Battle Of The Bulge Essay

1148 Words5 Pages

The Battle of the Bulge was one of the most monumental battles, not only in American history, but for all of World War II. Lasting slightly longer than a month, the American and Allied forces faced some of the greatest odds of the entire war with regard to personnel and equipment. Great improvements to the cannons had to be made in order for each side to stay relevant throughout the entire war. Outnumbered and out supplied, the Allied troops dug in tight attempting to keep position within the German homeland. The soldiers battling in Europe did so bravely, and this stand would prove to be invaluable in the remaining months of the war.
Prior to the start of World War II, the United States’ main artillery arsenal consisted mostly of 75-millimeter …show more content…

The United States decided to equip its artillerymen with cannons used by the French in World War I (99th Infantry Division Association, 2004). Immediately after receiving these guns from the French, multiple problems arose - multiple personnel in the artillery ranks reported deficiencies or issues with the French cannons. Because of these issues the United States Field Artillery School at Fort Sill Oklahoma took control of implementing a standard for the U.S. Field Artillery and its cannons (99th Infantry Division Association, 2004). An ultimate decision was made to replace all of the foreign pieces with redesigned American weapons with the new 105-millimeter howitzers quickly becoming the main divisional artillery piece due to their accurate firing ability, longer maximum range, and ease of mobility throughout the terrain (99th Infantry Division Association, 2004). The 105-millimeter howitzer would eventually be the cannon that the United States would implement in the Battle of the Bulge (99th Infantry Division Association, 2004). The Germans at this time had also developed artillery, which was also widely considered to be innovative and technologically advanced for the time showing similar statistics to that of the Americans (99th Infantry Division Association, 2004). In