Battle of the Bulge

Joe Wandrei
April 21, 2009
Mr. Cheng
English 10
The Last Chance

“We moved forward again, more cautiously, more spread out. The sound of heavy and light artillery boomed in the distance; small-arms fire echoed and reechoed through the hills. We were moving toward a battle in the north” (Schaus). This is from Donald R. Burgett who fought at the Battle of the Bulge. “The battle cost the lives of about 20,000 soldiers and many other wounded” (Schaus). Hitler was the man who planned this attack because the Allies were moving in towards Berlin from both sides. The events leading up to the battle, the battle itself and events after will help get people a basic understanding of the Battle of the Bulge.
The Battle of the Bulge took place towards the end of World War II. The causes for this World War will help explain why the Allies needed to fight this war. Hitler known for his actions during World War is why the war started. “In the year 1939 Hitler and Stalin sign a non-aggression pact and agree to split up the state of Poland” (PBS online). “Then in September of 1939 when Britain and France declare war on Germany the Second World War had begun” (Bently 1053). As the war was drawn on for three more years the United States was drawn into the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. With the United States in the war the tide changed. Russia started pushing Germany back towards Berlin while British and Americans start to push from the other side. “On June 6th 1944, D-Day occurred and the Allies started to push back the Germans from the beach of France” (PBS Online). “Then on December 16th 1944, Germany sends a quarter million troops across an 85-mile stretch of the Allied front. This creates a bulge in the line giving the battle its name” (PBS Online).
Ardennes, Belgium is a hilly and wooded region where the Battle of the Bulge took place. “The goal of Hitler was to try and win back land and momentum lost during D-Day” (U.S. Army Online). The war started in Germany’s favor because they were able to break through the American front. “They were able to surround most of an infantry division, seized key crossroads, and advanced their spearheads toward the Meuse River, creating the projection that gave the battle its name” (U.S. Army Online). “The weather was even on the Germans side because it was a foggy day” (Schaus). Since the Americans heavily relied on air support the fog did not allow for the Americans to attack through the air. Americans were thrown into confusion and isolation but were still able to slow the advancement of the Germans. “American soldiers were also able to hold out several attacks on key positions at St. Vith and Bastogne” (U.S. Army Online). Then in January 1945 American soldiers were able to finally push back the Germans to the normal front line and thus destroying the ‘bulge’ that was created during this battle.
In the end Hitler’s attempt at turning World War II around failed and ended up losing the war since he could not launch another offensive attack. The Allies ended up winning the war after the Russians were able to close in on Berlin. “The three major Allied nations began to discuss the postwar world in a series of conferences with the three leaders. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta in March 1945” (World War II Multimedia Database). Germany was put under a tight watch by all 4 of the major allies. “One condition that was set up in response to the war was the United Nations” (World War II Multimedia Database). This organization was used for creating peace among the countries of the world. The Battle of the Bulge was a big war for the Americans even though no one won the Battle of the Bulge the Allies was still able to win the overall war.
When everybody thought the war was over Hitler did not give up by fighting the Battle of the Bulge. “British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill stated, this is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory. Indeed, in terms of participation and losses, the battle of the Bulge is arguably the greatest battle in American military history” (U.S. Army online). The importance of this battle is obviously large and the events before, during and after the Battle of the Bulge show us this point. The battle was a hard battle for both sides to fight but in the end Allies were able to push the front back and get rid of the giant bulge in the line to win World War II.











Works Cited
"Battle of the Bulge." World War II History Info. 20 Apr. 2009 .

Bentley, Jerry H. Traditions and Encounters. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006.

PBS. "American Experience Battle of the Bulge Timeline." PBS. American Experience. 20 Apr. 2009 .

Schaus, Samuel T. "The Battle of the Bulge." Yahoo! GeoCities: Get a free web site with easy-to-use site building tools. 21 Apr. 2009 .

US Army. "The United States Army Battle of the Bulge." The United States Army Homepage. 20 Apr. 2009 .

World War II Multimedia Database. "The Post War World - World War II Multimedia Database." World War II Multimedia Database. 22 Apr. 2009 .