Battle of the Bulge
...der the cover of darkness, to move 145,000 tons of supplies, 4.6 million gallons of fuel, and 66 divisions to the Ardennes prior to the offensive(Dworschak 5). These preparations took more time than Hitler had anticipated and caused him to postpone the attack 5 separate times before finally deciding on 16 December 1944 as the day for the offensive to commence. Many of Hitler’s generals asked him to postpone the attack until all the logistical pieces were firmly in place but he refused and on the night of 15 December issued the attack order. Hitler dictated every detail of the attack and rejected his generals’ suggestions for a smaller and more limited offensive. To guarantee his plans were carried out exactly as he had planned them, Hitler attached a hand written note to the attack plan that read, “not to be altered”(qtd.In Dworschak 7). Hitler’s plan called for Army Group B, under the command of Field Marshal Model to attack along a 60-mile front between Monshau, Germany and Echternach, Luxemborg. The main thrust of the attack was to come from Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army made up of 9 divisions and 800 tanks (Dworschak 5). Dietrich was to attack along a 25-mile front and hold the lines while four crack SS panzer divisions raced 26 miles to the Meuse and then on to Antwerp. Hitler had handpicked these units to allow his vaunted SS to gain the majority of glory for the victory (Dworschak 5). Hitler had succeeded in forming over 300,000 combat soldiers, 1400 panzers, and 1900 artillery pieces and rocket launchers into a massive battle group in the Ardennes, right under the noses of the Allied forces (Dworschak 6). During this time confidence was running high in the Allied camp and talks of a victory by Christmas were commonplace. The Allied forces up to this point had conquered Italy, liberated France, Belgium, and Luxembourg and had reached the German border. In the east the Russians had conquered the Balkans and Poland and was now poised for a final thrust into the heart of Germany. Logistical problems had halted the Allied advances and the Americans were sure that when these problems were worked out the only question would be who would reach Berlin first, the Russians or the Americans. Hitler had predicted these logistical problems the allies were enduring would give him the time to mass his forces and execute his master plan. The Allies felt the capture of Antwerp’s port facilities on 4 September would be the answer to their logistical problem but German mines and interdiction prevented any American cargo ships from unloading until November 28 1944. Antwerp was expected to supply 50 divisions and put an end to the supply problem. It was with this in mind that General Eisenhower decided the Allied offensive would continue across the entire front. This decision, to continue the allied advances required the forces to be reduced along parts of the front. The weakest area now became the 100-mile sector in the Ardennes forest. Allied forces along this front consisted of one mechanized cavalry regiment and six inexperienced or battle fatigued divisions. They were tasked to defend a front five times wider than normal. In total the American lines in the Ardennes had 83,000 men, 242 tanks, and 686 artillery pieces (Dworschak 10). Despite the weakness in the Ardennes the Allied high command saw no chance of a German offensive in the region or anywhere else. Intelligence sections reported heavier than normal rail traffic in the area and Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army had been located near Cologne. These reports were disregarded as mean...