5 Random Things About the Battle of the Bulge

This year is the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most crucial battles of World War II. Contrary to popular belief, it was not just one battle, but rather a series of battles fought during a German offensive. The last major German offensive on the Western Front, it was instigated in an attempt to force favorable terms of surrender. In honor of the brave men and women who died in that campaign, here are 5 random facts about the Battle of the Bulge.

1. The Battle of the Bulge began with a German offensive in the Ardennes mountain region of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France on December 16, 1944. Although the Allies knew the Germans were planning a major offensive, the attack took them by surprise because they didn’t know where or when it would occur.
2. Officially, the Battle of the Bulge was known as the Ardennes Offensive or the Ardennes-Alsace campaign. However, it got its popular name based on the campaign maps that were printed in newspapers at the time. The surprise attack pushed the Allied lines back, which created a bulge, as illustrated in the map on this page.
3. One of the crucial battles during the offensive was the German siege of the town of Bastogne, Belgium. The town was crucial to both sides, as there was a series of paved roads in the region, whereas travel through the Ardennes mountains during the winter was otherwise near impossible. By December 21, the Germans had Bastogne surrounded. The only defense of the town were the poorly equipped 101st Airborne and a small contingent of the 10th Armored Division. Supplies were so limited in Bastogne, that artillery was limited to 10 shells per day. Eventually, the German commander sent a surrender request to the American commander, General Anthony McAuliffe, who initially thought the Germans were surrendering. When another officer corrected him, he replied, “Us surrender? Aw, nuts!” Gen. McAuliffe was unsure of how to respond to the request, but Lieutenant Colonel Harry Kinnard suggested that his first response was his best response. So, Gen. McAuliffe simply wrote:
   

   To the German Commander:

   Nuts!

   The American Commander.

   Gen. McAuliffe’s response was an instant morale booster, and the 101st Airborne was able to repel the German attack until reinforcements arrived.

4. As mentioned in the introduction, the Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive of World War II. By February 1945, the Luftwaffe was completely destroyed and the last of Germany’s reserve soldiers were already in battle. Additionally, the Soviets finally mounted an offensive on the Eastern Front, which forced Germany to defend itself on two fronts.
5. The Battle of the Bulge was the single bloodiest battle of World War II for the United States. By the time the offensive ended on January 25, 1945, 19,246 soldiers were killed, 47,500 were wounded, and 23,000 were captured or missing.

A Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Iraq

Bonus: One of the Allied commanders during the Battle of the Bulge was General Omar Bradley. Gen. Bradley was the last officer to be promoted to the 5-star general rank known as “General of the Army.” More famously, though, the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (also known as the Bradley tank) is named in his honor.

If you’ve never seen Band of Brothers, I highly recommend that you do. The sixth episode in the ten-part series deals with the Siege of Bastogne and is one of the most powerful in the series. You can find it on blu-ray at Amazon.com.

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