When we think about American GIs in the European theater of World War II, much of our image comes from the Battle of the Bulge. Named so because of the distinctive "bulge" shape of the front lines, this is where so many American men laid down their lives on fields of frozen mud in France.

What Was the Battle of the Bulge?

The Battle of the Bulge was the result of Hitler's last dying gasp lashing out against the increasing pressure of the Allied forces in France. Hitler's goal was to drive a literal and metaphorical wedge between the United States and the United Kingdom.

All told, the battle was six weeks of fierce winter fighting in the forests of the Ardennes region of France. The nearly ceaseless combat took place between December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945, in the bitter, freezing cold. Old Man Winter took 15,000 with trench foot, pneumonia, and frostbite.

Winston Churchill called it the most important American battle of the war. It was certainly the costliest – when all was said and done, over 100,00 American souls were left in the ground in France.

A Surprise Attack by the German Military

The attack was a complete surprise to Allied commanders, who were overconfident due to a string of recent victories. What's more, poor weather in the area made air reconnaissance difficult to impossible. When 410,000 Germans came marching into the Ardennes, Allied forces were woefully unprepared for the attack.

Indeed, the respite in the Ardennes was supposed to be for letting seriously battle-fatigued soldiers get some much-needed rest and relaxation. The Allied intelligence thought that the Germans were using this area for similar purposes, and so sent small numbers of men out there to secure the area, which they considered completely safe, both due to their intel and the dense, woody terrain.

The battle began with a 90-minute barrage of 1,600 artillery guns firing. The initial Allied response was that this was an expected, minor, and localized counterattack. When this proved to be untrue, 250,000 Allied troops arrived as reinforcements.

Snowstorms slowed the advancing German army, but also made it impossible for the Allies to provide any air cover. The Germans were further hampered by supply chain issues and traffic jams due to the weather.

Continue reading Battle of the Bulge: The Epic WW2 Battle That Cemented American Confidence at Ammo.com.