The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's last major offensive on the Western Front of World War II, intended to split the Allied forces and capture the port of Antwerp. In December 1944, the Germans launched a surprise attack through the Ardennes forest in Belgium and Luxembourg. After some initial successes, Allied resistance stiffened and German forces were unable to achieve their objectives. By January 1945, lack of fuel and supplies forced Germany to withdraw from the Ardennes, marking the end of major German offensives on the Western Front and bringing their defeat closer.

1. Battle of the Bulge Hallie Berson 10˚

2. Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler’s last attempt to win World War II, and launched a massive Nazi offensive towards the Allies. Hitler’s goal was to split up the Allies in half in their drive towards Germany, and also destroy their supplies.

3. The battle was started with a two hour bombardment of the Allies that was followed by a huge armored attack with the majority of the German army at the Schnee Eifel. Allies were surprised due to lack of information about an attack. Before the initial attack, English speaking German soldiers dressed up in American uniforms, and spread bad information, changed road signs, and cut telephone lines. This success only lasted about 2 days for the Germans.

4. Battle of the Bulge This battle was fought in Ardennes, which is in Luxembourg, and Belgium.

5. Battle of the Bulge Hitler’s goal for the German offensive was to split the British and American line in half while capturing Antwerp, Belgium, and then destroy four Allied armies. This wold force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Power’s favor. Once this was accomplished, Hitler could turn his attention to the Soviet armies in the east and avoid a two-front war.

6. Battle of the Bulge-Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation that was fought in the Netherlands and Germany. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time. The objective was to secure a series of bridges over the main rivers of the Netherlands(was German-occupied) At first it was successful, but it failed which also defeated the chance that WW2 could be over in 1944.

7. Battle of the Bulge Hitler tried to keep the oncoming battle a secret, minimizing media attention to it. Operation Stosser’s objective was to have a group of 800 men paratroop at nighttime. It failed due to only 100 men contributing.

8. Battle of the Bulge-Operation Greif and Wahrung Operation Greif: objective was to capture at least one bridge over the Meuse river before they were destroyed. German soldiers would be in US Army uniforms and US vehicles were to cause confusion. But it failed due to lack of vehicles, uniforms and equipment. Operation Wahrung: objective was similar to Operation Greif, but soldiers were taken Prisoners Of War, and hung after the war along with American soldiers in German uniforms.

9. Battle of the Bulge Despite German attacks, the perimeter held strong. When General Anthony McAuliffe was told that the Nazi German commander, Heinrich Freiherr von Luttwitz had demanded Bastogne’s surrender, McAuliffe responded “NUTS!” Which also boosted the morale of his troops

10. Battle of the Bulge Even though Germany was losing WW2, Hitler tried to keep the offensive going. He launched Operation Baseplate, in an attempt to attack Allied airfields, but the Allies recovered just days while the Luftwaffe was weak and ineffective for the rest of the war. The same day, anther offensive was launched. (Operation North Wind.) It was the last major German offensive of the war on the Western Front.

11. Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Bastogne, Belgium

12. Battle of the Bulge In 1945, the effect of lack of fuel was becoming evident and forced Germans to abandon their vehicles. The Americans lost about 81,000 men 100,000 men were wounded, died, or captured on the German side. January 7, 1945: Hitler agreed to withdraw most forces from the Ardennes, and ending all offensive operations. January 8, 1945: German troops withdrew, and Germany’s final defeat was only a few months away.

13. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1753.html