The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial is the final resting place of 5,070 American service members who died, many during the Battle of the Bulge, while liberating Europe from Nazi Germany during World War II. (Photo: William John Gauthier)

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was Nazi Germany’s last, desperate attempt to avoid destruction in the face of advancing Allied armies. 

While the battle only lasted six weeks, comparatively short next to other major events of the war, the failed attempt hastened Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler’s exit from the war, bringing the global conflict one step closer to a decisive end.

Prelude to the Battle of the Bulge

June–Nov. 1944: Successful Allied Advances in Normandy and Eastern Europe Place Nazi Germany in a Vice Grip

The lightning pace by which Nazi Germany conquered most of Europe towards the end of the 1930s has been replaced with catastrophic defeats, daily bombardments of German cities, and a fear that invading armies will inevitably be marching on Berlin by spring or summer. 

To the west, U.S., British, Canadian, and French Resistance forces have reclaimed much of France. To the south, Mussolini’s Italy has capitulated. And to the east, the Soviet Union is preparing to lay siege to both Budapest in Hungary and Warsaw in Poland.

Dec. 1944: Allied forces in Western Europe must regroup to secure gains

By late 1944, Allied forces in Western Europe were almost victims of their success. Having taken huge swaths of territory in France, Allied troops were fatigued and supply issues were rampant. 

The Ardennes, along France’s border with Germany, is chosen as a defensible position. Dense forests and sparse roads limit the maneuverability of track vehicles for a counterattack, leading Allied leaders to correctly presume that an attack here would be ill-advised.

The Battle of the Bulge

Dec. 16–22, 1944: Hitler ignores his military advisors, ordering the Ardennes Offensive to begin

After receiving military intelligence suggesting Allied forces to the west were regrouping while an unprecedented contingent of Soviet forces was preparing to advance in the East, Nazi Germany’s military leadership suggested relocating its reserves to the eastern front. 

Failing to see the Soviet threat, Hitler instead ordered his reserves — Nazi Germany’s last battalions composed primarily of fighting-age men — to launch an attack on Allied lines in the Ardennes. 

The plan, which began on Dec. 16, 1944, was to send the bulk of Germany’s best remaining forces to the center of the line, overwhelming defenses there to provide a point for which German divisions could then surround and defeat Allied armies, much like Germany had done in the early years of the war.

Dec. 25 – Jan. 25: Allied forces steadily erase the gains made by Nazi Germany’s offensive

U.S. forces endured harsh weather through much of the Battle of the Bulge.

Severe snowstorms and stronger-than-anticipated resistance marred Nazi Germany’s plan from the start. While Germany’s northern and southern units were able to find some amount of success against thinly defended lines, the central forces were unable to punch through entirely, even after retaking a significant amount of territory over a short period. 

But unlike Germany’s past advances, which were well sustained, heavy losses and a lack of steady supplies prevented Nazi forces from securing their gains. By Dec. 25, barely two weeks from the start of the Ardennes Offensive, Allied forces had already begun moving eastward again.

Legacy of the Battle of the Bulge

German resistance was fierce during the last three weeks of the Battle of the Bulge, but unable to repel better-equipped and numerically superior Allied forces. By early February, the Allies would actually move beyond Germany’s starting lines. 

The Battle of the Bulge, what would be Nazi Germany’s final major offensive, had failed by all accounts. 

Within six months, the Allies achieved victory in Europe — and soon after, following the Battle of Okinawa, World War II would be over entirely. 

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Author: Christian Southards

Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.