[142], Churchill was elated at Stalin's offer of help,[143] thanking Stalin for the thrilling news. A hastily assembled British blocking force on the east side of the river prevented the German Battlegroup Böhm from approaching the Dinant bridge. To the disbelief of the other generals present, Patton replied that he could attack with two divisions within 48 hours. A team of volunteer surgeons flew in by military glider and began operating in a tool room.[100]. Panzer columns took the outlying villages and widely separated strong points in bitter fighting, and advanced to points near Bastogne within four days. The Allies captured the port of Antwerp intact in the first days of September, but it was not operational until 28 November. Entscheidend war außerdem das Wetter. Also participating in a secondary role was the Fifteenth Army, under General Gustav-Adolf von Zangen. "Es gab auf Postkarten eine 'Wacht am Donaustrand' von Jacques Burger, eine 'Wacht am Isonzo' von Emil Ekstein (nur durch Titeländerung wurde daraus eine 'Wacht an der Adria') und mindestens fünf verschiedene Gedichte unter dem Titel 'Donauwacht'". The Western Allies already had 96 divisions at or near the front, with an estimated ten more divisions en route from the United Kingdom. I positioned British troops as reserves behind the First and Ninth Armies until such time as American reserves could be created. [k], Both 2nd Panzer and Panzer-Lehr division moved forward from Bastogne after 21 December, leaving only Panzer-Lehr division's 901st Regiment to assist the 26th Volksgrenadier-Division in attempting to capture the crossroads. Da die alliierten Jäger und Jagdbomber längst die absolute Luftherrschaft über den Schlachtfeldern besaßen, konnte der Angriff nur bei möglichst schlechtem Wetter begonnen werden – Schneeschauer und tief hängende Bewölkung wären ideal gewesen. 200.000 Soldaten mit 600 Kettenfahrzeugen sollten im Dezember 1944 die Kriegswende im Westen herbeiführen, Quelle: Bundesarchiv Bild_183-J28519; CC-BY-SA, Die Planer der Ardennenoffensive: Die Generäle Walter Model (v. l.), Gerd von Rundstedt und Hans Krebs, Quelle: Bundesarchiv Bild_146-1978-024-31; CC-BY-SA-3.0-de, Adlerhorst bei Bad Nauheim diente Hitler während der Offensive als Hauptquartier, Die am schlechtesten geführte Schlacht der US Army, 35.000 Fallschirmjäger sollten den Krieg beenden, Kampfschwimmer stoppten den alliierten Vormarsch, Sturmgeschütze – das letzte Aufgebot der Wehrmacht, Walter Model – Hitlers „Retter der Ostfront“, Ardennenoffensive – Spiel mit dem richtigen Wetter, „Hitler sehnte die alliierte Landung herbei“. After a fierce tank battle the next day, the Germans finally entered the town when U.S. engineers failed to blow the bridge. After 20 July attempt on Hitler's life, and the close advance of the Red Army which would seize the site on 27 January 1945, Hitler and his staff had been forced to abandon the Wolfsschanze headquarters in East Prussia, in which they had coordinated much of the fighting on the Eastern Front. The plan originally called for just under 45 divisions, including a dozen panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions forming the armored spearhead and various infantry units to form a defensive line as the battle unfolded. The Germans had attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, taking advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions that grounded the Allies' superior air forces. (G40) Allemagne bei eBay. Als am 16. On 2 January, the Tiger IIs of German Heavy Tank Battalion 506 supported an attack by the 12th SS Hitlerjugend division against U.S. positions near Wardin and knocked out 15 Sherman tanks. At Cheneux, the advance guard was attacked by American fighter-bombers, destroying two tanks and five halftracks, blocking the narrow road. General Omar Bradley was briefly detained when he correctly identified Springfield as the capital of Illinois because the American MP who questioned him mistakenly believed the capital was Chicago. He later attributed this to needing more time for preparation on the northern front. London: Cassell. Draufhauen, durchbrechen und dann weitersehen: So knapp lässt sich das Konzept zusammenfassen, aufgrund dessen Adolf Hitler den letzten Großangriff seines Lebens befahl. Hier sind Videos über den 2.Weltkrieg: Band of Brothers . Their ideas shared the same fate as Dietrich's objections.[114]. The US 2nd Armored Division put on perhaps the best performance for the Allies, achieving a Combat Efficiency Value of 1.48 when it smashed the 2nd Panzer Division (0.52) at Celles in late December. [85] The official U.S. Army history states: "At least seven thousand [men] were lost here and the figure probably is closer to eight or nine thousand. [120] Montgomery started with giving credit to the "courage and good fighting quality" of the American troops, characterizing a typical American as a "very brave fighting man who has that tenacity in battle which makes a great soldier", and went on to talk about the necessity of Allied teamwork, and praised Eisenhower, stating, "Teamwork wins battles and battle victories win wars. Der Schwur erschallt, die Woge rinnt die Fahnen flattern noch im Wind. Their intention was to control the twin villages of Rocherath-Krinkelt which would clear a path to the high ground of Elsenborn Ridge. With the castle acting as overflow accommodation, the main party was settled into the Adlerhorst's Haus 2 command bunker, including Gen. Alfred Jodl, Gen. Wilhelm Keitel, Gen. Blumentritt, von Manteuffel and Dietrich. Though some of his staff were concerned at how the press conference would affect Montgomery's image, it was cleared by CIGS Alan Brooke, who was possibly the only person from whom Montgomery would accept advice. Exkurs: Im 1942 gedrehten Film Casablanca widerfährt dem Lied ein anderes Schicksal. [53][54], The attack on Monschau, Höfen, Krinkelt-Rocherath, and then Elsenborn Ridge was led by the units personally selected by Adolf Hitler. [54] The 6th Panzer Army included the elite of the Waffen-SS, including four Panzer divisions and five infantry divisions in three corps. After the war ended, this assessment was generally viewed as unrealistic, given Allied air superiority throughout Europe and their ability to continually disrupt German offensive operations. As soon as the firing began, the prisoners panicked. Montgomery's contribution to restoring the situation was that he turned a series of isolated actions into a coherent battle fought according to a clear and definite plan. It was led by Oberst Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, considered by Germans to be a hero of the Battle of Crete.[80]. On 24 December, German forces made their furthest penetration west. The Panzer-Lehr division tried to relieve them, but was only partially successful, as the perimeter held. Seventh Army casualties: "As elsewhere, casualty figures are only rough estimates, and the figures presented are based on the postwar 'Seventh Army Operational Report, Alsace Campaign and Battle Participation, 1 June 1945' (copy CMH), which notes 11,609 Seventh Army battle casualties for the period, plus 2,836 cases of trench foot and 380 cases of frostbite, and estimates about 17,000 Germans killed or wounded with 5,985 processed prisoners of war. 1. Recreate the decisive engagement that represented Hitler's last major effort to win the Second World War. On the same day as Hitler's withdrawal order of 7 January, Montgomery held his press conference at Zonhoven. Armee eingekesselt worden, wenn deutsche Truppen die Scheldemündung erreicht hätten. Model and Manteuffel, technical experts from the eastern front, told Hitler that a limited offensive with the goal of surrounding and crushing the American 1st Army would be the best goal their offensive could hope to achieve. The main forces were to advance westward to the Meuse River, then turn northwest for Antwerp and Brussels. Bastogne had previously been the site of the VIII Corps headquarters. Hitler had even written on the plan in his own handwriting 'not to be altered'". Auch an der Ostfront befand sich die Wehrmacht seit den sowjetischen Sommeroffensiven, die auf einer Front von 2.500 Kilometern der Wehrmacht die bisher schwersten Niederlagen des Krieges beigebracht hatten, in einer prekären Situation. The estuary of the Schelde river that controlled access to the port had to be cleared of both German troops and naval mines. Adolf Hitler personally selected for the counter-offensive on the northern shoulder of the western front the best troops available and officers he trusted. The Germans also referred to it as Ardennenoffensive ("Ardennes Offensive") and Rundstedt-Offensive, both names being generally used nowadays in modern Germany. Panzerarmee unter Hasso von Manteuffel und die 6. In Germany such orders were typically transmitted using telephone and teleprinter, and a special radio silence order was imposed on all matters concerning the upcoming offensive. Wir wollen alle Hüter sein! While the Siege of Bastogne is often credited as the central point where the German offensive was stopped,[52] the battle for Elsenborn Ridge was actually the decisive component of the Battle of the Bulge, stopping the advance of the best equipped armored units of the German army and forcing them to reroute their troops to unfavorable alternative routes that considerably slowed their advance. (G40) Allemagne | eBay Peiper learned that his reinforcements had been directed to gather in La Gleize to his east, and he withdrew, leaving wounded Americans and Germans in the Froidcourt Castle [fr]. For the next two days the perimeter was strengthened. Lieb Vaterland, magst ruhig sein Fest steht und treu die Wacht, die Wacht am Rhein! The leadership composition of the Sixth Panzer Division had a distinctly political nature. Indeed, General Bradley and his American commanders were already starting their counterattack by the time Montgomery was given command of 1st and 9th U.S. The British 29th Armoured Brigade of British 11th Armoured Division, which had turned in its tanks for re-equipping, was told to take back their tanks and head to the area. The Germans referred to it as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (“Operation Watch on the Rhine”), while the French named it the Bataille des Ardennes (“Battle of the Ardennes”). In fact, their horse-drawn artillery and rocket units became a significant obstacle to the armored units. Die WELT als ePaper: Die vollständige Ausgabe steht Ihnen bereits am Vorabend zur Verfügung – so sind Sie immer hochaktuell informiert. They also had intelligence that the Wehrmacht was using the area across the German border as a rest-and-refit area for its troops. Four armies were selected for the operation. For the Americans, out of a peak of 610,000 troops,[18] 89,000[5] became casualties out of which some 19,000 were killed. They were disarmed and, with some other Americans captured earlier (approximately 150 men), sent to stand in a field near the crossroads under light guard. [114]:224 Dietrich's decision unknowingly played into American hands, as Robertson had already decided to abandon the villages. Winston Churchill [129], Casualty estimates for the battle vary widely. [162] The citation covered troops in the Ardennes sector where the main battle took place, as well as units further south in the Alsace sector, including those in the northern Alsace who filled in the vacuum created by the U.S. Third Army racing north, engaged in the concurrent Operation Nordwind diversion in central and southern Alsace launched to weaken Allied response in the Ardennes, and provided reinforcements to units fighting in the Ardennes. [69][70] Peiper detoured north towards the villages of La Gleize and Cheneux. Stattdessen sprach er Ende September nur vage davon, Antwerpen zurückzuerobern. [28]:1–64[29], Hitler initially promised his generals a total of 18 infantry and 12 armored or mechanized divisions "for planning purposes." The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather. He maintained his lines west of Stoumont for a while, until the evening of 19 December when he withdrew them to the village edge. In October, the First Canadian Army fought the Battle of the Scheldt, opening the port of Antwerp to shipping. Erst mit der im März 1854 von Carl Wilhelm komponierten Vertonung und prominenten Aufführung bei der Silberhochzeit des späteren Kaisers Wilhelm I. gewann es an Popularität, die sich 1870/71 noch steigerte. The 109th and 110th Regiments of the 28th Division fared worse, as they were spread so thinly that their positions were easily bypassed. [71], At dawn on 19 December, Peiper surprised the American defenders of Stoumont by sending infantry from the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment in an attack and a company of Fallschirmjäger to infiltrate their lines. … Between 63,222 and 98,000 of these men were killed, missing, wounded in action, or captured. Ultra also picked up communiqués regarding extensive rail and road movements in the region, as well as orders that movements should be made on time. Boot up and enjoy. Obwohl überzeugter Nationalsozialist, war er doch Realist genug, nicht alles auf eine Karte setzen zu wollen. Although they failed to take the vital bridges over the Meuse, their presence caused confusion out of all proportion to their military activities, and rumors spread quickly. While the German command did not reach its goals, the Ardennes operation inflicted heavy losses and set back the Allied invasion of Germany by several weeks. Am 10. Panzerarmee, entstanden aus den verbliebenen Panzereinheiten in der Normandie, hatte in Lothringen harte Kämpfe gegen die US Army geführt und dabei erhebliche Verluste hinnehmen müssen. After an advance which had been slow, U. S. relief troops entered Bastogne at 1645 on 26 December 1944.". [140] On 12 January, the Soviets began the massive Vistula–Oder Offensive, originally planned for 20 January. The Fifth Panzer Army was spearheaded by the 2nd Panzer Division while the Panzer Lehr Division (Armored Training Division) came up from the south, leaving Bastogne to other units. of the First Army, where I had instructed Simpson to meet me. Believing in omens and the successes of his early war campaigns that had been planned at Kransberg, Hitler had chosen the site from which he had overseen the successful 1940 campaign against France and the Low Countries. [5][19] The "Bulge" was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in World War II[20][21][22] and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. Headquarters now freed up the 9th Panzer Division for Fifth Panzer Army, which was deployed at Marche. OKW-Chef Wilhelm Keitel, von Frontoffizieren geringschätzig „Lakeitel“ genannt, glaubte wohl immer noch an das vermeintliche militärische Genie des „Führers“. [citation needed]. Rundstedt later testified that while he recognized the merit of Hitler's operational plan, he saw from the very first that "all, absolutely all conditions for the possible success of such an offensive were lacking."[35]:24. Über 200.000 deutsche Soldaten, die sich in den vorausgegangenen Wochen im Schutz der bewaldeten Eifel gesammelt hatten, gingen am 16. On the Eastern Front, the Soviets' Operation Bagration during the summer had destroyed much of Germany's Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte). [35] The plan banked on unfavorable weather, including heavy fog and low-lying clouds, which would minimize the Allied air advantage. The rapid advance by the German forces who surrounded the town, the spectacular resupply operations via parachute and glider, along with the fast action of General Patton's Third U.S. Army, all were featured in newspaper articles and on radio and captured the public's imagination; there were no correspondents in the area of Saint-Vith, Elsenborn, or Monschau-Höfen. [60], Driving to the south-east of Elsenborn, Kampfgruppe Peiper entered Honsfeld, where they encountered one of the 99th Division's rest centers, clogged with confused American troops. am Rhein, am Rhein, am deutschen Rhein! Von der Heydte ended up with a total of around 300 troops. [96], On 23 December the weather conditions started improving, allowing the Allied air forces to attack. [citation needed] The French (and Belgian) name for the operation is Bataille des Ardennes (Battle of the Ardennes). One of the fault lines between the British and American high commands was General Dwight D. Eisenhower's commitment to a broad front advance. [24] Over-the-beach supply operations using the Normandy landing areas, and direct landing ships on the beaches, were unable to meet operational needs. The Allies called it the Ardennes Counteroffensive. [36] Security around the general was greatly increased, and Eisenhower was confined to his headquarters. They were for the most part well organized and supplied for the attack, although they were counting on capturing American gasoline dumps to fuel their vehicles. They failed and were forced to withdraw, and a number were captured, including battalion commander Maj. Hal D. McCown. On the following day of 26 December the spearhead of Gen. Patton's 4th Armored Division, supplemented by the 26th (Yankee) Infantry Division, broke through and opened a corridor to Bastogne. [32] Hitler believed he could split the Allied forces and compel the Americans and British to settle for a separate peace, independent of the Soviet Union. Ihr Kommandeur Sepp Dietrich war eine zentrale Figur in der deutschen Kriegspropaganda – doch über seine Fähigkeiten als Stratege und Taktiker gehen die Meinungen weit auseinander. While the Ardennes Counteroffensive is the correct term in Allied military language, the official Ardennes-Alsace campaign reached beyond the Ardennes battle region, and the most popular description in English speaking countries remains simply the Battle of the Bulge. Die fünf Panzer- und 13 Grenadier-Divisionen verfügten über etwa 600 Kettenfahrzeuge und 1600 Geschütze. They were given priority for supply and equipment and assigned the shortest route to the primary objective of the offensive, Antwerp,[28]:1–64 starting from the northernmost point on the intended battlefront, nearest the important road network hub of Monschau.[40]. The Allies chose to defend the Ardennes with as few troops as possible due to the favorable terrain (a densely wooded highland with deep river valleys and a rather thin road network) and limited Allied operational objectives in the area. The German offensive drew to a close on 25 January. In foreground a platoon leader indicates the target to a rifleman by actually firing on the target. The Americans' initial impression was that this was the anticipated, localized counterattack resulting from the Allies' recent attack in the Wahlerscheid sector to the north, where the 2nd Division had knocked a sizable dent in the Siegfried Line. German intelligence had set 20 December as the expected date for the start of the upcoming Soviet offensive, aimed at crushing what was left of German resistance on the Eastern Front and thereby opening the way to Berlin. Bradley's response was succinct: "Let them come. The foggy autumn weather also prevented Allied reconnaissance aircraft from correctly assessing the ground situation. Entscheidend war das … Nach dem Zusammenbruch der … Within a week 250,000 troops had been sent. The Allies were slowly pushing towards Germany, but no decisive breakthrough was achieved. The Luftwaffe lost 277 planes, 62 to Allied fighters and 172 mostly because of an unexpectedly high number of Allied flak guns, set up to protect against German V-1 flying bomb/missile attacks and using proximity fused shells, but also by friendly fire from the German flak guns that were uninformed of the pending large-scale German air operation. Dezember 1944 begann. [139], Although the Germans managed to begin their offensive with complete surprise and enjoyed some initial successes, they were not able to seize the initiative on the Western Front. Heavy snowstorms engulfed parts of the Ardennes area. Der Plan war die ureigenste Idee des „Führers“. Hinter dem Plan steckte eine Vorstellung, die für Hitler seit der Kriegswende von Stalingrad 1942/43 typisch geworden war: Abwechselnd redete er sich ein, mit einem massiven Sieg entweder gegen die Rote Armee oder gegen den Westen die Koalition seiner Gegner spalten zu können und so den nicht zu gewinnenden Zweifrontenkrieg zu beenden. Only the 5th Parachute Division of Brandenberger's command was able to thrust forward 19 km (12 mi) on the inner flank to partially fulfill its assigned role. [24], Montgomery and Bradley both pressed for priority delivery of supplies to their respective armies so they could continue their individual lines of advance and maintain pressure on the Germans, while Eisenhower preferred a broad-front strategy. Dagegen war die 6. In the west supply problems began significantly to impede Allied operations, even though the opening of the port of Antwerp in late November improved the situation somewhat. Description. The Allies relied too much on Ultra, not human reconnaissance. [33] Success in the west would give the Germans time to design and produce more advanced weapons (such as jet aircraft, new U-boat designs and super-heavy tanks) and permit the concentration of forces in the east. [128], However, Ambrose, writing in 1997, maintained that "Putting Monty in command of the northern flank had no effect on the battle". As the Ardennes crisis developed, the U.S. First Army (Hodges) and U.S. Ninth Army (Simpson) on the northern shoulder of the German penetration lost communications with adjacent armies, as well as with Bradley's headquarters in Luxembourg City to the south of the "bulge". Die Wacht am Rhein ist ein politisches Lied, welches im Deutschen Kaiserreich ab 1871 neben Heil dir im Siegerkranz die Funktion einer inoffiziellen Nationalhymne hatte. Two separate westbound German columns that were to have bypassed the town to the south and north, the 2nd Panzer Division and Panzer-Lehr-Division of XLVII Panzer Corps, as well as the Corps' infantry (26th Volksgrenadier Division), coming due west had been engaged and much slowed and frustrated in outlying battles at defensive positions up to 16 kilometers (10 mi) from the town proper, but these defensive positions were gradually being forced back onto and into the hasty defenses built within the municipality. [138] The outcome of the Ardennes Offensive demonstrated that the Allied armored forces were capable of taking on the Panzerwaffe on equal terms. The offensive was planned by the German forces with utmost secrecy, with minimal radio traffic and movements of troops and equipment under cover of darkness. [95], By 21 December the Germans had surrounded Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division, the all African American 969th Artillery Battalion, and Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division. Kampfgruppe Hansen was still struggling against bad road conditions and stiff American resistance on the southern route. Copy the 'die_wacht_am_rhein.ogg' from the music mod into this folder. Calvocoressi, Peter (1980). In loyalty to their commander, 150 men from von der Heydte's own unit, the 6th Parachute Regiment, went against orders and joined him. The Panzer Lehr Division took the town of Celles, while a bit farther north, parts of 2nd Panzer Division were in sight of the Meuse near Dinant at Foy-Nôtre-Dame. "[121][122][123], Despite his positive remarks about American soldiers, the overall impression given by Montgomery, at least in the ears of the American military leadership, was that he had taken the lion's share of credit for the success of the campaign, and had been responsible for rescuing the besieged Americans.[124]. [37], The Wehrmacht's code name for the offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine"), after the German patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein, a name that deceptively implied the Germans would be adopting a defensive posture along the Western Front. Die Wacht am Rhein: Hitlers letzte Schlacht in den Ardennen 1944/45. The first 5 days are considered one of the most effective for the entire time of this offensive operation for Germany. [24] With the Allies stalled, German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Gerd von Rundstedt was able to reorganize the disrupted German armies into a coherent defensive force. Slowly but surely the situation was held, and then finally restored. [148][149], The battle around Bastogne received a great deal of media attention because in early December 1944 it was a rest and recreation area for many war correspondents. Because the Ardennes was considered a quiet sector, considerations of economy of force led it to be used as a training ground for new units and a rest area for units that had seen hard fighting. Ein deutscher Soldat im Dezember 1944 während der Ardennenoffensive (Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein / Herbstnebel). Although it retained most of its armor, there were not enough infantry units because of the defensive needs in the East. When the relief force was unable to penetrate the Allied lines, he decided to break through the Allied lines and return to the German lines on 23 December. • Zu Beginn des 2. In the context of Patton's and Montgomery's well-known antipathy, Montgomery's failure to mention the contribution of any American general besides Eisenhower was seen as insulting. Due to the news blackout imposed on the 16th, the change of leadership to Montgomery did not become public information until SHAEF announced that the change in command had "absolutely nothing to do with failure on the part of the three American generals". He entrusted them with carrying out his decisive counterattack. Dupuy, p. 501. [23], The speed of the Allied advance coupled with an initial lack of deep-water ports presented the Allies with enormous supply problems. [87], For Operation Greif ("Griffin"), Otto Skorzeny successfully infiltrated a small part of his battalion of English-speaking Germans disguised in American uniforms behind the Allied lines. [150], At Bletchley Park, F. L. Lucas and Peter Calvocoressi of Hut 3 were tasked by General Nye (as part of the enquiry set up by the Chiefs of Staff) with writing a report on the lessons to be learned from the handling of pre-battle Ultra. [31], Hitler felt that his mobile reserves allowed him to mount one major offensive. He gave some priority to Montgomery's northern forces. Most of the units committed to the offensive reached their jump off points undetected. In the south, Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks. The narrow corridor caused considerable difficulties, as constant flanking attacks threatened the division. Their job was to go behind American lines and change signposts, misdirect traffic, generally cause disruption and seize bridges across the Meuse River. Ballauf und Schenk ermitteln. These agents were tasked with using an existing Nazi intelligence network to bribe rail and port workers to disrupt Allied supply operations. This included SS-Gruppenführer (Major General) Kurt Meyer, commander of the 12th SS Panzer (Armor) Division, captured by Belgian partisans on 6 September 1944. The amount lost in arms and equipment, of course, was very substantial. The song will still be listed as "Die Wacht Am Rhein (Heia Safari Version)" in the music player, but that's not a big problem. After turning to other pressing issues, his staff reminded him that they should reply to the German demand. The temperature during that January was extremely low, which required weapons to be maintained and truck engines run every half-hour to prevent their oil from congealing. [159], Five copies of a report by "C" (Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service), Indications of the German Offensive of December 1944, derived from ULTRA material, submitted to DMI, were issued on 28 December 1944.