The Battle of the Bulge was a surprise German offensive that took place between Trier and Monschau in late 1944 to early 1945. The battle was a surprise offensive by the Germans and is also known as the Von Rundstedt Offensive or the Ardennes Offensive. It took place in the thick, wooded area of the Ardennes Forest region stretching from southern Belgium, Luxembourg, and into Germany. Interactive Timeline. This interactive timeline depicts the key events of 'The Battle of the Bulge' which took place in northern France over the course of December 16, 1944 to January 18, 1945 as told through the daily situation maps made for the US Military VIII Corps.

Map by Petho Cartography. Click to enlarge.Field Marshal Walther Model’s Army Group B would be responsible for the attack. His forces included Generaloberst Josef “Sepp” Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army, the largest and best equipped of the three striking armies, which was to drive northward, quickly cross the Meuse River and capture Amsterdam before the surprised Allies could regroup. Directly to the south of this force General der Panzertruppen Hosso-Eccard von Manteufel’s Fifth Panzer Army would push west in support of Dietrich’s attack. General der Panzertruppen Erich Brandenburger’s Seventh Army would protect the southern flank. The build-up was given the defensive-sounding codename Watch on the Rhine. Strict security measures included no radio communication to prevent Allied radio intercepts.On the opposite side, Supreme Allied Commander was planning major operations in the northern and southern sectors of the front.

Accordingly, the center, where the German attack was to fall, was the weakest part of the line. The American VIII Corps, under Major General Troy Middleton, consisted of the 4th, 28th, and 106th infantry divisions, most of the 9th Armored Division, and the two-squadron 14th Cavalry group. The 106th Infantry and 9th Armored were green units, untested in combat. The 4th and 28th had suffered high numbers of casualties during operations in the Hurtgen Forest and were receiving thousands of inexperienced replacements.

This small, largely untried force had been assigned an 80-mile-long front; normally, a corps would be defending an area only about one-third that length. Elsenborn Ridge and St. VithThe German attack achieved the desired surprise but often encountered unexpectedly tough resistance. Their timetable did not allow for delays, but time and again the Americans slowed the enemy advance.The road network in the Ardennes was narrow and rough.

A key road for Sixth Panzer Army’s advance ran parallel to a stretch of high ground called. Along this ridge, ad-hoc groups of tanks, tank destroyers and dug-in infantry stubbornly resisted. General Eisenhower, immediately realizing his men were facing a major attack in the Ardennes rushed artillery to support the ridge. The firepower from their guns left the narrow roads choked with wrecked vehicles, in addition to those that broke down on their own from mechanical failure. After 10 days of intense fighting, Sixth Panzer Army abandoned its attempts to cross Elsenborn Ridge and sought other routes.Many villages saw intense fighting. Because of the road situation, towns where several roads converged were critically important; one such town south of Elsenborn Ridge was St.

Vith, Belgium. Vith and nearby. Panzerjager IV of the 1st SS Division advancing.

(National Archives)towns, Fifth Panzer Army encountered stiff resistance; on the first day of the German offensive Eisenhower had ordered the 7th Armored Division to St. Vith to support 106th Infantry units. The narrow roads, ice, snow and mud prevented the Germans from massing their superior armor. Vith pocket held until December 21 when, in danger of being encircled, the defenders withdrew. Their determined stand had thrown another monkey wrench into the German timetable. It bought time for the 82nd Airborne Division to set up strong defensive positions west of the town that blunted the enemy’s advance and temporarily pushed the attackers back across the Ambleve River.

One chance lyrics. Didn't mean to poke another,Just to save myselfFrom some something something or another one.Well walk home.I'm just a box in a cage. I'm just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box in a cage.Didn't mean to laugh, didn't know I had.Didn't know the better part of what you said'cause in your head you are not home.Didn't get the joke. Modest mouse - One ChanceAlbum: Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)We have one chance.One chance to get everything right.We have one chance, one chance.And if we're lucky we might.My friends, my habits, my family,They mean so much to me.I just don't think that it's right.I've seen so many ships sail in,Just to head back out again and go off sinking.I'm just a box in a cage. I'm just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box, just a box in a cage.I'm just a box in a cage.We have one chance,One chance to get everything right.My friends, my habits, my family,They mean so much to me.I just don't think that it's right.I've seen so many ships sail in,Just to head back out again and go off sinking.

During the course of their engagements some units of the 82nd Airborne suffered over 80% casualties—the 509th Battalion reportedly took over 90% casualties—with most losses coming during the Allied counteroffensive that began in January. BastogneTo the west and south of St. Vith another crossroads town became the focus of intense fighting. When Eisenhower ordered the 7th Armored to St. Vith he also ordered the 10th Armored Division to Bastogne. It joined the 9th Armored, several artillery battalions, and infantrymen defending Bastogne and the small towns around it. On the 18th, the 705 Tank Destroyer Battalion arrived, and on the 19th the 101st Airborne.

By the 20th the town was encircled by the advancing enemy, and on the 22nd, four Germans arrived with an ultimatum: surrender or heavy artillery will begin firing on the town. Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe sent them back to their commander with a one-word reply: “Nuts.” The artillery had already moved farther west, however, so the barrage was not forthcoming, though the Luftwaffe bombed the village by night.On December 26, Bastogne’s defenders received a belated Christmas present: Lieutenant Charles P. Boggess with a few M4 Sherman tanks fought his way into Bastogne from the south. They were the lead element of a relief force from Lieutenant General ‘s Third Army. When Patton struck with three divisions the following day, the German ring around Bastogne was broken.

End of the Battle of the BulgeBy this time, the Nazi offensive was running out of fuel, literally and figuratively. The Germans had waited for bad winter weather to launch their attack, to diminish the ability of Allied aircraft to support the ground troops. The weather also slowed the German advance, however, and this, the narrow roads and stubborn resistance wrecked their timetable. Improving weather conditions allowed Allied planes to take to the skies again and support the counterattacks that began pushing back the Germans. Despite a Luftwaffe offensive in Holland and a second on January 1, the Third Reich could not regain the initiative.

The Battle of the Bulge is officially considered to have ended January 16, exactly one month after it began, although fighting continued for some time beyond that date. By early February, the front lines had returned to their positions of December 16.