Why the Battle of Bulge Was So Devastating

Called the "greatest battle of the war" by Winston Churchill, the Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler's last major offensive in World War II against the Western Front, with the aim being to split the Allies in their drive towards Germany. The Germans' failure at this battle eventually led to the victory of the Allies.

However, this battle was not easy--the battle lasted six weeks in total! Furthermore, the battle was the most costly in the entire second World War for the United States, with over 100,000 American casualties. The formerly tranquil forest was literally hacked apart by the advancing Germans and the defending Americans. One soldier recounts the sight, "Did you ever see land when a tornado’s come through? Did you ever see trees and stuff, twisted and broken off? The whole friggin’ forest was like that."

One reason there were so many losses was that it took place during the freezing German winter, during which the Germans attacked battered American troops in the densely wooded Ardennes Forest. As the Germans drove into the forest, the American line looked like a large bulge, which would later inspire the name of this battle. But, I digress. Hitler actually timed the attack so that freezing rain, thick fog, deep snow, and super low temperatures brutalized the American troops. More than 15,000 cases of injuries derived from cold appeared that winter.

Another Nazi strategy was to spread misinformation. This was done by dropping German troops behind American lines to try and infiltrate the system, cause confusion, and hamper American movement as much as possible. The infiltrators cut communication lines, switched roadside signs, and added a variety of troubles towards the American movement. When American troops found out, they panicked. They immediately started sending out organized groups whom they believed they could trust to grill nearby residents. While some Germans were caught, other times, Americans were less successful. Some more well-known mistakes included: shooting out the tires on General Bernard Montgomery's jeep, and the detainment of General Omar Bradley after he answered that the capital of Illinois was Springfield (the GI wrongly believed it was Chicago).

However, the Battle of the Bulge's successes were twofold. Not only did it set the framework for an Allied victory, it also prompted desegregation in the American Army. Although the Army hadn't desegregated before in World War II, their dire situation in the Ardennes led to more than 2,500 black troops incorporated alongside their white counterparts. 

Do you think the rewards of this battle were worth the costs? Regardless of your answer, the Battle of the Bulge remains one of the most famous battles to this day. 


Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-battle-of-the-bulge