Battle of the Bulge 9781783460212

Table of contents :
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One - Assault
Chapter Two - Breakthrough
Chapter Three - St Vith and Bastogne
Chapter Four - Hightide
Chapter Five - Reinforcements Shore up the Line
Chapter Six - The Counter-Offensive Begins
Chapter Seven - Reducing the Bulge
Part Eight - Aftermath

Citation preview

First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Pen & Sword Military an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. S70 2AS

Copyright © Andrew Rawson 2004

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library 9781783460212

The right of Andrew Rawson to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

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Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Introduction Chapter One - Assault Chapter Two - Breakthrough Chapter Three - St Vith and Bastogne Chapter Four - Hightide Chapter Five - Reinforcements Shore up the Line Chapter Six - The Counter-Offensive Begins Chapter Seven - Reducing the Bulge Part Eight - Aftermath

Introduction Adolf Hitler always believed in the attack and even when the German Armies were facing their darkest hour as they fell back across France in the face of a relentless Allied advance, the Führer was planning his vengeance. Youths and old men, previously ignored by conscription, were formed into new Volksgrenadier divisions while existing units were combed for trained leaders. Deficiencies in experience were made up for with increased firepower. Germany’s beleaguered arms industry worked through the Allied bombing raids to turn out assault guns and rocket launchers. Panzer Divisions, destroyed in the battles for Normandy, were recreated around the survivors and given new, improved tanks. Hitler announced his intention to attack to his generals in September 1944. He planned to break through the wooded hills of southern Belgium, and drive across the River Meuse before turning north towards the final objective, Antwerp. Operation WACHT AM RHINE, (Watch on the Rhine) was designed to strike the weakest point in the Allied line while poor weather conditions cancelled out the advantages held by the Allied air forces. Throughout the autumn, units secretly assembled to await the call to move towards the Ardennes, and although Hitler’s plans were complete by November, clear skies postponed the order to strike until the second week of December. Over the course of three nights more than 200,000 men and 1,000 tanks assembled along the Belgian and Luxembourg borders while 2,000 artillery pieces moved into position ready to bombard First US Army’s thin line. By the night of 16 December seven panzer and thirteen infantry divisions were arrayed along an eighty-eight mile front; they faced only four American infantry divisions, two of them with no battle experience. Allied intelligence had failed to notice the massive build up of troops opposite General Courtney Hodges’ front, believing that Field Marshals von Rundstedt and Model had insufficient forces to threaten the Ardennes. They were about to be proved

wrong. Hitler, the architect of the German offensive, explains the plan to Jodl and Keitel. Taylor Library

King Tiger tanks, the pinnacle of German armoured engineering, lined up in review prior to the offensive in the Ardennes. Taylor Library

Build up for the attack. By the winter of 1944 lack of transport had become a serious problem. These bicycle-mounted Panzergrenadiers are seen passing a column of Panther tanks. Taylor Library Ready to roll! Panzer crews line up for inspection in front of their Panthers. Taylor Library

Chapter One Assault

Despite warning signs, Allied Intelligence failed to uncover the size or location of Hitler’s offensive. Neither General Dwight Eisenhower, SHAEF’s commander nor General Omar Bradley, Twelfth Army Group’s leader believed that the Germans possessed the amount of material or men to launch such an offensive. Here it is smiles all round as the two generals discuss their own projected offensive with General Louis Craig of the 9th Infantry Division. 111-SC-199344 Already exhausted by the fierce battles for ‘Bloody’ Aachen and the Hurtgen Forest, the crews of these M10‘Hellcat’ tank destroyers were expecting a respite as the weather across the Ardennes closed in. 111-SC-197366

Overstretched and undermanned. Four infantry divisions, two severely weakened by the fighting in the Hurtgen Forest, the remaining two in action for the first time, faced the entire weight of three Armies. These men occupy a shallow front line position while a Sherman tank covers the forest trail in the background. Positions like this will have been overrun all along First Army’s front during the first twenty-four hours of the attack. 111-SC-198177

With Christmas approaching a private of the 2nd Infantry Division rests on a box full of shells as he addresses Christmas cards emblazoned with the ‘Indian head’ insignia. Two weeks later the shells would be used to help defend the St Vith sector from 5th Panzer Army’s attack. 111-SC-197242

Mist and snow during the first few days of the offensive would prevent the Allies from using their overwhelming air power to smash the German armoured columns. These men fight the elements on Krinkelter Ridge a few days before the battle opened. 111-SC-197337

Infantry silently patrol the snow covered Krinkelter Woods in search of German positions on First Army’s front. Four days later the brunt of the German offensive would break through General Courtney Hodges’ thinly stretched front. 111-SC-197350

Forty-eight hours before the blow struck, General George S. Patton meets General Alexander McC Patch at Seventh Army’s headquarters. While Patton’s Third Army would have to rush to the aid of Hodges’ First Army around Bastogne, Seventh Army would face First Army’s subsidiary attack in northern Alsace, code named Operation NORDWIND. 111-SC-197450

Just hours before Hitler unleashed his armoured divisions, the 129th Ordnance Battalion was pictured bringing a captured Panzer VI King Tiger back to their headquarters. Little did the crew know that two Panzer Armies armed with monsters such as these were gathering opposite First Army’s front. 111-SC-197752 Men of the 2nd Infantry Division hug the sides of a shallow ditch as German shells rain down on their positions. First Army’s weak line had little chance of holding back a determined armoured thrust. 111-SC-197304

There are anxious faces as these GIs shelter in the cellar of a ruined house from the German bombardment. The attack was heralded by a short hurricane bombardment designed to shatter the front line troops and cut communications to the rear. By the time First Army headquarters knew it was under attack the infantry divisions spearheading Fifth and Sixth Panzer Armies’ attacks would have swept the roads clear for the armour. 111-SC197920

In the north Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army had orders to drive to the Meuse and cross on both sides of Liege while infantry divisions covered the flank. This line of American prisoners marches into captivity as a King Tiger rolls forward. Taylor Library Allied air superiority was a constant source of worry for the German commanders. If the bad weather broke the sky would be full of American fighters and bombers. These guards and prisoners search the skies for signs of aircraft. Taylor Library

In the centre Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army encountered difficulties to begin with as American rearguards stalled the initial attack. The weight of numbers soon began to tell and once breakthroughs were made, large numbers of GIs found themselves cut off and low on ammunition. Taylor Library Panzergrenadiers were the German equivalent of the American Armoured Infantry. Elite soldiers, mounted on halftracks, accompanied the Panzers as they carved their way through First Army’s lines. The men on the left are comparing differences between the American M3 halftrack and their own vehicles. Taylor Library

Huge stocks of ammunition, fuel and supplies had to be left behind in the retreat. German supplies were often lacking and this group of soldiers are searching for useful items. Taylor Library

The censor has erased the faces of these unfortunate GIs. The size and speed of the German attack had overrun the majority of VIII Corps’ front line positions by the end of the second day. A misunderstanding at 106th Infantry Division’s headquarters left two regiments in an exposed position on Schnee Eifel and by 19 December over 7,000 men of 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments had been captured. Taylor Library A German soldier inspects an abandoned anti-aircraft gun carriage, left behind in the retreat. The line of Swastika markings underneath the gun barrels indicates that the crew had been successful in the past. Taylor Library

As the columns of Panzers broke free and raced ahead to their objectives, American troops were often cut off behind enemy lines. Many were evacuated to prisoner of war camps but occasionally SS troops massacred groups of captured GIs by the side of the road. Kampfgruppe Peiper acquired a degree of notoriety after killing over 100 prisoners on the outskirts of Malmedy. Taylor Library

The lucky ones escaped to fight another day. This group are hoping to meet reinforcements as they head back to new positions. Once news of the German atrocities spread, it forged a new will to fight in the American soldier. Taylor Library

The first armoured elements to reach the Ardennes stood no chance against the might of two Panzer Armies. 9th Armoured Division was split into its three Combat Commands and committed piecemeal to the east of St Vith and Bastogne. These M5 Grant tanks quickly fell prey to the larger German vehicles. Taylor Library

In many cases the poor road network and winter conditions delayed the German advance more than American action. There were few opportunities to outflank roadblocks, leaving no option but to batter a way through. This group are struggling to free a staff car which has become bogged down in deep mud. Taylor Library The cold weather was everybody’s enemy. Although they were well armed, many German soldiers lacked winter clothing and sturdy footwear. These men are stripping the dead of their winter shoes. On this photograph a censor has scribbled through the place names on the road signs. Taylor Library

Despite overwhelming numbers the Germans did not have it all their own way and scattered groups of GIs fought on to block the German advance. Privates Fred Thompson and Edward Kast have set their .05 calibre machine gun up in a commanding position ready to catch German troops moving through the Bavigne valley. 111-SC-199256

Anti-tank guns, mines and bazooka teams all contributed to stalling the German armour while the American Armoured Divisions turned towards the Ardennes. These two soldiers are puzzling over the spectacular demise of this Panzer IV. Taylor Library

Chapter Two Breakthrough GIs of the 75th Infantry Division move through Buissuonville past a tank of 2nd Armoured Division. Major-General Fay Prickett’s men supported 3rd Armoured Division as it opposed XXXXVII Panzerkorps’ drive to the Meuse. 111-SC-198286

Generalfeldmarschal Model Generalfeldmarschal Model’s attack opened before dawn on 16 December 1944 following a short bombardment designed to distract the American troops and under cover of darkness long columns of vehicles and men began moving through the mist, guided by searchlights pointing into the sky. On the northern flank SS-Obergruppenführer Joseph ‘Sepp’ Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army encountered difficulties and to begin with, 99th Infantry Division repulsed LXVII Corps’ assault on the Elsenborn Ridge. As the attacks intensified 106th Division was in danger of being cut off on the high ground known as the Schnee Eifel as Dietrich’s men pushed through the thin American line and into the Losheim Gap. General Hasso von Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army ran into 28th Division, resting after suffering heavy losses in the Hurtgen Forest and, despite holding an overstretched front, the American outposts delayed the armoured columns. By nightfall only a trickle of German troops had crossed the Our River seriously delaying von Manteuffel’s drive towards the important communications centre of Bastogne. The localised setback would have serious implications later as the offensive developed. The story was the same on Seventh Army’s front and although General Erich Brandenberger’s troops had crossed the Our, roadblocks prevented the offensive reaching its primary objectives. By nightfall the anticipated breakthrough had not been made and while Hitler responded with confidence to the first day’s reports, von Rundstedt was pessimistic. Time had been lost and the Americans now knew where to concentrate their reserves. The race was on to reach the Meuse and while General Omar Bradley ordered his Generals to prepare to defend before going over to the counter-offensive, the GIs at the front line waited anxiously for reinforcements.

SS-Obergruppenführer ‘Sepp’ Dietrich

General Hasso von Manteuffel Twenty-four hours into the offensive the American commanders assessment of the offensive showed that the Germans had attacked along a sixty-mile front with strong forces. So far little headway had been made and reinforcements were on the way but would they be in time? On VIII Corps’ front General Troy Middleton had decided to hold four road junctions, St Vith, Houffalize, Bastogne and Luxembourg city, but an unfortunate misunderstanding meant that one division, the 106th, was holding exposed positions on the Schnee Eifel against Middleton’s wishes. By nightfall the division would have been overrun, ripping a large hole in General Hodges’ line. Consequently, while V Corps held back the northern shoulder of the German attack, armoured columns were able to penetrate deep into the American lines.

General Erich Brandenberger During the night of the 17th the Germans unveiled two new surprises designed to cause chaos behind First Army’s lines. A thousand strong parachute force was dropped onto high ground with the objective of seizing vital road junctions, meanwhile, SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorenzy, Hitler’s troubleshooter, made a daring raid through the American positions. His armoured brigade, manned by English speaking Germans dressed in GI uniforms and travelling in captured vehicles, misled roadblocks. Although the two operations caused fear and mistrust to spread behind First Army’s lines the paratroopers and spies were quickly rounded up.

A convoy of jeeps and trucks grinds its way towards the front line. Both

American and German commanders found it difficult to manoeuvre their troops across the poor road network of the Ardennes. 111-SC-198279 The crew of this 90mm anti-aircraft gun reposition their weapon to cover one of the roads leading into Malmedy. 111-SC-198113

M7 Priest’s mounting 105mm howitzers form the mobile artillery for an Armoured Division. They are lined up ready to fire airbursts over advancing German troops. 111-SC-198146

Private Charles Preston brushes snow from his .03 calibre machine gun. His unit, 11 Regiment’s 2nd Battalion was moving with 5th Infantry Division towards the southern flank of the expanding Bulge. 111-SC-197627

An engineer of the 2nd Infantry Division sets mines at Wirtzfeld in front of 1 SS Panzerkorps’ advance towards St Vith. 111-SC-198118

Otto Skorenzy, an expert in covert missions, led Operation Greif, an armoured brigade composed of captured American vehicles and converted German equipment. Panzerbrigade 150 was manned with English speaking soldier dressed in US battle smocks. The brigade was supposed to race through the Allied lines and seize bridges over the Meuse ahead of the main force. It achieved only a limited degree of success and had only passed through a few checkpoints before the alarm was raised. Confusion was caused behind the lines but after the first few hours every GI was viewed with suspicion.

Taylor Library

The call for captured equipment fell short of the required number and German vehicles painted with American markings had to be used in a crude

attempt to get past roadblocks. 111-SC-198715 The soldiers at this checkpoint are taking no chances. For a time no one was trusted and GIs asked random questions on American history, sport or culture to check for spies. Few Germans would know the names or fortunes of football or baseball teams; stock conversation amongst the American soldiers. 111-SC-198390

The fear of infiltration continued for days after Otto Skorenzy’s’s men were finally rounded up. Here a checkpoint verifies a driver’s papers at Namur on the River Meuse. 111-SC-198429

Behind First Army’s line a manned post covered every road junction and crossroads looking for infiltrators, spies and paratroopers. Although Operation Grief failed in its mission, the impact it had on the movement of reinforcements was exceptional. 111-SC-198303

Paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division captured this German soldier dressed in American clothing near Vireaux. The prisoner claimed to have escaped from a prisoner of war camp in Normandy and was trying to make his way back through Third Army’s lines. 111-SC-199297 This German soldier wearing American clothing was killed in Hotten. Several of his comrades who were taken alive were executed as spies. 111SC-198280

Privates Parsons and Crosbie of 83rd Division’s Military Police Detachment check traffic moving through Buissonville en route for the Rochefort salient. 111-SC-198337

84th Division came across this poorly camouflaged German halftrack near Samrée. Advance elements of 3rd Armoured Division were severely mauled

as they tried to hold the village against 116th Panzer Division on 20 December. Over a dozen Shermans were knocked out or disabled and General Krüger’s men captured over 30,000 gallons of fuel and a large cache of rations. 111-SC-199017

Oberstleutnant Friedrich von der Heydte. Taylor Library Only days before the attack was launched, Oberstleutnant Freiherr von der Heydte was ordered to assemble and train a thousand strong unit of airborne trained men for Operation Stösser. The Fallschirmjäger were to jump behind First Army’s lines at dawn on the second day and secure the roads leading from Elsenborn and Malmedy toward Eupen and speed the way forward for the armoured units. The drop failed, the paratroopers were scattered and men like these spent anxious hours rounding up the stragglers. 111-SC198180

The final stragglers of von Heydte’s force were flushed out like wild fowl. These men of 18 Infantry Regiment wait in line like the shooting line of a pheasant hunt while others move through the woods like beaters. 111-SC198297

Oberstleutnant Friedrich von der Heydte. Heydte’s mission comes to an end.

After holding out in the woods for several days the paratroopers’ leader had to admit defeat. Wounded and suffering from the effects of the cold, Heydte sent a message to the American troops searching for his position. Lieutenant Colonel John Woodruff, a medical officer of 9th Infantry Division looks after the injured German officer. 111-200716

103rd Tank Destroyer Battalion move up through heavy fog to support 82nd Airborne Division as it moves to counter Kampfgruppe Peiper’s advance towards the River Meuse. The mist over the Ardennes removed the Allies air superiority and covered the Panzer Divisions movements – two major elements of Hitler’s plan. 111-SC-198294

As Fifth Panzer Army approached Bastogne steps were taken to defend the vital communications centre. While heavy artillery was evacuated to a safe distance, tanks and halftracks were sent to help 101st Airborne Division form a perimeter. 111-SC-198295

Crews of 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion are forced to fight on as foot troops after losing their vehicles. The battalion fought alongside the 28th ‘Keystone’ Division as it defended Wiltz on the road to Bastogne. 111-SC-198296

26 Infantry Regiment move forward to counter I SS Panzerkorps’ drive onto the Elsenborn Ridge. Colonel John Seitz’s men seriously delayed the

Panzers’ advance beyond Dom Bötgenbach. 111-SC-1098305

An anti-tank gun of the ‘Lucky Seventh’ Armoured Division waits expectantly near Vielsalm, an important crossing over the Salm River, as 1st Panzer Division advances closer. 111-SC-198389 A lone GI inspects a burnt out halftrack and a knocked out tank, caught by artillery fire as they fell back towards Bastogne. 111-SC-198393

Time and time again men cut off from their units slipped back through the German lines to try and find their own units.This group from 3rd Armoured Division eventually reached friendly lines on Christmas Day and queue up

for their first hot meal. They had been forced to destroy their equipment, blacken their faces, and escape under cover of darkness. 111-SC-198386

Soldiers of the 23rd Armoured Infantry Battalion crawl forward along a snow covered road in their camouflage suits. The battalion formed part of 7th Armoured Division’s stalwart defence of St Vith. 111-SC-199032 A machine gunner of 26 Infantry Regiment surveys his surroundings having taken over a new outpost. He formed part of 1st Infantry Division’s defence on the northern shoulder of the Bulge. 111-SC-199628

Private Peter Stulgis of 51st Combat Engineer Battalion carries out the final checks on his handiwork before withdrawing. 4th Infantry Division blunted LXXX Armeekorps’ advance across the Süre River at Echternach. 111-SC198397

Paratroopers of the 82nd All American Airborne Division form foxholes and shelters on a hillside near Vaux Chavanne. The airborne soldiers performed admirably in their ground role and stopped II SS Panzerkorps’ advance towards the River Meuse. 111-SC-198422

The German offensive killed hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands of others. Here families shelter from the shelling in an abandoned slate mine near Neufchateau. 111-SC-198447

Although the Luftwaffe had been shattered by this late stage in the war, Hitler gathered every available plane to support his drive across the

Ardennes. Here Private John Pherson huddles against the cold as he mans his .05 calibre machine gun and watches the lightening sky. 111-SC-198447

Breakthrough had been achieved, but were they deep enough? General Hasso von Manteuffel discusses the situation with his commanders. Taylor Library A commander of a Panzer unit briefs his officers amidst swirling snow. Taylor Library

Chapter Three St Vith and Bastogne

By the end of the second day General Hodges realised that his front was crumbling. Sixth Panzer Army had broken through and an armoured detachment, Kampfgruppe Peiper, commanded by SS-Standartenführer Joachim Peiper, was heading for the River Meuse at Huy. Driving deep, while using captured fuel stocks to maintain progress, Peiper’s men murdered over 300 American soldiers and 100 Belgian civilians as they drove through

Malmedy and Stavelot. Further south 1st SS Panzer Division was also rolling west, bypassing St Vith where American rearguards held off three Panzer divisions around the town. With 106th Infantry Division virtually wiped off the map by 19 December, having lost 7,000 men captured and many more casualties, the defence of St Vith and its road network was the key to stopping the advance, and the order ‘Hold at all costs’ was given to the 7th and 9th Armoured Divisions.The German commanders, frustrated by the narrow roads and bad weather, hammered at the American roadblocks for two days. On Skyline Drive Fifth Panzer Army had overrun 28th Infantry Division as it struggled to hold crossings over the River Our, but with the help of elements of the 9th and 10th Armoured Divisions the division had stopped General von Manteuffel reaching Bastogne before the 101st Airborne Division had taken up residence.Teams of paratroopers backed with tanks had blocked the roads into the town just in time. Wishing to avoid a costly engagement, the Panzers pushed on between St Vith and Bastogne towards the Meuse encircling the 101st. For the next ten days the ‘Screaming Eagles’ would fight it out as First and Third Army tried to reach the besieged paratroopers. A King Tiger tank guards the bridge across the Ambleve river in the centre of Stavelot. 30th Division blocked succesive crossings over the river as Kampfgruppe Peiper advanced west. Reference 111-SC-198340

Stragglers of the 28th Infantry Division, many without weapons, fall back into Bastogne after their division was overrun east of the town.Their defensive roadblocks allowed time for the 101st Airborne Division and Combat Commands from the 9th and 10th Armoured Divisions to reach the town. 111-SC-270947

With the Germans surrounding 101st Airborne Division, General McAuliffe’s men could not afford to let the local population back into Bastogne. These paratroopers of 502 Regiment are refusing to let civilians through their perimeter. 111-SC-198443

One group of prisoners is lead through the ruins of the town at the height of the siege. Both captors and captives have been exhausted by round the clock fighting. 111-SC-198472

This group of German soldiers was mown down by machine gun fire as they advanced towards Brigadier General McAuliffe’s command post in Bastogne. The tanks accompanying the infantry were knocked out during the attack. 111-SC-200446

Civilians caught up in the siege decide to escape and pack up a few belongings before heading out of the town. A mixture of German and American Army signs cover the walls above the Belgian road sign. 111-SC-

200480 One family have decided to escape the daily bombardments and have packed up their belongings looking to leave the shell torn town. 111-SC-198444

Long after the civilians had fled, their animals strayed through the ruined town. 111-SC-198721

The sign is a little out of date. Heavy shelling has turned unattended vehicles in Bastogne’s square into a mass of twisted wreckage. Salvage crews will be needed to impound the piles of scrap metal. 111-SC-198445 Spares for vehicles were in short supply during the siege and these two soldiers are looking to cannibalise this wrecked halftrack to keep their own vehicle roadworthy. 111-SC-199250

There are sombre faces all round as Brigadier General McAuliffe and 101st Airborne Division’s staff gather for a brief Christmas dinner in the cellar of the divisional headquarters. 111-SC-200483

The different faces of Christmas. Out in the foxholes in the woods the GIs tried their best to lift their spirits. Here one enterprising sergeant has decorated a fledgling pine tree with a C-Ration can and tinsel foil. American planes had dropped the foil as they flew overhead in an attempt to disrupt German radar systems. 111-SC-198234

Paratroopers attend a Christmas day service at the height of the siege. Many of the men pictured here had been wounded in the fighting for the town and had to wait until 4th Armoured Division broke through from the south before they could be evacuated. 111-SC-200477 General ‘Lighting Joe’ Lawton Collins poses by a festive tree at VII Corps

headquarters. On Christmas Day Collins was in the middle of planning the projected counter-offensive against the ‘Bulge’ in an attempt to reach Bastogne from the north. 111-SC-1982111

The siege continued unabated and with German artillery ringed around Bastogne, houses and streets became deathtraps as shells rained down around the clock. This rescue party are looking for trapped buddies in the ruins of one bombed building. 111-SC-200853

The facial expression of Technician Milford Sillars on the right as he talks to Private Adam Davies sums up the mood of the men besieged in Bastogne. The two men belonged to 110 Regiment of the 28th ‘Keystone’ Division which had been overrun by the German advance.The men managed to escape and join the Airborne troops in the town, helping to form Combat Team SNAFU; in Army parlance ‘Situation Normal, All Fouled Up’ 111-SC-198304 9th Armoured Division was split in three Combat Commands and committed towards St Vith, Echternach, and Bastogne in an attempt to hold back the German advance. Elements were caught up in 101st Airborne’s perimeter. On several occasions German radio communications announced that the division had been destroyed and Major General John Leonard’s men unofficially adopted the title ‘Phantom’Division. This Sherman is heading for Bastogne as part of one of many attempts to reach the paratroopers. 111-SC198406

While 101st Airborne fought on from its besieged positions in Bastogne, 82nd Airborne Division stemmed the German advance north-west of the town. Here howitzers of the 254th Field Artillery Battalion support the paratroopers as they hold Werbomont. 111-SC-198446

Many attempts to fly supplies in to the paratroopers by glider and transport plane were made and these C-47 (Dakota) transport planes were pictured flying over Bastogne. 111-SC-198403

GIs of the 44th Armoured Infantry Battalion. Soldiers claw at the frozen soil to form foxholes while Sherman tanks look on. Without white camouflage the men and vehicles stand out against the snow covered fields. 111-SC-198465

44th Armoured Infantry Battalion mount up and move east to drive the Germans back across the Our River. Major General Robert Grow’s Division, the ‘Super Sixth’ Armoured was heavily engaged along the south bank of the River Sauer during the siege. 111-SC-198462

Attacks on the northern shoulder of the Bulge helped to reduce the pressure on Bastogne. 105mm Howitzers of the 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion line up to support 7th Armoured Division’s attack on Manhay crossroads near St Vith. 111-SC-198408 Reconnaissance vehicles of 25th Cavalry Squadron head the advance through Chaumont as 4th Armoured Division spearheads the attempt to relieve Bastogne. 111-SC-199294

The crew of a 4.2 inch mortar is well supplied as it supports 35th Division’s attack from Tintange towards Bastogne. This size of mortar had originally been designed to fire chemical shells but experiments showed that it was capable of firing high explosive, considerably boosting an infantry division’s close fire support. 111 -SC-1 9842 1 111-SC-198421

Having dismounted and left their halftracks behind, GIs of the 10th Armoured Infantry Battalion move forward on foot across snow covered fields towards Bastogne. Shells from 4th Armoured Division’s mobile artillery, cover the advance. 111-SC-198452

Patton’s Third Army came to the 101st’s rescue, attacking the German cordon to the south of Bastogne after 4th Armoured Division covered 150 miles in nineteen hours. Infantry form a protective screen alongside a road as Grant tanks head towards the town. Major General Hugh Gaffey’s tanks eventually reached the ‘Screaming Eagles’ on 26 December. 111-SC-198451 320 Regiment establishes new positions on the east flank of the corridor connecting Bastogne with Third Army. 35th Division countered German attempts to sever 4th Armoured Division’s link with the paratroopers. 111SC-271264

The breakthrough has been made and 4th Armoured Division has reached the beleaguered ‘Screaming Eagles’. Halftracks from one of the Armoured Infantry Battalions have been parked in the town square while the GIs survey the bomb damaged houses. 111-SC-198392

These German soldiers surrendered to 6th Armoured Division’s Combat Command A as it attacked Neffe at the south-east corner of the German cordon.The division’s attack severely hampered 1 SS Panzerkorps’ ability to

advance west of Bastogne. 111-SC-198466 House to house fighting in the vicinity of Bastogne. The corpse in the white camouflage suit is that of a dead German.This clearly indicates the closeness of the fighting. Taylor Library

Paratroopers march past the bullet-scarred sign to join the general advance east of the town.The sign was later removed and taken back to the ‘Screaming Eagles” headquarters in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 111-SC200445b

A dark sense of humour prevailed during the siege. 111-SC-226804

Members of the 101st Airborne Division proudly march out of Bastogne after the ten-day siege has been broken. 111-SC-200445a Major General Maxwell D.Taylor was in the States when the 101st Airborne Division was engaged. He eventually reached Bastogne on 5 January and here meets Assistant Divisional Commander McAuliffe in front of the town sign. 111-SC-198647

A convoy of ambulances evacuate wounded men from Bastogne after the siege was lifted. Taylor Library

Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Third Army’s commanding officer, awards Brigadier General McAuliffe the Distinguished Service Cross for leading the defence of the town. On 21 December McAuliffe received a formal offer to surrender from XXXXVII Panzerkorps’ leader, General Heinrich von Lüttwitz. After failing to come up with a suitable reply to the protracted proposal McAuliffe replied with one word – ‘Nuts’ . 111-SC200482

General Heinrich von Lüttwitz. ‘NUTS!’ Taylor Library After the siege ended, the ‘Screaming Eagles’ went over to the attack. Major General Maxwell Taylor, briefs his subordinates. Brigadier General Higgins, Colonel Link, Colonel Harper and Major Hatch, in Noville on the outskirts of Bastogne. 111-SC-199243

Chapter Four Hightide

Von Rundstedt’s plan had placed armoured columns across the River Meuse within four days but heroic last stands and the stubborn defence of St Vith and Bastogne had seriously delayed the German advance. Six American divisions had checked twenty German divisions and another six were on the way. However, II Panzerkorps was still waiting to be committed and there remained a slim chance that Hitler’s armour might still be able to achieve

some of their objectives. Eisenhower met his commanders on 19 December and welcomed Patton’s news that a corps was preparing to drive towards the southern flank of the Bulge. On the northern flank Field Marshal Montgomery was also assembling a corps sized reserve along the Meuse behind First Army’s front. Following the meeting SHAEF’s commander made the controversial, but necessary, decision to split the Bulge, handing the northern sector over to Montgomery while General Bradley controlled the southern half of the battlefield. American generals disagreed with many of the British commander’s methods and wanted to go over to the offensive at the first opportunity. Only time would tell if Monty’s decision to draw the Germans forward before unleashing his troops would be the right one. Whatever the differences, a new defensive line had to be formed and as reinforcements raced to First Army’s assistance the German panzer leaders realised that time was against them. Although the River Meuse was almost in sight, the bridges were being secured and arranged for defence, one by one.

Firefly tank commander Robert Boscawen and crew, Guards Armoured Division, at Meuse River ready to deny the Germans a crossing point. Previous page: Sergeant Lyle Greene shares a joke with Private Fred

Mozzoni as they rest for a moment on the way to the front line near Malmedy. 111-SC-198409

While reserves from all along the American front were moved towards the Ardennes, divisions that had just arrived in England from the States were rushed across to the Continent to help stem the German drive towards the Meuse. This infantry heavy weapons company make their way to the front line along a narrow forest track. 111-SC-197619 The poor road network made it difficult to deploy troops effectively and time was needed to assemble a large reserve.These men stand to one side as a column of trucks rolls past. 111-SC-197620

Sergeant James Newman leads a patrol across frozen fields, following a fresh fall of snow. The GIs have wrapped themselves in bed sheets in an attempt to appear inconspicuous. 111-SC-197832 Tank crews from the 3rd ‘Spearhead’ Armoured Division inspect two German tanks knocked out in Hotten. A Panzer IV is partially hidden behind the Panzer V Panther tank. Major General Maurice Rose’s division successfully cut the vital highway leading to St Vith when it counterattacked west of Houfflaize. 111-SC-197822

Corporal George F. Gearhart inspects one of four German halftracks knocked out on the outskirts of Heiderscheid. Gearhart’s tank battalion, the 702nd, also destroyed two tanks during the battle for the village. 111-SC197825

As reinforcements rushed towards the front line Combat Engineers attempted to slow the German advance. Private John Brady wires a line of trees ready for detonation, aiming to drop them across the road when the charges are fired. 111-SC-197834

New Year’s Day and Corporal William Tamantini wipes snow and ice from

his .30 calibre machine gun as 85th Reconnaissance Squadron sets up a roadblock near Sourboudt in 5th Armoured Division’s area. The roadblock was one of many set up in Twelfth Army Group’s rear, to guard against further German airborne attacks. 111-SC-197934

New Year’s Eve on Seventh Army’s front and a cold GI takes comfort from his pipe as he scans the woods for signs of enemy activity along 103rd Division’s front. General Patch had just been warned that the First German Army was about to attack Seventh Army’s front. 111-SC-197983 Private Lloyd Spence and Private James Bryson pause for a few moments during 26th Division’s counter-attack. Having taken Arsdorf on Christmas Day the ‘Yankee’ Division regrouped and advanced towards Wiltz. 111-SC198161

New Year’s Eve 1944 and after a long cold night on lookout duty in St Roche,

Privates Tomlinson and Buona of the 7th Armoured Division search through a box of rations for their favourite meal. The ‘Lucky Seventh’ had been directed to Manhay and cleared the town by the end of December. 111-SC197933 Combat Engineers destroy two disabled tanks to prevent the Germans using them as pillboxes. 111-198123

A two-man patrol creeps through the woods looking for German outposts; the GIs new snow capes virtually blend into the background. 111-SC-198162

A tired and weak 26 Regiment had been committed to help stem the German advance at Dom Butgenbach and Bullingen on 18 December. Over the next twenty-four hours 1st SS Panzer Division failed to dislodge Colonel John Seitz’s men from their exposed position, forcing a detour through Schoppen. The heroic stand had seriously delayed 1 SS Panzerkorps’ advance towards Malmedy. 111-SC-198278 After a cold night and a light covering of snow, a tank crew emerge from their ‘Pup’ tent, to gather around a fire. The mail has arrived several days late and the young men eagerly open their Christmas parcels. 111-SC198400

The cold weather and snow has frozen the ground on Elsenborn Ridge but these GIs of 2nd Infantry Division still need foxholes for protection. Explosive charges are used to break up the soil and give the soldiers a head start in their digging. 111-SC-198592

A recovery vehicle rescues tanks of the 9th Armoured Division. The Shermans were disabled near Bastogne while 101st Airborne Division formed a defensive perimeter around the town. 111-SC-198649

Camouflage netting hides 912th Field Artillery Battalion’s 155mm Howitzers as they support 87th Division’s counter attack to recapture Germont. Drifting snow is slowly covering tents and piles of ammunition. 111-SC-198887

Clear skies ahead. While tank crews of 3rd Armoured Division mingle around their partially hidden tanks, they are able to watch as bombers fly overhead. For the first time in days the men on the ground can look forward to receiving close support from the Air Force. 111-SC-199099 Infantry of the 83rd ‘Thunderbolt’ Division set up a defensive position in the forests around Rochefort Salient. The firebreak in the trees creates an ideal killing zone. 111-SC-199157

Private John Ellsworth is a welcome sight in 104 Regiment’s perimeter as he distributes blankets along Company E’s front. The Regiment was engaged in 26th Infantry Division’s counter-attack towards Wiltz. 111-SC-199210

Soldiers of the 84th ‘Railsplitters’ Division frantically dig foxholes as German artillery zeros in on their position. One man has already been killed and the barrage could be heralding the beginning of an enemy attack. The Division fought through snow, sleet and rain for nearly a month, as it spearheaded First Army’s counter-attacks. 111-SC-199202 Task Force Herren of 70th Infantry Division was rushed straight from Marseille to reinforce Seventh Army’s line and within days the ‘Trailblazers’ were heavily engaged for Phillipsbourg and Wingen. After fighting throughout the night the stretcher-bearers have finally gathered together the wounded in a shell hole to await evacuation. 111-SC-199233

Medics carry their wounded through the snow to the aid stations.These men were wounded during 35th Division’s attempt to relieve Bastogne. The ‘Sante Fe’ Division held off four German divisions and captured Villers-la BonneEau, after two weeks’ hard fighting. 111-SC-199234 Quick evacuation of the wounded was a top priority during the harsh winter weather. The cold nights could easily kill an injured man and these medics of the 30th ‘Old Hickory’ Division are well prepared.The ski sledge strapped to

the front of the jeep was essential for rescuing men from the wooded hills around Malmedy and Stavelot. 111-SC-199239

Surrounded by weapons, boxes of ammunition and cans of rations, crews of the 54th Field Artillery Battalion keep a careful watch from their foxholes as

they prepare to support 3rd Armoured Division’s attack west of Houffalize. 111-SC-199254

Private Edward Nobles watches for signs of enemy movement over the top of his frost covered .03 calibre machine gun. 111-SC-199262

Trench foot, a numbing of the feet that could result in severe pain or amputation, was caused by a combination of cold and wet conditions. The

condition was a constant source of worry to GIs during the winter months and here Private Guy Silvis removes damp socks to warm his feet over a fire. 111-SC-199442 A halftrack mounted anti-aircraft gun of 778th Automatic-Anti-Aircraft Weapons Battalion watches over 3rd Armoured Division as it advances towards Bastogne. 111-SC-199325

Moving artillery forward to help stabilise the holding line. Taylor Library

Chapter Five Reinforcements Shore up the Line

For four days First Army had successfully delayed the German advance by sacrificing its reserves in small groups while fresh troops gathered ready to counter-attack. The remains of V Corps were holding the northern shoulder of the attack while 30th Infantry Division marched south to block Kampfgruppe Peiper. That SS battlegroup finally ran out of fuel on the 23rd. Two more divisions, the 82nd Airborne and 3rd Armoured, were well on the

way to securing the area between the Salm and Our Rivers in front of Sixth Army’s Panzers. St Vith continued to hold but as the noose tightened around the town after five days hard fighting, Montgomery decided it was time to withdraw. With Dietrich’s second wave of tanks on their way, the survivors left the ruins of the town as the weather took a turn for the worse, and paralysed the Panzers. A new line was formed behind XVIII Airborne Corps behind the River Salm, and for a second time Sixth Panzer Army ground to a halt. General ‘Lightning Joe’ Collins’ VII Corps was organising the influx of divisions behind First Army’s centre and while he prepared to strike back his plans were assisted by a break in the weather. Clear skies allowed the Allied air forces to join the battle and strike at the columns of German vehicles snaking across the Ardennes. Planes patrolled the skies and an average of 3,000 sorties a day played havoc with the German armour. On Christmas Day 2nd Armoured Division lived up to its nickname of ‘Hell on Wheels’ and encircled 2nd Panzer Division at the tip of the German Salient. The tide on First Army’s front had finally turned. Since 20 December, VIII Corps and the troops in Bastogne, had been assigned to Third Army and Fifth Panzer Army pushed on past the besieged town. Patton’s tanks fought to relieve the paratroopers.As Manteuffel’s troops tightened their stranglehold, an emissary offered surrender terms to Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. Struggling for a rational reply, McAuliffe gave a single word answer to the offer – ‘Nuts!’ The ‘Screaming Eagles’were in no mood to surrender. Fifth Panzer Army had no option, it would have to push on west towards the Meuse, leaving vital troops behind to contain the town. Previous page: Tanks and armoured infantry of the ‘Super Sixth’ assemble in the snow. After helping to relieve Bastogne, 6th Armoured Division reinforced the line east of the town and finally drove 1 SS Panzerkorps back across the Our River. 111-SC-198856

Lieutenant General ‘Lightning Joe’ Lawton Collins, VII Corps’ leader observes German positions from a forward post. His nephew, a member of the Corps staff is alongside. VII Corps assembled four divisions between the town of Marche and the Meuse to block XXXXVII Panzerkorps drive to the river. 111-SC-198682 A paratrooper of the 504 Regiment runs for cover as his buddy gives covering fire with his .03 calibre machine gun. 82nd Airborne Division had just run into elements of the 9th SS Panzer Division near the village of Bra. 111-SC-197861

Private Frank Kelly of 4th Armoured Division’s Military Police Detachment leads a group of prisoners to the rear. A halftrack heads in the opposite direction towards the division’s objective – Bastogne. 111-SC-198450

A patrol of the 2nd Infantry Division hits the dirt, or in this case the snow, as German shells whistle overhead near the village of Krinkelt. 111-SC-199682 Private Gene Heathcoat directs traffic as the 30th Infantry Division moves through Malmedy ready to launch a counter-offensive. The ‘Old Hickories’ would strike at the boundary of Fifteenth Army and 6th Panzer Army. 111SC-198745

A halftrack of 30th Infantry Division has slipped off the road near Malmedy. The passengers have dismounted to watch as the driver tries to extricate his vehicle with the aid of skid chains. 111-SC-198744

The ‘Spearhead’ and the ‘Thunderbolt’ unite. Elements of 3rd Armoured Division and 83rd Infantry Division pass through the streets of Lieurneux as they head towards the front line ready to attack Rochefort. 111-SC-198764 With only thin groundsheets or ‘Pup’ tents to protect themselves from the cold, men of the 75th Infantry Division stir after a night in the open.The division had moved up to relieve 82nd Airborne Division. 111-SC-198777

After three weeks on the defensive the counter-offensive is underway. These reconnaissance troops of the 83rd Division look eager to get to grips with the German troops holding the Rochefort Salient. 111-SC-198778

212th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion waits for new targets to be announced under its camouflage nets. These particular M7 105mm Selfpropelled Howitzers established a record number of 1,000 rounds expended a day as they supported the 6th Armoured Division. 111-SC-198786

291st Infantry Regiment and Sherman tanks advance through the woods to relieve 82nd Airborne Division. 111-SC-198788

17th Airborne Division entered the line at Mande-Sainte-Etienne on 3 January, the first action for Major General ‘Bud’ Miley’s men. Here the paratroopers assemble on a hillside near Morhet, ten miles south-west of Bastogne. 111-SC-199015 The British XXX Corps moved to reinforce Field Marshal Bernhard Montgomery’s 21 Army Group. These Bren-Gun Carriers of the 51st (Highland) Division are cutting across country to join the division’s attack towards La Roche. 111-SC-199069

Soldiers of the 5th Black Watch, 51st (Highland) Division show their new snow capes to Technician Runyan, a US Army Signal Corps photographer. XXX British Corps suffered over 1,400 casualties in the fighting around La Roche. 111-SC-199070

87th Division reorganise in St Hubert’s main street having cut the main German supply line north of Bastogne. Panzergrenadiers of the Panzer Lehr Division withdrew from the town as VIII Corps’ attack developed. 111-SC199207

Brigadier General Frank Culin, 87th Division’s commander, is in high spirits as he talks to local girls in St Hubert. The ‘Golden Acorn’ Division had just liberated the town. 111-SC-199206

Halftracks of the 44th Armoured Infantry Battalion have been covered with white paint to try and make them blend in with a fresh fall of snow. Men huddle for warmth beneath a thin ground sheet as they wait for new instructions inside their vehicles. 111-SC-199347a

GIs of the 317 Infantry Regiment queue up for hot ‘chow’. The men belong to 80th ‘Blue Ridge’ Division which participated in III Corps drive towards Bastogne and hit the flank of LXXXV Armeekorps as it pushed past the southern outskirts of the town. 111-SC-119539

These men of the 325 Glider Regiment were more used to flying into battle than marching in.They are moving through the woods near Werbomont to take up positions in front of I SS Panzerkorps. 111-SC-200487 As the ‘All American’ moves towards Cheneux, a chaplain meets a group from 504 Parachute Regiment and holds an impromptu service. 111-SC200715

Two 155mm ‘Long Tom’ Howitzers shell German positions east of Bastogne as 35th Infantry Division attempts to advance east of the town. 111-SC202035

Tank crews wait in a defensive laager for fresh orders to arrive as snow falls across the Ardennes. 111-SC-455219

Sherman tanks give support fire to 32 Armoured Regiment as it ‘Spearheads’ 3rd Armoured Division’s advance towards Trou de Bra. 111-SC-198597 82nd Airborne Division blocked Sixth Panzer Army’s advance towards the Meuse on the northern shoulder of the Bulge’s. Major General ‘Slim Jim’

Gavin, the division’s commanding officer, is pictured returning from a reconnaissance of 508 Regiment’s front after the paratroopers had repelled an attack by SS troops. 111-SC-198407

Chapter Six The Counter-Offensive Begins

Third Army’s troops had been streaming north towards Bastogne and by 22 December III Corps was in position to break Fifth Panzer Army’s ring of steel around the town. 4th Armoured led the attack from the south and for four days the Shermans battled their way forward while 26th and 80th Infantry Divisions expanded the shoulders of the armoured thrust. Finally on 26 December the breakthrough was made and Bastogne was relieved, but the

battle for the town was far from over. Fighting intensified as XII Corps joined the fray but Manteuffel refused to withdraw and threw extra troops in to break the American corridor. Meanwhile, a new German offensive was about to break in Alsace. As early as 21 December Hitler had decided to attack Sixth Army Group’s front, weakened by Patton’s departure. Only this time General Devers was waiting. American intelligence had spotted the buildup of enemy troops. General van Obstfelder’s First Army opened Operation Nordwind during the dying hours of 1944 and on New Year’s Day General Patch’s Seventh Army was driven back towards the Saverne Gap. Over the next four days the German advance pushed forward ten miles but the high water mark fell well short of the passes across the Vosges Mountains. Nordwind had failed and from now on the Germans would be on the defensive. Back in the Ardennes while Patton had wanted to strike at the base of the Bulge, Bradley decided to relieve the pressure on First Army and designated Houffalize as his first objective, putting pressure on the apex of the German Salient. In the final days of 1944 both Bradley and Montgomery put the final touches to their dispositions and by the beginning of January the stage was set; it was time to erase the Bulge. Previous page : GIs of the 10th Armoured Infantry Battalion have left their halftracks behind as they advance across open fields during 4th Armoured Division’s attack towards Bastogne. 111-SC-199295

Once the Allies had assembled their reinforcements, General Bradley and Field Marshal Montgomery turned to the offensive.The ferocity of an artillery bombardment is perfectly captured as a line of 155mm Howitzers pound the German lines throughout the night. 111-SC-197828 A 105mm Howitzer shells German positions from beneath its camouflage netting. 111-SC-197357

During the day M10 Tank Destroyers would work closely alongside the

infantry to provide direct fire support against armoured vehicles and strongpoints. At night they were able to offer indirect supporting fire to the hard-pressed GIs. 111-SC-199555

Street fighting was dangerous and bloody. Two men take up covering positions while their buddy runs across to join them. 111-SC-198028

GIs ignore the pile of bodies on the foreground while moving in on another enemy strongpoint. Two cautiously peer around a corner while their squad leader points out the cellar where the Germans are hiding. 111-SC-198029 Sergeant Urban Minnicozzi and Private Andy Masiero of the 290 Regiment load their rifles on the rooftop perch.The two are sniping at German positions near Beffe during 75th Division’s defence of the Our the River. 111SC-198884

75th Infantry Division counterattacked and captured Grandmenil on 5 January in its first battle.This soldier of 289 Regiment could not help his curiosity and was photographed inspected a knocked out Panzer V ‘Panther’ tank. 111-SC-198438 Three Shermans mounting 105mm guns bombard German troops as they advance on the important road junction at Manhay. 750th Tank Battalion

was supporting 7th Armoured Division fight to stop 2nd SS Panzer Division’s advance. 111-SC-198396

General Omar Bradley, Twelfth Army commander, gives an impromptu press conference. The relationship between the Army and the press corps was difficult during the German offensive as Bradley was forced to report setback after setback. Everyone was eager for good news. 111-SC-198587 Young soldiers, both American and German had to fight in appalling

conditions, killing when necessary, to survive. Private Frank Vukasin loads a new clip into his rifle next to the bodies of two Germans during the fierce fighting for the Rochefort Salient, one of deepest penetrations made by the Fifth Panzer Army. 111-SC-198859

Having broken the cordon around Bastogne, the Germans retaliated and

tried to cut the corridor. 35th Division fought back against XXXIX Armeekorps and these GIs are trudging up a snow-covered slope near Hollange heading for the front line. 111-SC-198423 As a blizzard sets in GIs fight the elements to erect a barbed wire fence. Snow, rain, ice and mud were common enemies during the fighting in the Ardennes. 111-SC-198182

Privates Joseph Latrell and Harry Fafer carefully watch a group of German soldiers. As the Allies went over to the offensive the number of German prisoners began to rise rapidly. 111-SC-197873 Paratroopers of the 504 Regiment trudge through the woods near Heersbach to join 82nd Airborne Division’s counter-attack. 111-SC-197342

Privates Edward Keefer and Donald Skinner man their .05 calibre antiaircraft gun on a frosty afternoon while a supply column crosses a viaduct in the background. 111-SC-198548

An infantry commander clings to the turret of a tank destroyer as he shouts directions to the crew. 111-SC-197356

As 90th Division joined Third Army’s counter attack towards the Our River, a shell splinter killed Colonel George B. Randolph, 712th Tank Destroyer’s commander. There is no time to stop and grieve; the ‘Tough Hombres’ had to push on towards Wiltz. 111-SC-198482 A Sherman tank of the 2nd Armoured Division crawls past a disabled Panther as it moves towards Grandmenil. The difference in size between the Allied and German machines is apparent. 111-SC-198602

XXXXVII Panzerkorps and 1 SS Panzerkorps turned their attentions on the corridor to Bastogne, counterattacking 4th Armoured Division and 35th Infantry Division. Here tanks and infantry wait in defensive positions for the German attacks to begin. 111-SC-198607

An ambulance from the 463rd Evacuation Company bypasses one of Kamfpgruppe Peiper’s King Tiger tanks on the road into La Gleize. This particular example was shipped back to the United States for examination. 111-SC-198642

A Sherman of the 3rd Armoured Division passes a German Panther tank in the woods around Bovigny. The division was the ‘Spearhead’ of First Army’s attack on Fifth Panzer Army’s salient as it pushed towards Houffalize. 111SC-199158 Soldiers of the 23 Infantry Regiment join 2nd Infantry Division’s advance towards Krinkelt. Some men discovered that the new snowsuits could be too effective and these GIs have painted large orange circles on their backs to aid identification and prevent accidents. 111-SC-199634

After successfully stalling the German advance across the Elsenborn Ridge these soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division were moved into Murringen on New Year’s Eve ready to counter-attack. 111-SC-199633

As 2nd Infantry Division went over to the offensive the GIs were able to study the results of their handiwork close up. The remains of this armoured German column has been bulldozed aside to allow the ‘Indianhead’ Division to advance. 111-SC-199680

Tank destroyers, such as this M18, helped 12th Armoured Division thwart Hitler’s second offensive, Operation Nordwind. First Army’s offensive in northern Alsace failed to achieve the sort of breakthrough experienced in the Ardennes and exhausted Hitler’s final reserves. 111-SC-198093

Treating casualties during the Battle of the Bulge was a logistical nightmare. The rapidly moving front lines, cold weather and difficult terrain all conspired against the wounded men. Men of the 26th Division look around anxiously for signs of a sniper, as one of their buddies lies wounded on the cold ground during 104 Regiment’s attack on Wiltz. 111-SC-199092 Evacuating casualties from the wooded hills of the Ardennes could be a hear trending race against time. Corporal Clyde Behr, Private Perry Whorley and Technician Tony Ferraro struggle to rescue a wounded comrade from the wooded hills around Berle with the aid of a sledge-mounted stretcher. 111SC-199102

Two military policemen tower above their captives. Standards for the élite

German SS divisions had been lowered as the war took its toll. After three weeks of bad news, press photographers were eager for images depicting German defeats.The obvious physical superiority of these GIs when placed alongside Hitler’s crack troops was just what was needed for the ‘folks back home’. However, in this case the Germans likely come from the 12th SS Hitler Jugend Panzer Division and would be teenagers. Taylor Library

Sergeant Charles Tenbarges of the 325 Glider Regiment guards a prisoner who had wrapped himself in a blanket for camouflage as he advanced towards 82nd Airborne Division’s lines. 111-SC-198884

A combination of heroic last stands by makeshift combat teams, poor weather and bad luck stalled the German advance long enough to allow General Bradley and General Montgomery to deploy their reinforcements. With the counter-offensive underway prisoners began to flood in. 111-SC-198768

A teenage soldier of an SS unit grimaces for the camera. Hitler had scoured Germany for young and old men to fill out the ranks of the divisions gathered for the Wacht am Rhine offensive. 111-SC-197548

The final leg to the aid station could be treacherous in the bleak weather conditions. These medics are evacuating wounded along an icy road during 84th Division’s counter-attack towards Laroche. 111-SC-199079

The Germans had no time to dispose of their dead as they withdrew from the Bulge. Taylor Library

Chapter Seven Reducing the Bulge

82nd Airborne went over to the offensive at the end of January 1945 and within a month it had smashed a hole in the Siegfried Line; the line of for tifications protecting Germany. 111-SC-199538

On New Year’s Day the Luftwaffe launched an attack designed to wipe out Allied air superiority and over 1,000 planes struck airfields across northern Europe. Although 300 Allied planes were destroyed, 230 German pilots were lost in the attack; the losses were never recovered, Goering’s force had been crippled. On the ground all but three of the American Divisions in north-west Europe had been committed and with reinforcements running out, Eisenhower was looking for a quick counter-attack in order to engage the Panzers before they withdrew. On the northern flank Montgomery was being cautious and while he waited for the right moment to strike, British XXX Corps crossed the Meuse as VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps prepared to advance towards St Vith. Meanwhile, to the south Patton forged ahead as his men tried to enlarge the Bastogne Salient in vicious fighting. Manteuffel was determined to hold his ground and increased the number of divisions against Third Army from three to nine; Fifth Panzer Army was not going to give up the chance of taking Bastogne without a fight. The road to Houffalize was soon littered with bodies and tanks as VIII Corps fought to reach First Army and as General Middleton engaged the bulk of Manteuffel’s forces, III Corps struck north east to try and cut off the German escape route. First Army struck its blow on 3 January and as General Collins’ VII Corps, pushed towards Houffalize, General Ridgways’ XVIII Airborne Corps took up the slack. Armour could make no headway along the narrow roads leaving the infantry to fight against a determined enemy. Day after day men and machines battled it out and advances were marked in metres rather than miles across the hills around Houffalize. Two weeks into the Allied offensive German resistance evaporated; the time to withdraw had arrived and as First and Third Armies finally met in the ruins of the town, General Bradley was able to order a general advance towards the Rhine. The Bulge was about to be removed, signalling the beginning of the end for the Germans.

Another final fling by Hitler, Operation Bodenplatte turned out to be the Luftwaffe’s swan song. A Focke-Wulf Fw190 prepares to take off in wintery conditions. The counter-attack begins. General Hodges and General Patton gathered their reinforcements to begin reducing Fifth Panzer Army’s furthest penetration through the Ardennes. Men of the 84th Division plough their way through the snow en route to La Roche where First Army and Third Army would link up. 111-SC-198375

Constant patrolling in all weathers was the only way to gain accurate information on enemy movements. Here a combat patrol edges its way along a ditch near the Ondenval defile during 2nd Infantry Division’s advance towards St Vith. 111-SC-199162 Clear skies and a break in the weather allowed the United States Air Force to participate in the Allied counter-attack. Here a tank watches over a column of GIs belonging to the ‘Railsplitters’ as they march forward to reduce the La Roche Salient. 111-SC-198375a

After weeks on the defensive, 82nd Airborne was able to go over to the attack and Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division hug an M10 of the 636th Tank Battalion as they advance through wooded terrain. 111-SC-198614 Although the German offensive had been stopped, desperate fighting followed as the Americans pushed Army Group West out of the Ardennes. Paratroopers of 504 Regiment work in close cooperation with the crew of a Sherman tank from 740th Tank Battalion as they advance through woods on

the Elsenborn Ridge. 111-SC-199509

A long line of GIs marches along a forest trail towards the front line. These men of the 75th Infantry Division are on their way to cut the vital road between St Vith and Houffalize. 111-SC-199406

The crew of a halftrack looks across at a burnt out Panzer IV as 35th Division passes through Foy. The tank was one of 12th SS Panzer Division’s, knocked out during a final attempt to reach Bastogne. 111-SC-199106

These men of 325th Glider Regiment are moving towards Heeresbach where the Panzers had advanced over a month before. Deep snow hampered movement and these GIs have improvised a sledge to carry heavy equipment. 111-SC-199507

Men of the 325 Glider Regiment line up their prisoners, along a forest track near Hierlot, taken when 82nd Airborne Division went onto the offensive. 111-SC-198639

Anxious moments as a patrol from 30th Division rescue a wounded buddy

near Thirimont with the help of a straw covered sledge. 111-SC-199183 Two members of the 67 Armoured Regiment, Corporal James Gordon and Private Rainwater, inspect a Panther tank. The tank had to be abandoned by its crew in the face of 2nd Armoured Division’s advance after a shell jammed in the breech. 111-SC-198588

3rd Armoured Division captured these two German soldiers, apparently little more than boys, during its attack against the German salient west of Houffalize. Both youngsters are wearing GI shoes and leggings while the man on the left has stolen a pair of American trousers. 111-SC-198603

Houffalize had fallen to 116th Panzer Division without a fight on 19 December as the division headed west. On 16 January 2nd and 11th Armoured Divisions converged on the town and by nightfall they had driven 116th Panzer Division from the ruins, sealing the connection of First and Third Armies. 111-SC-199256

British Shermans of 33 Armoured Brigade at La Roche. A Sturmgeschütz no longer a threat.This Stug III was just one of many hundreds of abandoned German vehicles to be found littering the Bulge battlefield.

Part Eight Aftermath

The cost of the German offensive German graves at Moderscheid.

The offensives in both the Ardennes in December, and Alsace the following month, marked the end of Hitler’s initiatives on the Western front; from now on it was only a matter of time before the Allies broke through the Siegfried Line and pushed across the Rhine into Germany. The beginning of the end was in sight. Although there were times when it seemed as though the Allies were in dire peril, neither operation had achieved its objectives and had ultimately seriously dented Germany’s depleted reserves. By the middle of January 1945 the Bulge had virtually been erased at a terrible cost to both sides.Thirty-two American divisions, well over half a million men, had fought Army Group West to a standstill and then pushed it back beyond its starting line – but at what cost? Over 40,000 Americans were either killed or wounded bringing the German advance to a halt; a similar number of casualties were reported during the fighting to erase the Bulge. Another 17,000 men were listed as killed, missing or injured in Alsace. The German losses are rather more difficult to ascertain. Estimates put the figure around 90,000 for both operations – but what is certain is that the two battles ended Germany’s capacity to stage offensive operations.The Allies had weathered the worst storm Hitler could throw at them and survived. It was only a matter of time before Nazi Germany was defeated.

Previous page. The winter of 1944-45 was one of the coldest in living memory and American, British and German troops suffered in the wintry conditions. Private Thomas O’Brien of the 26th Division tucks into his C Ration in a snow-covered field. 111-SC-198483

General Courtney Hodges’ First Army bore the brunt of the weight of the German armour during the early days of the offensive. Here General Omar Bradley adds a cluster to his Army commander’s Distinguished Service Medal for leadership during the campaign. 111-SC-199348

Two paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division avidly study the forces’ newspaper, Stars and Stripes. News of the German withdrawal from the Bulge and the American counter offensive would have been reported with vigour. 111-SC-199641

Once the fighting in the Ardennes had subsided, the Allies could resume planning the final offensive on Germany. Three infantrymen of the 5th Infantry Division, appropriately nick named ‘Victory’ Division hug the side of a hill as they patrol near the Luxembourg border in preparation for an advance on the Siegfried Line. 111-SC-197326

Thousands of prisoners were seized during the German withdrawal and paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division captured this well equipped soldier, complete with snowsuit, near Fosse. 111-SC-198552

The Ardennes Offensive exhausted Germany’s armoured reserves and dozens of tanks, assault guns and halftracks had to be abandoned, either knocked out, disabled or simply out of fuel, as they fell back. American armoured reserves were also severely depleted but the Allied war machine was far more capable of replacing those lost. Corporal Ramon McCraw, Private Floyd Wells and Private Bobby Robinson stop to inspect a burnt out M5 Grant tank perched precariously on the edge of a mountain road. 111-SC455220 Clervaux was the scene of one of the many stands made by 28th Division at the beginning of the offensive, as Fifth Panzer Division advanced towards Bastogne. Six weeks later and the front lines are virtually back to where they had started. Here are two victims from the German withdrawal, a Sherman from 707th Tank Battalion and a Stug self-propelled assault gun. 111-SC200670

As the number of German tanks dwindled, the weight of American armour

began to tell and the larger, slower tanks became prey to lighter and faster tank destroyers. Tank destroyers of the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion scored an important success when they knocked out this ‘King Tiger’ as it approached 82nd Airborne Division’s position near Gorenne. 111-SC198889

Heavily armoured tanks with superior weapons had smashed through the American lines in the Ardennes but the poor weather, difficult conditions, a lack of supplies and the sheer weight of Allied reinforcements took their toll. Sergeant George Meyer of the 6th Armoured Division takes a moment to study the front of a Panzer VI ‘King Tiger’ tank. Eight direct hits with 75mm shells, the Sherman tanks’ main armament, had literally bounced off the tank’s armour. 111-SC-199475

There was no glory for the thousands of men killed, either by enemy action or by the extreme weather conditions. Many more were maimed by the fighting. 1 1 1 -SC- 199350 Hitler had scoured the nation for men and formed them into Volksgrenadier regiments, to fuel his last gamble. He had lost and many of them would now spend the remaining months in the ‘cage’.

By January 1945 the only Germans remaining on Luxembourg and Belgian soil were either prisoners or dead.

A rifle squad fires a volley in memory of lost comrades; a scene repeated all along the front after the Bulge had been reduced.These men belong to 9th Armoured Engineers’ Battalion who are remembering buddies lost in the siege for Bastogne. 1 1 1-SC-199412

A bugler of the 9th Armoured Division sounds ‘Taps’ as the colour flags stand to attention.The division was committed piecemeal to help stem the German breakthrough and it was instrumental in preventing Fifth Panzer Army from seizing Bastogne. 111-SC-199411