The Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, said 'This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war….'.Interesting Facts about the Battle of the Bulge Their courage and fierce fighting won the battle and sealed the fate of Hitler and the Nazi's in World War II. It was small groups of American troops throughout the front who dug in and held out until reinforcements could come that won the battle for the Allies. US General Anthony McAuliffe didn't want to give up, so he replied to the Germans 'Nuts!' Then his soldiers managed to hold out until more US troops could arrive. The US troops of the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Armored division were surrounded by Germans. One of the famous small fights that occurred was at Bastogne, Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge is famous for all the small pockets of American soldiers who attacked and harassed the Germans as they tried to advance. They did not want Hitler to take over again.

These Germans were dressed in American uniforms and told lies to try and confuse the Americans so they wouldn't know what was going on.ĭespite the quick advance and the overwhelming forces of the Germans, many American soldiers held their ground. They also had English speaking German spies drop in behind the Allied lines. Soldiers had to deal with snow and bad weather The Germans broke through the line and killed thousands of American troops. The Americans were not ready for the attack. It was winter and the weather was snowy and cold.

When Germany attacked they used over 200,000 troops and nearly 1,000 tanks to break through the US lines.

If you were to look at a map of the Allied army front, there would have been a bulge where the Germans attacked. When the Germans attacked, they pushed back the center of the Allied forces' line. The Battle of the Bulge actually took place in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. The battle lasted for around one month as American forces fought back and kept Germany's army from overrunning Europe. Early in the morning on DecemGermany launched a major attack. However, Adolf Hitler of Germany had different ideas. 101st Airborne troops move out of BastogneĪfter the Allies had freed France and defeated Germany at Normandy, many thought that World War II in Europe was coming to an end.

Tank battles during battle of the bulge