Battle Of The Bulge Research Papers

In late 1944, after the successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, things were looking up for the Allies. To gain an advantage, German forces had to plan fast. On December 16, 1944, they launched a counteroffensive on the Allies. This event is remembered as “Battle of the Bulge.” Captured here is a GI leading a file of American prisoners that were captured from this ambush. This photo reveals how the ambush affected the war and those involved. (“Battle of the Bulge,” army.mil) In this photo, the fate of some Americans is revealed. Based on this photo, I believe the Allies were now losing the war, because these men were imprisoned. Research shows that the loss was only temporary. The Germans planned to travel across the Meuse River, onto Antwerp, intending to trap the Allies within a week. They were to take the Allies’ fuel depots to keep their tanks going. However, the Allies started to fight back, hindering the Germans’ progress. Allied counter-attacks became so frequent to where the Germans failed to capture any oil, and barely made to the Meuse within the given time. (“Defeat of Hitler”)

The imprisonment of these men helped the Axis Powers, particularly Germany. The Germans’ goal was to cut through the Allied forces to prevail in the war. (“Battle of the Bulge,” Army.mil) The imprisonment of Allies meant Germany was finding success. The Germans’ success hurt the Allied Powers. Germans killed 72 soldiers, 80,000 GIs were either captured, killed, or wounded, and at least 7,500 Americans from the 106th infantry division were capitulated. (“Battle of the Bulge,” History.com) Men from this division were also captured, such as Ray Westort. (Webster) I believe these pictured could be among the 7,500 who