Most German generals did not think much of this gamble. But some of the more fanatical Nazis initially thought they’d be able to recapture Paris. How’s that for being overconfident?
The goal was Antwerp. Antwerp was vital for the western Allies supply lines. The Germans had destroyed the French rail system and ports, and trucking material in through the Normandy bottleneck was too slow and consumed too much fuel.
The German plans required them to capture the Allies fuel stores. Joachim Peiper’s Panzers came within sight of an American fuel depot at Stavelot in Belgium, guarded by a detachment of 10 Belgians from the reconstituted Belgian army. As Peiper watched the Belgians set fire to the fuel and ended Peiper’s hopes. He didn’t have enough fuel to return to his own lines, his armor was reduced to battle debris.
Hiter and Nancy Pelosi thought alike. A major offensive would induce victory
Who was more wrong? Hitler or Pelosi?