bastogne...battle of the bulge the u.s. army center of military history commemorates the 75th...
TRANSCRIPT
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FIFTH PZ
SEVENTH
FIFTEENTH
FIFTH PZ
LXVII Corps
LXVI Corps
LXXIV Corps
LXXX Corps
LIII Corps
XIII Corps
LVIII Pz Corps
XLVII Pz Corps
29 Dec
10 Jan
3 Jan
29 Dec
29 Dec
8 Jan
8 Jan
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NINTHFIRST
XXXXSECOND BR
NINTH
XII Corps
VIII Corps
III Corps
XVIII Abn Corps
VII Corps
V Corps
XIX Corps
XVICorps
99th Div
2d Div
83d Div
106th Div30th Div
9th Div
1st Div
75th Div
84th Div
28th Div
101stAbn Div
17th Abn Div
11th Armd Div
87th Div
26th Div80th Div
90th Div
35th Div
5th Div
4th Div
10th Armd Div
4th ArmdDiv
6th Armd Div
F I R S TA R M Y
T H I R D A R M Y
N I N T HA R M Y
7th ArmdDiv
5th Armd Div
9th Armd Div
3d ArmdDiv
82d AbnDiv
2d ArmdDiv
30 Br Corps
S CH
NE E
EI F
EL
H O H E V E N N
E
IF
EL
F O R Ê T D E S A R D E N N E S
H u e r t g e nF o r e s t
Rh ine R
Roer R
Meuse R
Meuse
R
Semois R
Amblè v e R
Salm
R
Ourthe R
Our
R
Cle
r f R
Wiltz R
Sure R
Sau e r R
S a mbre RS K YLI N
E DRIVE
D A M S
Liège
Aachen
Echternach
Bitburg
Prüm
Losheim
Schönberg
Monschau
Spa
Maastricht
Düren
Huy
Eupen
Malmédy
Trois Ponts
St. Vith
Hou�alize
NovilleLongvilly
Hotton
Manhay
Marche
Clervaux
Wiltz
Arlon
Neufchâteau
StavelotStoumont La Gleize
Baraque de Fraiture
Tirlemont
Dinant
Rochefort
Givet
Mézières
Sedan
Namur
Elsenborn
Trier
LUXEMBOURG
GE
RM
AN
Y
F R A N C E
L U X E M B O U R G
B E L G I U M
N E T H E R L A N D S
Allied Axis of Attacks
Front Line, 26 Dec
Front Line, 9 Jan
Front Line, 25 Jan
West Wall
E L E V A T I O N I N M E T E R S
600 and Above0 200 400
E R A S I N G T H E B U L G E26 December 1944–25 January 1945
0 20
Miles
F O R Ê T D E S A R D E N N E S
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FIFTH PZ
SEVENTH
SIXTH PZ
FIFTH PZ
FIFTEENTH
SIXTH PZ
LXVII Corps
LXVI Corps
LXXIV Corps
I SS Pz CorpsII SS Pz Corps
XLVII Pz Corps
LXXXV Corps
LIII Corps
LXXX Corps
LVIII Pz Corps
20 Dec
22–25 Dec16-22 Dec
16 Dec
20 Dec
19 Dec
22 Dec
21 Dec
17 Dec
19 Dec
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XXXXX21
12
NINTH
FIRST
XXXV
VIII
NINTHFIRST
XXXXFIRST
THIRD
XII Corps
VIII Corps
III Corps
XVIII Abn Corps
VII Corps
V Corps
30th Div
2d Div
1st Div
75th Div
84th Div
28th Div 26th Div80th Div
35th Div
5th Div4th Div
10th Armd Div
F I R S TA R M Y
T H I R D A R M Y
N I N T HA R M Y
4th ArmdDiv
7th ArmdDiv
5th Armd Div
9th Armd Div
3d Armd Div 82d AbnDiv
2d Armd Div
51sth Br Div
30 Br Corps
101st Abn Div
99th Div(-)
99th Div(-)
106th Div
28th Div
9th Armd Div
S CH
NE E
EI F
EL
H O H E V E N N
E
IF
EL
F O R Ê T D E S A R D E N N E S
H u e r t g e nF o r e s t
Rh ine R
Roer R
Meuse R
Meuse
R
Semois R
Our
R
Wiltz R
Sure R
S a mbre R
Amblève R
Salm
R
S a u er R
Ourthe R
Cle r f R
D A M S
Liège
Aachen
Bitburg
Prüm
Losheim
Monschau
Spa
Maastricht
Düren
Huy
Eupen
Malmédy
St. Vith
Hou�alize
Noville
Hotton
Marche
Arlon
Neufchâteau
Stoumont La Gleize
Baraque de Fraiture
Tirlemont
Dinant
Rochefort
Givet
Mézières
Sedan
Namur
Elsenborn
Manhay
Trois Ponts
Stavelot
Longvilly
Clervaux
Wiltz
Trier
Echternach
Schönberg
LUXEMBOURG
GE
RM
AN
Y
F R A N C E
L U X E M B O U R G
B E L G I U M
N E T H E R L A N D S
German Attacks
Allied Movements
Front Line, 16 Dec
Front Line, 20 Dec
Front Line, 25 Dec
E L E V A T I O N I N M E T E R S
600 and Above0 200 400
W A C H T A M R H E I N16–25 December 1944
0 20
Miles
BASTOGNEBASTOGNE
General Patton (right) awards Brig. Gen Anthony C. McAuliffe and Lt. Col Steve Chappuis the Distinguished Service Cross for their defense of Bastogne, 29 Dec 1944
Two soldiers from the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3d Armored Division, in a foxhole at the edge of a snow-covered clearing near Ardennes Forest, 14 Jan 1945
Men of reserve 508th Parachute Infantry assigned to the 82d Airborne Division, wait in assembly area for battle assignment, 6 Jan 1945
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STATES ARMYWASHINGTON, D.C.
www.history.army.mil
AIRBORNE
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5
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9
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AIRBORNE
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T H E B AT T L E G R O U N D DEC 1944–JAN 1945
16–19 Dec: The LXVI Corps, Fifth Panzer Army, and Sixth Panzer Army Attack 21–23 Dec: The XVIII Airborne Corps Sector
24–27 Dec: Between the Salm and the Meuse
22–26 Dec: The Southern Shoulder
16–19 Dec: The Seventh Army Attacks
Dec 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Jan 01 02
19–23 Dec: Bastogne 24 Dec 1944 – 2 Jan 1945: Widening the Bastogne Corridor
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
THE U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Second World War through outreach events and other mediums to educate and inspire all members of American society by honoring the selfless acts of courage and heroism performed by U.S. soldiers in the service of our nation.Through this commemoration, we will:
• Remember the sacrifices of the more than 800,000 killed, wounded, or captured during the fighting of World War II.
• Honor the service of more than 11 million American soldiers who served in World War II.
• Educate current soldiers and the American public about the accomplishments that added new chapters to the proud history of the nation’s premier fighting force.
To view the World War II 75th commemoration Web site and affiliated publications, please visit the U.S. Army Center of Military History home page: www.history.army.milLearn more about the National Museum of the United States Army:
www.thenmusa.orgJoin us on social media at:
www.facebook.com/armyhistorywww.twitter.com/USArmyCMH
www.instagram.com/armyhistory CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
Men of the 3d Armored Division sit around a fire cleaning their rifles during a lull in the fighting near Bastogne, 2 Jan 1945
Facts:
610,000 U.S. Soldiers
242 Sherman Tanks
182 Tank destroyers
394 Artillery
75,000 Casualties
(dead, wounded, sick, injured, missing or captured)
85 U.S. Soldiers received the Distinguished Service Cross
BATTLE OF THE BULGEGerman Counteroffensive (Battle of the Bulge). In December 1944, Adolf Hitler directed an ambitious counteroffensive intended to regain the initiative in the west and compel the Allies to settle for a negotiated peace. Hitler’s generals were opposed to the plan, but the Führer’s will prevailed, and on 16 December some 30 German divisions launched the counteroffensive against Allied lines in the Ardennes region. The Allied defenses there had been thinned to provide troops for the autumn defensive, as the Allied leadership felt that the region’s difficult terrain would make it an unlikely location for enemy activity. The Allied units stationed on the Ardennes front line either were being refitted or were fresh units placed there to gain experience before going to more active areas. Hitler’s object was to drive through Antwerp and cut off and annihilate the British 21st Army Group and the U.S. First and Ninth Armies north of the Ardennes.
Aided by stormy weather, which grounded Allied planes and restricted observation, the surprise German attack made rapid gains at first. However, firm resistance by various isolated units provided time for the U.S. First and Ninth Armies to shift against the northern flank of the penetration, for the British to send reserves to secure the line to the Meuse, and for Patton’s Third Army to hit the salient from the south. Denied vital roads and hampered by air attacks when the weather cleared, the German assault resulted only in a large bulge in the Allied lines which did not even extend to the Meuse River, the Germans’ first objective. The Americans suffered some 75,000 casualties in the Battle of the Bulge, but the Germans lost 80,000 to l00,000. German strength had been irredeemably impaired. By the end of January 1945, American units had retaken all of the ground they had lost, and the defeat of Germany would be only a matter of time. In the east, the Red Army had opened a winter offensive that would carry them through to Berlin and beyond.
All photos courtesy of National Archives.Cover illustration – “Medics Moving in Near Bastogne/Relief Station at Bastogne”
World War II, Olin Dows, Jan 1945, Watercolor on paper, 9 5/8˝ x 21˝U.S. Army Center of Military History
U.S. Army
First Army Third Army Ninth Army
III Corps V Corps VII Corps VIII Corps
XII Corps XVI Corps XVIII ABN Corps XIX Corps
1st ID 2d ID 4th ID 5th ID 9th ID 17th ABN DIV 26th ID
AIRBORNE
28th ID 30th ID 35th ID 75th ID 80th ID 82d ABN DIV 83d ID
84th ID 87th ID 90th ID 99th ID 101st ABN DIV 106th ID 2d AD
46
56
67
69
610
611
3d AD 4th AD 5th AD 7th AD 9th AD 10th AD 11th AD