Posted on 12/16/2019 10:04:16 AM PST by Retain Mike
Seventy-five years ago, on December 16, the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive, which proved the bloodiest American battle of WW II with 89,000 casualties including 19,000 dead. At the center of the offensive beleaguered Bastogne featured the 101th Airborne withstanding a German siege.
However, these 10,000 paratroopers did not alone forge the severe impediment presented to 500,000 Germans troops attacking with tanks. Contributions from the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions, and the 28th Division’s 109th and 687th Field Artillery Battalions provided needed firepower. Remnants of the 9th Armored CCR including the 73rd Armored Field Artillery retreated into the town. The CCB of the 10th Armored was detached and ordered to occupy Bastogne ahead of the Nazi’s. It took heavy casualties along the way but arrived with 30 tanks and the 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. The 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion was ordered forward and arrived with 36 powerful 76mm long cannon.
Overall General Anthony McAuliffe, as former division artillery commander for the division, directed eleven artillery battalions and tanks from two armored divisions as well as his paratroopers. The paratroopers alone would probably have been annihilated and not have withstood the siege. The tanks and artillery alone could not have prevailed against the combined arms of the German assault without this airborne infantry support.
No wonder at the Battle of the Bulge McAuliffe could say “nuts” when the Germans demanded his surrender.
Partial Bibliography:
A Time for Trumpets by Charles B. MacDonald
Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in WW II by Belton Y. Cooper
WWII Armored Division http://xbradtc.com/2008/10/24/wwii-armored-division/
10th Armored Division (United States) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._10th_Armored_Division http://www.combatreels.com/10th_Armored_Division.cfm
9th Armored Division (United States) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._9th_Armored_Division
Battle of the Bulge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge
Siege of Bastogne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne
705th Tank Destroyer Battalion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/705th_Tank_Destroyer_Battalion
The Germans were hoping for a peace with the West, and possibly the ability to continue to fight the Soviets. Ironically, they only managed to insure the Soviets had a better position at the bargaining table.
How come Patton and Eisenhower were not portrayed in the movie? My history major buddy said the movie was pretty accurate.
Which movie?
A pity none of the Hitler assassinations attempts were successful. This was an insane plan which had no chance to turn the tide of the war.
From Archive.org, some original documents:
The Siege of Bastogne was written from interviews with nearly all the commanders and staff officers who participated in the defense of Bastogne. It is essentially the account of how a single strong defensive force was built from separate commands of armor, airborne infantry, and tank destroyers. The interviews were conducted at Bastogne from December 31st, 1944 to January 25th, 1945, and were conducted with individual officers and also with whole groups whenever possible, including reviewing problems of the defense with commanders at the original scenes of their actions, as well as acquiring additional information from official records. A few of the headings include the concentration, attack and withdrawal, doubts and decisions, low ebb and arrival of supply, and Christmas Eve among others highlighting the battle. Illustrations and maps are missing from this digital document
https://archive.org/details/TheSiegeOfBastognePt1Of4/page/n1?q=Siege+of+Bastogne
https://archive.org/details/TheSiegeOfBastognePt2Of4/page/n13
https://archive.org/details/TheSiegeOfBastognePt3Of4/page/n3
https://archive.org/details/TheSiegeOfBastognePt4Of4/page/n4
“NUTS!”
101 “th”?
Thank you.
Too little too late. Somewhere I heard the Americans were pumping out a B52 every 35 minutes. The Germans were done by mid 1944 but just didn’t know it yet.
Sorry. Even the word spell check picked it up and I missed it.
They figured that if they could get peace with the US, they could recover. However, I tend to agree with you. My wargaming tells me that they would have been better suited to free up the Courland Bridgehead. 33 divisions, including 3 panzer divisions, along with bloodying that Soviet front might have given better results.
You mean a B-17. Or perhaps a B-29, but I don’t think they were cranking those things out very fast...
The B-52 is a 1950’s (first flight 1952) project that replaced the Convair B-36.
Stalin came to the bargaining table with the frame of mind that... ‘we negotiate from where we stand...’.
All the other allies packed up and went home after the war... only the Russians stayed and held onto the places the ‘liberated’. If you read Churchill’s bio, he sounded like he was way to lenient with old Joe.
“..If you read Churchill’s bio, he sounded like he was way to lenient with old Joe ..”
What else was he going to do? The UK armed forces were a spent instrument. US was going home & Churchill knew it. No American President was going to suggest possibly starting a war against Joe. He was a “good guy” and ally! We spent 4+ years telling the public that! The only people that could have done anything was us and we chose not to.
Ah sorry. My bad on that one. Bombers.
Some more:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/was-most-horrific-battle-battle-bulge-105377
Noville is, I believe, where “Easy Company” got to sleep indoors for the first time in a month. They stayed in a convent (not the church, as depicted in the miniseries), and were serenaded by the girls choir.
There were four tank units: Desobry, Cherry, and two others who’s names escape me at the moment.
The Battle of the Bulge was one of the worst war movies ever made.
A Swedish band on Bastogne.
Forget it, he’s on a roll.
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