Ardennes operation 16 12 1944. Ardennes operation

Hitler's plan envisaged not just the defeat of the Anglo-American troops in the West, but also the actual liquidation of the Western Front. And then he planned to throw all his forces to the east.

By the winter of 1944, the military situation of Nazi Germany was critical, in fact, she was on the verge of complete disaster. In the east, the Red Army pressed the Wehrmacht in Hungary and Poland, confidently advancing towards the borders of the Millennium Reich, in the west, the Anglo-American troops, having liberated France and Belgium, were already standing on the Rhine, about to deliver the final blow deep into Germany.

HITLER PLANS

The plan of the operation, called "Watch on the Rhine" (Wacht am Rhein), provided for the first stage of the capture of bridges across the Meuse and then a strike through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Then the tank units of the Wehrmacht turned to Brussels. As a result, the group of Anglo-American troops in Belgium and Holland was to be first cut off and then defeated, the remnants of the Allied troops in the west were to be thrown into the sea. Hitler argued that with such a development of the situation, the United States and Great Britain would not be able to repeat a large-scale landing operation like Overlord in the foreseeable future, and Germany would be able to come to grips with the Eastern Front. Hitler decided to bet on the use of heavy tanks PzKw VI Ausf. E "Tiger" and PzKw VI Ausf. In the "King Tiger", which were supposed to crush the American defenses. Considering that the Luftwaffe had long been unable to compete with the enemy and air supremacy had passed into the hands of the Anglo-American Air Force, the German command planned to strike the main blow in the gloomy December days, when non-flying weather would clear the sky from enemy aircraft. The extremely acute problem with fuel for tanks - the units had fuel and lubricants only for the first time - was planned to be solved by capturing large fuel depots located in Liege and Namur from the enemy. The main blow was to be delivered by the 6th SS Panzer Army, specially created for this purpose, commanded by Hitler's former bodyguard, SS Oberstgruppenführer and Colonel General of the SS troops Sepp Dietrich.

It included the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Hohenstaufen and Hitler Youth, which were considered elite tank divisions of the SS. Auxiliary strikes were also to be carried out by the 5th Panzer Army of Panzer General Hasso von Manteuffel and the 7th Army of Panzer General Erich Brandenberger, who, together with the 6th SS Panzer Army, were part of Army Group B, Field Marshal Walter Model.

GERMAN OFFENSIVE

The German offensive began early in the morning of December 16 at 05:30 with a 90-minute powerful artillery preparation (in which 1,600 guns were involved) on a 115-kilometer front.

The American strike command did not expect, no matter what Eisenhower later said, and at first believed that the enemy was conducting a limited-purpose operation in order to restore the front along the "Siegfried Line" in the Hellenthal-Wallerscheid sector. 25 German divisions, including 7 tank divisions, attacked the four divisions of the 1st US Army defending in this sector. The forces were unequal, in addition, the factor of surprise worked, and the Americans retreated, having suffered heavy losses; panic began to spread among the troops. However, it did not acquire the mass character that the Germans had hoped for, especially since Eisenhower ordered that the XVIII Airborne Corps of General Matthew Ridgway, stationed in the Reims area, be urgently transferred to this sector. The 101st Airborne Division, which was part of it, was surrounded by units of the 5th Panzer Army in the Belgian city of Bastogne. Despite the desperate attacks of the Germans, the American paratroopers stubbornly held their positions, never giving them up until the end of the operation. This situation had an extremely negative effect on the pace of the German offensive, since it was Bastogne that controlled the main roads through the Ardennes.

Another strategically important point was the city of Saint-Vith, where several roads also converged. Here the Germans also had difficulties: although according to the plans of the operation it was supposed to be taken on the next day of the offensive, he held out until December 21. But time had already been lost: at 4 o'clock in the morning on December 22, George Patton's 3rd US Army launched a counterattack in the direction of Bastogne.

By this point, the operation had failed: by December 26, the Germans were able to advance at most 90 km.

BATTLE IN THE ARDENNE

The Allied command hurriedly transferred large forces to the breakthrough area, and soon the absolute superiority of the British began to show.
American troops in manpower and equipment.

When the weather improved, an armada of Anglo-American planes took to the air. The German tank units were running out of fuel, and the fuel depots in Liege and Namur were far away. On December 25, 1944, German troops reached the westernmost point of their offensive - the city of Selle.

DEBLOCCADE BASTOGNE

The situation in Bastogne was difficult, by December 23, 1944, the American artillery had practically run out of ammunition, they would only be enough to repulse a possible attack. But on this day, the clouds cleared, and the US Air Force began to airlift food and ammunition to the encircled group.

On December 26, units of the 3rd US Army broke through the encirclement and entered Bastogne (fighting in this area lasted until January 1945). The southern flank of the German troops was forced to withdraw, and now Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army was in danger of encirclement. The Germans managed to keep a 40-kilometer corridor, which was completely shot through by American artillery. Nevertheless, Manteuffel was able to withdraw his troops and even keep them as a fighting force. On January 3, 1945, the troops of the 21st Army Group of Bernard Montgomery finally went on the offensive, who had previously refused to attack, citing the unpreparedness of their armies.

BODENPLATTE AND NORDWIND

Despite the fact that the failure of the offensive in the Ardennes was already clear, the German command tried to improve the position of its strike force. On January 1, 1945, the Luftwaffe, having gathered all the remaining forces, conducted Operation Bodenplatte (Bodenplatte; "Base Plate"). Hundreds of aircraft, including the latest Me 262 jet fighters, attacked Allied airfields.

In general, this last massive air raid in the history of the Luftwaffe was considered unsuccessful: although the Germans managed to destroy 465 aircraft, they themselves lost 277 vehicles, and some of them were shot down by their own anti-aircraft guns. The Allies easily made up for the losses, which could not be said about the Germans.

On the same day, the German command launched an auxiliary strike in Alsace in the Strasbourg region - Operation Nordwind (Nordwind; "North Wind"). Its purpose was to divert the attention of the Allied command from the Ardennes front and try to pull back part of the forces and reserves.

Although the Allies retreated and the Germans regained 40% of the territory of Alsace, this operation, which lasted until January 25, did not have any decisive consequences.

THE END OF THE BATTLE IN THE ARDENNE

On January 6, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked Stalin for help. In principle, this was a reinsurance, since the next day Hitler recognized the inevitable and ordered the cessation of the operation and the withdrawal of troops. However, this already meant practically nothing, since on January 12 the Red Army went on the offensive along the entire front, starting the Vistula-Oder operation. Now the German command was forced to withdraw units from the Western Front and hastily send them to the east. On January 15, 1945, the troops of the 1st and 3rd US armies met in the Houffalize-Noville region, cutting off a significant part of the Ardennes salient. Now the Allied counteroffensive could not be stopped. On January 18, American troops crossed the Sauer River, and on January 23 they liberated Saint-Vith. The last point in the Ardennes operation was set on January 29, 1945, when the Ardennes ledge was completely eliminated.

"Run, save yourself, the Germans are advancing!" - shouted to them people in the form of the US Army, rushing to the rear in American jeeps. “By the way, it is forbidden to blow up this bridge during the retreat - an order from the headquarters!”

So for the first time against the Anglo-Americans was used " secret weapon Fuhrer" - saboteurs from the "Vulture" detachment. bad memory Obersturm-Bannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) SS Otto Skorzeny two months before that, he recruited English-speaking soldiers in all parts of the Wehrmacht. American intelligence knew about this, but decided that we were talking about translators for working with prisoners ... The AiF told about the details of the Ardennes operation Miroslav Morozov, military historian.

Tanks in the snow

From the very moment of the landing in Normandy in the summer of 1944, the allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition, the USA and Great Britain, significantly outnumbered the Germans in the number of soldiers and military equipment. The advantage was so great that the Allied staffers forgot to think that the Wehrmacht was still capable of something other than defense and retreats. But in vain. On December 16, the Nazis on the Western Front conducted their first strategic offensive operation since 1940. True, she also became the last.

German armored vehicles during the Ardennes offensive. Photo: wikipedia.org The Ardennes is a mountainous forest on the border of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, which is still considered the “lungs of Europe”. In 1944 there were even fewer roads than now, and there were even more natural barriers to advance. The defense of the allies in the Ardennes was held by 4 American divisions (about 80 thousand people), two of which had no combat experience, and two had previously suffered heavy losses and were withdrawn to a "calm area" to recuperate. They were opposed by 20 divisions of the Wehrmacht and the SS, including 7 tank divisions, later 7 more were added! In total, the Germans gathered 300 thousand people, more than 1000 tanks and assault guns.

Hitler's idea, which initially smacked of a gamble, was to arrange bloodletting for the Allies and thereby force them to sit down with the Germans at the negotiating table. After that, as he believed, it would be possible to transfer all forces to the Eastern Front and stop the Russian offensive ...

German soldiers passing by abandoned American technology. Photo: wikipedia.org

In the early days, the Germans had a threefold advantage over the Americans. Because of this, and also because of the low cloud cover that pinned the Allied aircraft to the ground, the Nazis were at first successful. The offensive was so unexpected that news of it reached Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Expeditionary Forces Europe, only in the evening. Columns of American prisoners were pulled into the German rear.

And what about Stalin?

The offensive of the Nazis was stopped only after 10 days, having transferred 30 divisions from other sectors of the front. On January 3, the Allies went on the offensive and by January 25 they had regained all the territories captured by the Wehrmacht during the "Watch on the Rhine" - this is how the Germans called their operation. Both sides lost about 100 thousand people, for the US troops this operation became the bloodiest in the entire war. But while the soldiers fought, the politicians stepped in.

January 6, 1945 British Prime Minister Churchill(his troops took minimal part in the Ardennes operation) wrote a letter to Stalin: “Very heavy fighting is going on in the West ... I will be grateful if you can tell me if we can count on a major Russian offensive on the Vistula front or somewhere in elsewhere..."

January 1945 Fight in the Ardennes forests. Photo: wikipedia.org

Stalin replied the next day: “The weather is now not favorable for our offensive. However, given the position of our allies on the western front, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to finish the preparations at an accelerated pace and, regardless of the weather, open wide offensive operations against the Germans along the entire central front no later than the second half of January ... "

Some domestic researchers on the basis of this correspondence, they conclude that Churchill asked Stalin to speed up the start of the Soviet offensive, which was done. Here, however, it is worth paying attention to the dates: the Prime Minister's letter was written 10 days after the danger had passed, and 3 days after the Allies went on the offensive in the Ardennes. On the eve of Churchill visited Eisenhower's headquarters and could not help but know the real state of affairs.

Fortunately, "Watch on the Rhine" did not cost the life of any Soviet soldier and officer, but Vistula-Oder operation began as soon as the weather allowed, on January 12, 1945. Churchill's letter can only be explained by one thing - under the pretext of the already past crisis in the Ardennes, he tried to get acquainted with the plans of the Soviet offensive. Probably, even then he was planning a rivalry with a Russian ally.

A very curious film. It seems that nothing is filmed like that, but it clearly does not reach the film “The Longest Day” shot a little earlier or the later “Bridge Too Far”. In addition, I will say right away that the film "Battle in the Bulge" has very little in common with the real battle in the Bulge (unlike the two above-mentioned films, which reflect the battles to which they are dedicated well).

Technicians in the "Ardennes" overtook a lot, did not stint, but only this one - instead of German tanks (and it was meant exclusively, and no less, even Royal Tigers!) - post-war Pattons M-48, and instead of American Shermans - for some reason not the Shermans themselves (did they really cut everyone into metal?), and the light Chaffee M-24s. Which looks especially weird. Is it possible that the director wanted in this way to veiledly hint at the general inferiority of American tanks compared to German ones - that is, their combat qualities correlated approximately like a 45-ton Patton with a 90-mm cannon and an 18-ton Chaffee with a short-barreled 75-mm gun? Very self-critical.

At the same time, they did not bother to make up the Pattons in any way, only painted crosses. Well, okay, not the first time

Absurdities in the film of course the sea, here are just a few.

The soldiers in the film die "beautifully" - they certainly throw their weapons up, wave their arms, scream heart-rendingly, fall to the ground and always roll back to the side.

Two American tankers managed to survive in the tower of the pseudo-Sherman-Chaffee, despite the fact that the shell literally blew this tower to shreds.

Well, the use of barrels of fuel instead of anti-tank mines - why is it that a rolling barrel, stumbling upon a tank, immediately explodes, and even the tank itself shatters to shreds after a couple of seconds?

At the same time, the atmosphere before the battle and at its beginning is well shown - at first the Americans are serene and relaxed, then in a panic they drape in all directions. Americans in general are beaten almost the entire film. The Germans are at the same time serious, disciplined, they sing military marches, they train before the battle. True, for some reason, the commanders of German tanks always go on the attack, leaning out of the hatches to the waist, and they stick out in them even when the battle is in full swing - of course, they are killed by everyone and sundry. A strange idea about the behavior of a tank commander in battle

The behavior of the brave American warriors at the end of the film also deserves every attention: there is not a single coward or marauder in whom, sooner or later, incredible patriotism would not wake up and he would not turn into a superhero with the slogan “For the Motherland! For a dollar! or "Not a step back, behind New York!".

The end of the film is a sort of standard cowboy for the Americans, pathos-anti-war-humanistic for the Germans. Very touching.

And, yes, it’s also a lot of fun how the German generals are preparing in their superbunker for an offensive - well, the Spectrum organization from the first James Bond films is direct - it seems that Sean Connery will come and spoil all the raspberries for them :)

It is impossible not to note the German colonel - one of the main characters - a real colonel, a true Aryan, a Nordic character, persistent. Good role.

In general, the film is a mediocre funny agitation with a bunch of blunders, with a very nice picture in places and, in general, a good cast. Fans of military history, with about three hours of free time, the film can pretty entertain at leisure.

Ardennes operation
(Operation Watch on the Rhine)
Battle for the Bulge

German offensive in the Ardennes - (Ardennnenoffensive) - the operation of the German Army Group "B" in the Ardennes mountain range in southwestern Belgium in order to defeat the Anglo-American troops in Belgium and southern Holland, to change the situation on the Western Front in their favor and the freed forces and send funds to the Eastern Front. The German offensive in the Ardennes began on December 16, 1944 and lasted 9 days, after which, within a month, American and British troops restored their initial position (until January 28, 1945).

The code name for the German operation in the Ardennes is "Watch (guard) on the Rhine"(Wacht am Rhein) . In the UK, this operation is called (Battle of the Ardennes), in the USA - "Battle for the Ledge"(Battle of the Bulge).

By the end of 1944, the Allied forces approached the German border, which was covered by " Siegfried line”, or “Western rampart”. However, the fortifications of the Siegfried Line, built in the 30s, did not meet modern requirements. The casemates were designed for 37 mm guns and could not accommodate 75 mm and 88 mm guns that could successfully fight enemy tanks. In addition, there were not enough troops to occupy the Siegfried Line.

Allied bomber aircraft regularly made massive raids on industrial centers and cities in Germany. Soviet troops stood on the Vistula near East Prussia.

The situation on the Western Front on December 15, 1944 on the eve of the Ardennes operation.

US Army Center for Military History

The deployment of the forces of the parties to the beginning of the Ardennes operation

Allied troops:

21st British Army Group(B. Montgomery) - 2nd British and 1st Canadian armies.

12th US Army Group(O. Bradley) - 1st, 3rd and 9th American armies.

At the beginning of the German offensive, the 1st and 9th American armies were transferred to the 21st British Army Group. 1st Army - temporarily.

In the Ardennes located: the 1st American Army (C. Hodges), the 30th British Corps (B. Horrocks) from the 2nd British Army and the 8th Corps of the 3rd american army(J. Patton).

The 1st American Army took up defensive positions in the northern part of the Ardennes between the cities of Saint-Vith and Liège. Part of its formations and the formations of the 9th Army fought in the Hurtgen forest. Here they broke through the Siegfried Line into German territory and created a bridgehead 50 km along the front and 40 km in depth. The 30th British Corps defended the bridges across the river Meuse. The bridges were mined in case German tanks approached them.

North of the Ardennes were the 1st Canadian Army, the 2nd British Army and the 9th American Army.

South of the Ardennes the main forces of the 3rd American Army were located, which partially wedged into the Siegfried line and created a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Saar River, where troops were concentrated to continue the offensive into the Saar region. Even further south, in Alsace and Lorraine, the 6th Army Group (J. Davers) was located - the 7th American Army (A. Patch) and the 1st French Army (J. de Lattre de Tassigny).

The command of the allied forces had significant reserves for a timely response to a German breakthrough anywhere on the front, including in the Ardennes.

In France, the 15th American Army was formed from divisions arriving from the United States. Having completed the formation, at the beginning of 1945 she was sent to the front.

The total number of American troops in the area of ​​the Ardennes operation reached 840 thousand people with 1300 tanks, 182 self-propelled anti-tank guns and 394 artillery pieces.

German troops:

For German offensive in the Ardennes(Operation Watch on the Rhine - Wacht am Rhein) the 6th SS Panzer Army was formed, consisting of the 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Corps and the 67th Army Corps.

To carry out the Ardennes operation, the German command created two shock groups: North ( 6th SS Panzer Army, Commander SS Oberstgruppenfuehrer Sepp Dietrich) and South ( 5th Panzer Army General Manteuffel, 47th and 58th Tank Corps, 66th Army Corps). In the 6th SS Panzer Army and the 5th Panzer Army, a large number of Panther medium tanks and Tiger and King Tiger heavy tanks, as well as Jagdpanther and Jagdtigr self-propelled guns were concentrated.

Also involved in the operation 7th Army(E. Brandenberger, 80th and 85th corps), advancing on the left flank.

Erie three armies were part of Army Group "B"(Heeresgruppe B, commander of Field Marshal V. Model), located opposite the Ardennes. The German group consisted of 24 divisions, including 10 tank divisions, as well as individual units.

Army Group "X"(Heeresgruppe H, J. Blaskowitz) was located north of the Ardennes. It included the 15th and 25th armies and the 1st parachute army.

Army Group "G"(Heeresgruppe G, P. Hausser) was located south of the Ardennes. It consisted of the 1st and 19th armies.

According to various estimates, 240 thousand - 500 thousand people, 1800 tanks, 1900 artillery pieces and Nebelwerfer rocket launchers and 800 aircraft participated in the Ardennes operation from the German side.

Planning for the German offensive in the Ardennes

It was planned to strike through the Ardennes (Operation Watch on the Rhine - Wacht am Rhein), because the Allies considered this area impassable for troops in winter. Then the German strike groups, passing through Bastogne and Malmedy, were supposed to cross the Meuse and capture Brussels and Antwerp. It was planned to cut off the northern flank of the allied front, press it to the sea and arrange a second Dunkirk. The planning of the offensive in the Ardennes was carried out in deep secrecy. Many formation commanders learned about him only on the eve of the start of the offensive.

According to the plan, the 6th SS Panzer Army was to advance on Antwerp, through the port of which the 21st British Army Group was supplied, and the 5th Panzer Army on Brussels.

The first task of the German troops, there were bridges across the river Meuse in the cities of Liege and Namur. In the same cities, advanced German detachments were supposed to capture fuel depots in order to make up for the lack of fuel for armored vehicles and vehicles of the advancing German groups.

At the beginning of the offensive in the Ardennes, German troops had a significant superiority in tanks and an almost 5-fold superiority in artillery. The German command also counted on non-flying weather, which excluded the use of Allied aviation, which had overwhelming air superiority.

Ardennes operation December 16, 1944 - January 28, 1945

Soviet military encyclopedia, vol. 1.

German offensive in the Ardennes 16-25 December 1944

On the morning of December 16, Army Group B under the command of Field Marshal V. Model, consisting of three armies (6th Panzer SS, 5th Panzer and 7th Field), launched an offensive through the Ardennes mountain forest massif. After a short artillery preparation, the strike groups of German troops, supported by 900 tanks and self-propelled guns, launched an offensive.

Bad weather brought to naught the absolute superiority of Allied air power.

Promotion of the German 6th SS Panzer Army in the northern sector of the Ardennes Offensive from 16 to 19 December 1944


Source: Scanned from map insert in US Army in World War II - The Ardennes: The Battle of the Bulge.

Promotion of the 5th German Panzer Army in the central sector of the Ardennes offensive from 16 to 19 December 1944

Advancement of the German 7th Army in the southern sector of the Ardennes offensive
from 16 to 19 December 1944


Source: Scanned from map insert in US Army in World War II - The Ardennes: The Battle of the Bulge.
License: US Government document. Assumed public domain.

One of the main factors that did not allow Nazi Germany to produce the maximum concentration of forces on the Western Front was the actions of Soviet troops on the Soviet-German front. The famous English historian Liddell Hart wrote: "The commanders who were instructed to lead the offensive soon learned to their dismay that they would not receive part of the promised forces as a result of the menacing Russian strikes in the East."

The offensive of German troops in the Ardennes: December 16 - 25, 1944

Source: US ARMY in World War II - The Ardennes. License: Assumed public domain.

On December 17, 1944, near the Belgian town of Malmedy, a detachment under the command of SS Standartenführer Joachim Peiper destroyed more than a hundred (according to other sources from 20 to 35) American prisoners of war from the 285th field artillery reconnaissance battalion.

The direction of the attacks of German troops in the Ardennes on December 16–24, 1944

On December 17, the 18th American Airborne Corps (General Ridgway), which was in reserve, was transferred from near Reims to the Ardennes as part of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, which had previously participated in heavy battles in Holland.

The 101st Airborne Division was sent to defend the city of Bastogne. The German Panzer Training Division, which was part of the 5th Panzer Army, approached Bastogne, where they met the staunch defense of the American troops. In the following days, units of the 5th German Panzer Army repeatedly attacked Bastogne, but were never able to take the city. Although Bastogne was surrounded, the American troops defending Bastogne seriously hampered the further advance of the German troops, because seven main roads in the Ardennes intersected in Bastogne, which were necessary to advance and supply the 5th German Panzer Army.

In the northern sector of the German offensive in the Ardennes, the American 7th Panzer Division held the small Belgian town of Saint-Vith, which also crossed important roads in the Ardennes, for 5 days. According to the German plan, Saint-Vit was supposed to be taken on the evening of December 17, but this did not happen until December 21. Under the threat of encirclement, American troops left the city, but the defense of the city of Saint-Vith also slowed down German offensive. The selfless defense of the cities of Bastogne and Saint-Vith slowed down the pace of the German offensive and gained time for the Allies to transfer their reserves to the Ardennes.

On December 19, 1944, at a meeting of the allies in Verdun, along with defensive measures, a plan was discussed for the counteroffensive of the 3rd American Army to release the 101st Airborne Division, which was defending the city of Bastogne. It was also decided to speed up the formation of French and Belgian formations, with which the US and British governments were in no hurry.

By December 20, units of the German Army Group "B" broke through the front in a section of 100 kilometers and advanced 30-50 kilometers deep. A difficult situation developed for the American and British troops.

The commander-in-chief of the allied forces in Europe, General D. Eisenhower, asked for troops from Italy, and also insisted on sending 100,000 marines from the United States and the Panama Canal zone to France.

German grenadiers fighting in a forest in Luxembourg, December 22, 1944

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0104-501, Ardennenoffensive. Photo: Lange.

German machine gunner, Belgium, December 1944.

U.S. NARA file no. 111-SC-197561.

At dawn on December 22, the 3rd Army launched a counteroffensive from the south and began to advance towards Bastogne.

On December 23, the weather improved, and Allied aircraft continued to deliver ammunition and food to the troops defending Bastogne. Allied aircraft began to strike at the advancing German groups and their supply lines. German troops by this time were experiencing acute shortage fuel and lubricants, as they could not capture the fuel depots in Liege and Namur. They could not even complete the first task - to capture the bridges over the Meuse River, because they did not reach it.

On the morning of December 25, 1944, the German offensive in the Ardennes came to a halt at the Belgian town of Celles, only 6 km from the river Meuse and the bridge at Dinant. This was the maximum advance to the west of the shock German group. By December 25, the 5th Panzer Army had advanced almost 100 km deep into the defense of the allied forces. Near the city of Sel, the German 2nd Panzer Division, advancing in the vanguard of the 5th Panzer Army, was surrounded.

The 1st American Army, together with the 30th British Corps, completely stopped the advance of the 6th SS Panzer Army on Liege.

Followed by Hitler's orders to continue the offensive, but the German offensive in the Ardennes stopped. The last attempt of the German "blitzkrieg" was completed. By that time, the German troops had used up almost the entire supply of fuels and lubricants.

The Allies were able to regroup their troops.

German soldiers in an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz 251 at the front
during the offensive in the Ardennes, late December 1944


Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J28519, Ardennenoffensive. Photo: Göttert.

Allied counteroffensive and elimination of the Ardennes salient
December 26, 1944 - January 28, 1945

On December 26, the 37th Armored Regiment of the 3rd US Army broke through the blockade of Bastogne. Other parts of the 3rd American Army launched a counterattack on the left flank of the German troops.

After liberating Bastogne, the American 3rd Army cut the supply lines of the German left flank south of Bastogne. The threat of encirclement loomed over the 5th German Panzer Army. She had only a “corridor” 40 kilometers wide north of Bastogne left for retreat, which was shot through from both sides by the fire of American 155-mm howitzers (with a firing range of up to 24 km).

From the north, the Ardennes ledge was attacked by the mobile grouping of the 1st American Army, putting the Germans at risk of encirclement.

Good, clear weather allowed American aircraft to regularly carry out massive raids on stalled German troops and their supply lines.

Before the New Year, German troops began a general retreat from the Ardennes salient, leaving the territory captured during the Ardennes offensive.

Allied counteroffensive and elimination of the Ardennes salient
December 26, 1944 - January 25, 1945.

Source: US ARMY. License: US Government document. Assumed public domain.

On January 1, 1945, the German troops of Army Group G went on the offensive in Alsace near Strasbourg. It was a diversionary strike, in which insignificant forces participated. However, the German command lost the strategic initiative irretrievably. German troops in the Ardennes retreated in all areas.

On January 1, 1945, Germany had 313 divisions and 32 brigades. On the Western Front and in Italy there were 108 divisions and 7 brigades. On the Eastern Front, Germany concentrated 185 divisions and 21 brigades, of which 15 divisions and 1 brigade were Hungarian.

By the end of the German offensive in the Ardennes, the Allied forces were in a critical position. As early as December 21, the commander of the allied forces, General D. Eisenhower, persistently asked the governments of the United States and Britain to turn to the Soviet Union for military assistance. On January 6, 1945, Prime Minister W. Churchill wrote to I.V. Stalin and asked him to launch an offensive on the Soviet-German front, to which he received a quick response with a promise to accelerate the preparation of a large offensive by Soviet troops.

Soviet troops launched a general offensive on January 12, 1945, 8 days ahead of schedule. The 6th SS Panzer Army was urgently sent to Hungary near Budapest and Lake Balaton to stop the Soviet offensive.

in the Ardennes, January 1945


Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J28475, Ardennnenoffensive. Photo: Pospesch.

American tank M4 "Sherman" and infantrymen of company G of the 740th tank battalion of the 504th regiment
82nd Airborne Division of the 1st US Army near Herresbach (Herresbach)
during the battle for the ledge.


Source: US-Army history images.

The chief of staff of the Western Front during the operation “Watch (guard) on the Rhine” (Wacht am Rhein), General Westphal wrote: “On January 12-13, the Russians launched their big offensive from the Baranuv bridgehead. His influence immediately affected the Western Front. We have long been anxiously awaiting the transfer of our troops to the East, and now it was carried out with the utmost speed. The 6th SS Panzer Army was transferred there with separate parts under army command, two corps headquarters and four SS panzer divisions, the Führerbegleit brigade and the grenadier brigade, as well as all their artillery and crossing facilities.

By January 15, 1945, the formations of the 1st and 3rd American armies advancing from the north and south connected north of Bastogne in the area of ​​​​the cities of Houffalize and Noville. Half of the Ardennes ledge was recaptured. The 101st Airborne Division was transferred near Colmar to the 6th Army Group. On the night of January 18, the 12th Corps of the 3rd American Army, unexpectedly for the enemy, crossed the Sur River.

On January 22, the British Chiefs of Staff Committee stated: “The new Russian offensive has dramatically changed the situation. According to the most likely assumptions, the end of the war can be expected in mid-April.

On January 23, troops of the 1st American Army liberated the city of Saint-Vith. The 12th Army Group began preparations to storm the Siegfried Line.

The offensive of the Soviet troops, which began on January 12, inflicted a crushing defeat on the main forces of the Wehrmacht. Almost all German mobile formations were transferred to the Eastern Front. Only a few battered infantry divisions remained on the Western Front. For 21 days of the Soviet offensive during the Vistula-Oder operation Soviet troops passed from the Vistula to the Oder and captured several bridgeheads on its left bank. In early February, there were only 60 kilometers from the bridgeheads on the Oder to Berlin. At the same time, Soviet troops were advancing in East Prussia, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. German troops lost up to half a million people, while German losses in the Ardennes operation amounted to less than 100 thousand people.

By January 28, the Allied forces completely eliminated the Ardennes ledge, formed by the German offensive in the Ardennes. On January 29, the Allied forces launched an invasion of Germany and moved towards the Rhine.

Operation Watch (Guard) on the Rhine (Wacht am Rhein) ended in a crushing defeat and became the last major German offensive in World War II. The Ardennes operation delayed the Allied invasion of Germany for several weeks, but the German troops wasted military resources, especially armored vehicles, aircraft (including jets) and fuel, which could have been used to effectively defend the Siegfried Line. Thanks to the German offensive in the Ardennes, the American-British troops suffered fewer losses: the main German forces were defeated outside the defensive fortifications of the Siegfried Line, where a victory over the enemy would have cost the Allied forces much greater losses.

After the defeat in the Ardennes Offensive, the German armed forces were no longer able to organize any offensive operation, limited to small counterattacks that could no longer affect the situation in Central Europe (counterattacks in Alsace in January 1945 and on Lake Balaton in March 1945 G.). The strategic initiative finally passed to the allies.

Losses

The losses of German troops in the Ardennes operation, according to various sources, ranged from 67,200 to 120,000 people and about 600 tanks and assault guns.

According to German data, their losses in the operation “Watch (guard) on the Rhine” (Wacht am Rhein) reached 67,675 people, of which 17,236 were killed, 34,439 were wounded and 16,000 were captured and missing.

American troops in the battle for the Bulge lost 89.5 thousand people (more than 19 thousand people killed, 47.5 thousand wounded and 23 thousand captured or missing), as well as about 800 tanks.

The British troops lost 1,408 men, of which 200 were killed.

Literature:

Hermann Jung: Die Ardennen-Offensive 1944/45. Ein Beispiel für die Kriegführung Hitlers, Göttingen 1992.

Klaus-Jürgen Bremm: Im Schatten des Desasters. Zwölf Entscheidungsschlachten in der Geschichte Europas. BoD, Norderstedt 2003.

Alexander Kuffner: Zeitreiseführer Eifel 1933-45. Helios, Aachen 2007.

08:04 12.01.2015

Exactly 70 years ago, a major offensive of the Red Army began in Europe, called the Vistula-Oder operation. The Nazi army was forced to transfer the main forces from the western front and abandon the counteroffensive against the Anglo-Americans that had successfully begun in December 1944 - the allies were saved.

Exactly 70 years ago, the offensive of the Red Army in Europe began, called the Vistula-Oder operation. The Nazis were forced to transfer the main forces from the western front and abandon the counteroffensive against the Anglo-Americans that had successfully begun in December 1944 - the allies were saved.
"A PERSONAL AND MOST SECRET MESSAGE FROM Mr CHURCHILL TO MARSHAL STALIN" "Very heavy fighting is going on in the West, and at any time big decisions may be required from the High Command ... I will be grateful if you can let me know if we can count on a big Russian offensive on the Vistula front or somewhere else during January... I consider the matter urgent. January 6, 1945.” “This letter, of course, is a cry for help. The allied Anglo-American troops, repelling the German offensive in the Ardennes, lost about 76,890 people, including 8,607 killed, 47,129 wounded and 21,144 missing. This greatly frightened the allies, in those days there was panic in their camp, ”Yuri Nikiforov, head of the scientific sector of the Russian Military Historical Society, said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel. Churchill’s secret message would reach Stalin only on the evening of January 7th. In his response, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief will report that a major offensive of the Red Army is being prepared, but the weather is interfering, and that in conditions of low fog, aviation and artillery are not capable of conducting aimed fire. But at the end of the letter, Stalin will reassure Churchill. “However, given the position of our allies on the western front, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to complete the preparations at an accelerated pace and, regardless of the weather, open broad offensive operations against the Germans along the entire central front no later than the second half of January " , - from a letter from I.V. Stalin to Churchill. This correspondence, unusual for heads of state, was caused by a major offensive by Nazi troops in the West in December. The operation was carefully prepared under the direct supervision of Hitler and in Germany was called "Watch on the Rhine." In the US it will be called the "Battle of the Bulge", in the UK - the "Battle of the Bulge". But precisely English name will go down in history. "Battle in the Bulge" In search of a way out of the critical situation in which fascist Germany found itself in the second half of 1944, the German command decided to carry out a counteroffensive on the western front. Its purpose was to defeat the allied forces on the northern sector of the front with a sudden blow and thereby create the prerequisites for negotiations with the United States and England on a separate peace honorable for the Reich, and then turn all forces to the East to continue the war against Soviet Union. Big hopes the fascist leadership also placed moral gain on the possible success of the counteroffensive. Photo: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0104-501, Ardennenoffensive. Photo: Lange“The Ardennes operation began on December 16. Its active phase lasted only 9 days, but during this time the German troops succeeded, perhaps the most important thing - there was a panic in the allied troops. Before that, the almost unopposed American and British troops were at a loss,” says military historian Yuri Nikiforov. Four days before the start of the offensive in the Ardennes, Hitler spoke to the highest command of the troops operating in the West. He expressed confidence that the coalition was created from too alien elements. Here are his words: “If we now inflict several powerful blows on them, then at any moment it may happen that this“ united ”, artificially supported front will suddenly collapse with a deafening roar, like thunder.” To solve this problem, Hitler “collected into a fist everything he had back then. By the start of the counteroffensive, the Nazi German troops numbered 73 divisions (including 11 tank divisions) and 3 brigades. The divisions were much weaker than the allied ones, both in terms of the number of personnel and weapons. “Planning a counteroffensive, the German command sought to use weak spots in the defense of the allies and deliver a surprise strike where they least expected it. And so it happened - it turned out that both the Americans and the British seemed to have forgotten about their tremendous superiority in strength, ”says military historian Nikiforov. Photo: German assault gun from the 6th SS Panzer Army in the Ardennes, January 1945, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J28475, Ardennnenoffensive. Photo: Pospesch"The last pennies of an impoverished man"
Nazi Germany by the end of the war was experiencing serious difficulties with fuel. So, the tanks heading into the breakthrough had a fuel reserve of only 140-160 km. Subsequently, the former chief of the general staff of the ground forces of the Wehrmacht, General Halder, wrote:
“The forces used for the offensive in the Ardennes were the last pennies of an impoverished person ... In any case, it was unacceptable to set the task of breaking through from the Ardennes to Antwerp to several divisions that did not have sufficient fuel supplies, had a limited amount of ammunition and did not receive air support” At the same time, it was assumed that military tasks would be completed on the seventh day after the start of the offensive.
“The purpose of the operation,” stated Hitler’s directive of November 10, 1944, “is to, by destroying enemy forces north of the Antwerp-Brussels-Luxembourg line, achieve a decisive turn in the course of the war in the West and thereby, possibly, the war as a whole ". On the night of December 15-16, German aircraft launched one of the most powerful air raids on Allied positions. Having successfully bombed, the aircraft returned home, but stumbled upon the fire of their own anti-aircraft installations. Apparently, the command of the Wehrmacht so classified the offensive that they simply forgot to warn their anti-aircraft gunners, ”says Nikiforov. The command of the German group in the Ardennes had high hopes for the landing of Lieutenant Colonel von der Heidte and the group of saboteurs led by Skorzeny.
"Heidte's Lost Landing Force"
The German parachute divisions operating on the Western Front were used at the front as infantry divisions. To participate in the counter-offensive in the Ardennes, only about 1,200 fighters were assembled, most of whom had previously been used in parachute landing operations in the highlands. An experienced paratrooper, Lieutenant Colonel von der Heydte, was appointed to command this unit. On December 12, Heidte met with the commander of the 6th SS Panzer Army, J. Dietrich. During this meeting, it was decided to deliver by plane a group of paratroopers behind enemy lines just before the start of the breakthrough in the Ardennes in order for them to block the road running from north to south parallel to the front line through the cities of Eupen and Liège, and thus prevent the transfer of American forces from north against the right flank of the 6th SS Panzer Army. Dietrich assured Heidte that by five o'clock in the evening on the second day of the operation, i.e. On December 17, the paratroopers thrown over the front line will be replaced by the advanced units of the advancing 6th SS Panzer Army. Of the 106 machines, only 35 dropped paratroopers exactly in the intended area. AT difficult conditions mountainous wooded area on a dark night scattered in different places the rest of the paratroopers could not quickly gather in one place, ”says military historian Nikiforov. At five in the morning, only 26 people arrived at the disposal of the detachment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Heidte. By December 20, 350 people had gathered around Heidte. They lost their radio. Many of them were injured on landing. More than 14 km separated them from the front line. Attempts by the 6th SS Panzer Army to break the American front and link up with paratroopers on 17 December failed. Photo: German soldiers in an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz 251 at the front during the offensive in the Ardennes, late December 1944, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J28519, Ardennenoffensive. Photo: Göttert.“The paratroopers broke up into small groups and moved south, hoping to get through to their own through the front line. 240 paratroopers managed to do it. Their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Heidte, surrendered to the Americans voluntarily,” says Nikiforov. The Nazi command pinned great hopes on a special sabotage operation behind enemy lines. To carry it out, on October 30, 1944, Hitler ordered the formation of a special military unit, the so-called 150th tank brigade under the command of O. Skorzeny. The horror of the Americans: Skorzeny's saboteurs behind allied lines
The Skorzeny brigade was staffed by volunteers from all branches of the military and SS units (2000 people). Among the collected saboteurs, about 150 people owned English language. They underwent thorough training for operations in special detachments. “The task of these detachments was not only to break into the deep rear of the allied forces and sow panic there, but also to organize the search and murder of major military leaders of the allies,” says military historian Nikiforov. Several Nazi saboteurs reached Paris. They were dressed in American and English form, armed with American and British captured weapons. “Skorzeny's saboteurs were so professional that a questionnaire was specially compiled by the American military police. It contained a list of questions that the US command thought could only be answered by real American citizens. They stopped and checked everyone. It is said that the patrol even detained the American General Bradley, who could not answer all the questions correctly. In general, the saboteurs made a lot of noise in the Ardennes,” says Nikiforov.
Detachments of saboteurs spread false rumors and disinformation orders, thereby causing confusion and panic in the ranks of the enemy, disrupting communication lines, destroying or simply rearranging road signs, setting up ambushes on roads, mining railways and highways, and blowing up ammunition depots. And they coped with these tasks very successfully. But in general, by December 28, the offensive of the German troops “bogged down”. Active fighting almost didn't work. So what made Churchill write a letter to Stalin and ask for help? The French "forced" Churchill to write a letter
The offensive of the Nazi troops in the Ardennes began in the early morning of December 16th. Taken by surprise, the American troops were completely confused and were unable to put up serious resistance in the first days. A disorderly retreat began, turning into a stampede in a number of sectors. The American journalist R. Ingersoll wrote that German troops “broke through our line of defense on a fifty-mile front and poured into this gap like water into a blown-up dam. And from them, along all the roads leading to the west, the Americans fled headlong. The plan of a rapid breakthrough through the Meuse and a further attack on Antwerp by the German troops failed. But they managed to inflict significant losses on the 8th Corps of the 1st American Army and make a breakthrough to Bastogne. It was this breakthrough that the troops of the French Resistance perceived very painfully. And according to one version, the French, fearing that the American and British troops during the retreat could leave the Germans a significant territory of France, insisted that Churchill write a letter to Stalin and ask for help. Photo: American M4 Sherman tank and infantrymen of Company G, 740th Tank Battalion, 504th Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, 1st US Army near Herresbach (Herresbach)
during the Battle of the Bulge, US-Army history images“This is still a little-studied topic. Yes, by and large, who exactly panicked in the Allied camp more than the rest, now of great importance does not have. Just like the letter itself. I do not think that Stalin, Zhukov and Konev launched an offensive operation in January 1945 because of Churchill's letter. It’s just that the time has come to “take Berlin”, besides, the German troops pulled into the Ardennes weakened the positions of Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. That's all, ”says the historian Nikiforov. On January 12, Soviet troops went on the offensive at the front from Baltic Sea to the Carpathians, which thwarted all the plans of the Nazi command in the West. The Nazis were forced to urgently send the 6th SS Panzer Army (the main striking force of the group of troops in the Ardennes direction) and a number of other formations to the Eastern Front as a matter of urgency. Hitler's attempt to "split the coalition" with a counteroffensive in the Ardennes failed. American and British troops were saved. In any case, it seems that this is how W. Churchill regarded the January offensive of the Red Army, called the Vistula-Oder operation. “A PERSONAL AND MOST SECRET MESSAGE FROM Mr CHURCHILL TO MARSHAL STALIN” I would like to express our gratitude to you and offer you congratulations on the gigantic offensive you launched on the eastern front.
January 17, 1945".