By the winter of 1944, the Germans were thought to have been incapable of launching a major offensive. The Americans, British, and Canadians had them headed towards the Rhine. Little did the Allies know that the German High Command was ready to launch a huge offensive in the area of the Ardennes Forest. Had the Germans not been lacking fuel for their tanks and other vehicles and if stalwart determined Americans like the men in this video not been blocking the Germans' route, the German plan could have succeeded and they might have captured their objective, the deep water port of Antwerp, where tons of supplies were arriving daily to keep the Allied Armies going. Had this happened, the war probably would have ended much differently.
In remembrance of my Uncle AJ. He got his Purple Heart at Bastone. He was shot in the ass and it damaged his hip. He was 101st prior to Bastone and could no longer march. After 3 months of surgery/rehab he was reassigned to 3rd Army as a mailman/truck driver. He was pro Patton and would have followed him to Moscow.
My grandpa was under siege at Bastogne too. He wasn't in the 101st, but was in one of the AAA outfits that was surrounded there (481st AAA). He said he'd never been colder (coldest European winter on record to date). He said he was hungry too. He said he ate nearly anything but a cat.
I never really thought the Ardennes offensive was as close as historians and popular culture makes it out to be.
The absolute key to German success was capture and control of Elsenborn Ridge during the first 36 hrs.
Germany failed to do this and was forced to find alternative routes to reach the Meuse River. None of which came close to giving them the avenue needed to achieve their desired outcome.
The offensive caught us flat footed and embarrassed the hell out of us, but relied on too many tactical and strategic assumptions to really have a chance at knocking the Western Allies out of the war.
The ability to mount such an offensive defied all the odds. They made fools out of Allied intelligence. Had the Germans sufficient equipment and supplies they could have taken Antwerp, as it was they came very close to crossing the Meuse. German troops were not the men of 1940 and their generals had suffered greatly knowing what could happen to their families if success was not achieved. Remember Arnhem was supposed to be a walk over, as was ejecting the Germans from the Westwall. The overconfidence and arrogance of the Allies cost tens of thousands of lives.
If the Germans had made it to Antwerp Germany would have still lost. It would have just taken a few more months to finish them off and it's probable that a much larger percentage of Germany would have ended up under direct Soviet control. So while the Germans were going to lose either way, how post war Germany ended up would have been different. There might not have been an East Germany.... the whole country might have ended up like Poland....and the cold war would have played out differently.
In remembrance of my Uncle AJ. He got his Purple Heart at Bastone. He was shot in the ass and it damaged his hip. He was 101st prior to Bastone and could no longer march. After 3 months of surgery/rehab he was reassigned to 3rd Army as a mailman/truck driver. He was pro Patton and would have followed him to Moscow.
ReplyDeleteMy grandpa was under siege at Bastogne too. He wasn't in the 101st, but was in one of the AAA outfits that was surrounded there (481st AAA). He said he'd never been colder (coldest European winter on record to date). He said he was hungry too. He said he ate nearly anything but a cat.
DeleteI never really thought the Ardennes offensive was as close as historians and popular culture makes it out to be.
ReplyDeleteThe absolute key to German success was capture and control of Elsenborn Ridge during the first 36 hrs.
Germany failed to do this and was forced to find alternative routes to reach the Meuse River. None of which came close to giving them the avenue needed to achieve their desired outcome.
The offensive caught us flat footed and embarrassed the hell out of us, but relied on too many tactical and strategic assumptions to really have a chance at knocking the Western Allies out of the war.
The ability to mount such an offensive defied all the odds. They made fools out of Allied intelligence. Had the Germans sufficient equipment and supplies they could have taken Antwerp, as it was they came very close to crossing the Meuse. German troops were not the men of 1940 and their generals had suffered greatly knowing what could happen to their families if success was not achieved. Remember Arnhem was supposed to be a walk over, as was ejecting the Germans from the Westwall. The overconfidence and arrogance of the Allies cost tens of thousands of lives.
DeleteIf the Germans had made it to Antwerp Germany would have still lost. It would have just taken a few more months to finish them off and it's probable that a much larger percentage of Germany would have ended up under direct Soviet control. So while the Germans were going to lose either way, how post war Germany ended up would have been different. There might not have been an East Germany.... the whole country might have ended up like Poland....and the cold war would have played out differently.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Hitler stripped the Rhine defenses for a show.
DeleteKilled a lot of people, but, the more guys he fed into it, the more never came back.
Not quite Russia, but almost.
And 35 years ago, Paul Castellano had a bad day today, too.
ReplyDeletehttp://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-70th-anniversary-of-eric-fisher.html
ReplyDeleteThere is a great documentary on some engineers involved in the chase of the Nazi's
ReplyDeleteRelevant Sabaton, with awesome video.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/kJVkE14kjhE