No you're absolutely right. They got caught napping. My grandfather was serving in Patton's Third Army at the time.
He was lucky to have such a competent commander, then. Big Patton fan here.
Patton's G-2 warned him about the build-up, and they were nowhere near the Ardennes. It was that obvious... and everyone who was actually there got blindsided. Disappointing.
Tonight on CBS News: Quagmire in Belgium!
Dad was there too, at the Bulge, with the IV. They were hardly untested in battle though, having been in Europe since D-Day.