Battle Of The Bulge Essay

The Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 - January 16, 1945), also known as the Ardennes Offensive was the largest battle fought between the Allied Forces and German Army on the western front during World War II. It is highly significant being the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army with almost 610,000 soldiers involved and the army suffering 89,500 casualties; the highest in any operation during the entire war.1 Codenamed Operation “Autumn Mist”, the German offensive involved 450,000 soldiers, 1,500 tanks, tank destroyers, and assault guns.2 The aim was to seize Antwerp’s port from the Allies and to split their armies; allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied Armies. The Germans managed to create a 50 miles wide and 70 miles deep bulge in the American lines, thus the battle’s poetic name. However, it did not yield the intended

Patton knew what he had asked from his men who were marching non-stop in dead winter and he understood his professional responsibility of having to gain their trust. He once said, “Do everything you ask of those you command.”6, and for this reason he led his troops by personal example. Throughout the offensive, he was never found far away from the front. He would spend evenings with his staff deliberating on planning details and guiding them, while in mornings he would be marching with the leading troops on ground or riding a tank and leading the column. John S. D. Eisenhower in his book “The Bitter Woods - The Battle of the Bulge” states that this was the battle which showed Gen. Patton’s character of dedicated professionalism. For with all his foibles, his love for extravagant uniforms, his adoration of military discipline and his emotional personality, the reality was that he breathed army twenty-four hours a day and he knew his business.7 Aside other principles of mission command, the shared mutual trust with his men helped Gen. Patton turn the tide against the enemy and win a historical