Bastogne’s: only in the center was the advance successful, but the American troops that remained there fought on.

Farther south, a 7th Army feint in the direction of Luxemburg did not have the desired effect, and it did not manage to link up with the 5th Panzer Army to cover its advance.

Of concern to the Germans was that the weight of their 20 divisions did not trigger a complete collapse of the six divisions they were facing. Furthermore, the U.S. command would soon engage—or had already done so—at least six new divisions. This would bring some kind of balance, even if II SS Panzer Corps had not yet been used, nor any other divisions of the OKW reserve. For the German generals, the only hope was that the bad weather and fog might continue, which would allow—with a bit of luck—them to push toward the Meuse and Liège, which corresponded to their “little plan.”

Another disadvantage for the Germans was that they underestimated the Americans, thinking that their high command would take time to react: however, it was only Bradley who did not see anything coming; from the first day Eisenhower ordered the deployment of two armored divisions to the threatened front, rendering almost impossible a lightning advance on the Meuse.

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