Battle of the Bulge 1944 (2) by Steven J. Zaloga

Author:Steven J. Zaloga
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Battle of the Bulge 1944 (2): Bastogne
ISBN: 9781472800138
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

A tank patrol of the 3rd Armored Division scans for signs of the 116th Panzer Division near Houfallize on 23 December. The tank to the left is an M4A1 (76mm) while the one to the right is an M4A3E2 assault tank. (NARA)

Engineers played a critical role in the early defensive operations against the German attack. An engineer from the 3rd Armored Division emplaces an M1A1 anti-tank mine in a road near Hotton during the fighting on 28 December. (NARA)

Montgomery showed up at First Army HQ in Chaudfontaine on the afternoon of 20 December “like Christ come to cleanse the temple”. After Hodges explained the current dispositions, Montgomery responded that he wanted to redeploy the forces, create a reserve, and use this reserve to counterattack once the German attack had run out of steam. The US officers strongly resisted giving up any ground, and wanted to begin counter-offensive operations immediately. Montgomery accepted the current dispositions, and ordered the transfer of Collins’ VII Corps, which would form the northern counterattack force, from the idle Ninth Army sector. British officers on Montgomery’s staff thought that Hodges looked like he had “been poleaxed” but when Montgomery tried to relieve him the following day, Eisenhower told him to be patient. The matter was dropped, but Hodges’ performance over the next few weeks was underwhelming and the First Army staff depended heavily on his chief of staff, MajGen William Kean.

The mobilization of the two heavy armored divisions, the 2nd and 3rd Armored, stationed north of the Ardennes was already under way, and these were assigned to Collins’ corps. Since the 3rd Armored Division was more easily redeployed than the 2nd, on 18 December its CCA was detached and sent to V Corps, taking part in the fighting against the spearhead of the 1st SS-Panzer Division, Kampfgruppe Peiper, near La Gleize in the northern sector. The remainder of the division arrived around Hotton on 20 December. The two heavy divisions followed the old 1942 tables of organization and had six tank battalions instead of the three found in all other US armored divisions. The divisions were tank-heavy and infantry-weak, so they were usually paired with infantry divisions for a more balanced force with an infantry regiment added to each of their three combat commands. Collins’ VII Corps deployed two infantry divisions, the green 75th Division and the more experienced 84th Division, in this role.

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