Some questions about the upcoming major German counterattack in the Ardennes.
Is there any evidence that anyone on the Allied side had a whiff of the planned German counterattack? If not now, is there evidence someone later thought this would happen before the actual counterattack but was ignored?
Why the Ardennes? Was that for some reason a region not covered by the Allied push?
Is there evidence the Germans actually had a chance of winning this thing if the Allies with the critical aid of Allied reinforcements had not successfully repelled the counterattack? Even if the Germans had managed to punch through, couldn’t the Allies have closed in around the German offensive creating a huge trap, especially with the help of Allied air superiority? Maybe it was doomed from the start.
In reply to your questions.
1) A few folks in the US Army had some glimmers of a German counter-offensive. Most of those few thought it would be north of Aachen. In short the Allied Command staff were convinced that the Germans were just about finished.
2) The Germans had very good luck attacking through the Ardennes in 1940, no? Also the Us was using it as a “Rest Area” for worn out units to rest and refurbish. Also as a place for new divisions to get some experience. There were only 4 divisions covering a front of close to 100 miles or so.
If you were Hitler where would you attack at?
3) IIRC henkster touched on this a few weeks back. The Germans were pretty much out of options by this time. The 20m or so division that were used in the Bulge would not have made much difference on the Russian front, they would have been chewed up and spat out in short order.
Did the Germans have a chance, yes but it was a long shot. Not intended as a slam on the French but the GI’s were not French! The opening days of the Ardennes offensive were replete with small unit actions that confounded the Germans at every turn. A lot of GIs bugged out and a lot were captured but a lot also stayed and fought. Sometimes they bought an hour or two or maybe even a day. The majority of the Germans 1st day goals were not met until day 3 or later of the offensive.
Look for a long post on the Intel failure come next month.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3223424/posts?page=12#12
2. I was wondering about the Ardennes myself.
3. Several days ago someone here mentioned that Patton wanted to let the Germans advance toward Antwerp so he could then "cut them up," but Ike declined.