Battle Of Elsenborn Ridge Essay

The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge was a definitive, but effortful, victory of the Battle of the Bulge. On the 16th of December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge officially commenced on Belgian grounds (Cole 331). Among its many, devastating battles, the Battle of Elsenborn Ridge remains the most compelling, due to the unwavering resilience of American forces. American artillery in this battle arose with relative force, effectively withstanding and deflecting German forces. Victory, in the Battle of the Bulge, eluded American forces until the fateful Battle of Elsenborn Ridge. This was due, primarily, to the adaptive repurposing of existing weaponry, and other timely innovations. The Americans established a rigid defensive line at Elsenborn Ridge,

Proximity fuses were a fixture in this battle, propelling the course of attacks against the German soldiers. These technologies were in the process of refinement and development by this time. However, the utilization of these fuses proved most successful in deflecting the onslaught of German artillery. The use of this artillery was a definitive milestone that distinguished American forces even further. The U.S. Commander of the 406th US Artillery Group knew a difficult decision loomed before him (Cole 132). While many technical obstacles were associated with this artillery, it marked an exceptional milestone in scientific innovation, with regard to battle artillery. The proximity fuse would function as follows. Essentially, it would detonate shortly before ascending to its target (Mitcham 146). Hence, contrary to traditional contact fuses employed in prior battles, this one harbored a myriad of advantages, including its timed and regulated detonation. Contact fuses were merely operational upon the physical convergence with its targets, thus subjecting it to serious limitations (Zaloga 87). Hover, the proximity fuse could detonate even in the absence of physical contact in battle. Hence, archaic fuses face notable challenges when targeting aircraft systems. Conversely, the use of proximity fuses in this battle suppressed even heavily trained German

These Soldiers played an indispensable role in this context. Forward observers are defined as those who direct artillery fire in battle (Cole p.495). Without these fire direction systems, American artillery would have faltered in the course of German attacks. American observers were essentially able to summon heavy fire onto their targets, utilizing a composite corps and divisional fire, along with mortar fire while calling in fire on their own location (Cole 495). The German commander gave a scathing and critical recount of American artillery in this war, characterizing these methods as systematic and excessive. However, these fire systems provide highly efficient and contributed the victory at Elsenborn Ridge (Cole 495). Much of their success was contingent on the methodological forward observers who used artillery as required. The men who partook in these defensive and offensive tactics were equally as crucial to the victory as the artillery used. Another salient piece of artillery summoned in this battle was known as the P 47 Thunderbolt fighter bombers (Gooderson 210). These were essentially airborne tanks, which operationalized advantages of both an aircraft and ground artillery. These weapons were designed to successfully destabilize German armored vehicles. However, the weather proved to be a