The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive campaign launched through the Ardennes forest in Belgium during World War II between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945. German forces initially surprised the Allied forces and made early gains due to bad weather grounding Allied airpower. However, the Germans ultimately failed to capture their key objective of Antwerp or severely weaken Allied forces. Poor supply lines and devastating Allied air attacks contributed to the German defeat, while the Allied forces were later able to stabilize the front and turn the tide with air support, leading to an Allied victory.