General George S. Patton's The Battle Of The Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge is regarded as one of the hardest fought battles of the Second World War. Formally known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, it was fought in the forested Ardennes regions of Belgium, France and Luxembourg. The offensive began with Hitler’s assault against the Allied Western front line on December 16, 1944. The duration of fighting took place in the bitter cold of the Rhine winter, and ended with Allied victory on January 25, 1945. Over the course of the battle, nearly 500,000 German soldiers were deployed, as well as 600,000 Allied troops. Of those posted, nearly 120,000 German casualties were ensued, compared to 77,000 Allies. The Nazi’s dismal failure of Hitler’s offensive can be attributed to great aid of General George

Hence, Patton’s Third Army provided the spearhead of Allied counter offence in the Battle of the Bulge, solidifying the Allies success in cutting off the Germans in the Ardennes, and defeating Hitlers last major offensive of the war. In order to understand the military genius that was General George S. Patton Jr., one has to comprehend the complicated character he truly was. From a young age, Patton believed he was destined to become a great military leader, and he shaped his professional career in this

Totalling a 400 mile Western front, there were 63 separate Allied divisions deployed the length, and nearly 40 of those divisions were American. The Twelve U.S Army group, under command of General Omar Bradley, led three Armies; the First, Ninth, and Third, and between them held 230 miles of the 400 mile front. The Third Army, under command of General Patton, was fighting a 100 mile front with 10 divisions South of the Ardennes, and was preparing to break through the Siegfried line and into the Saar. In the North, General Hodges First army was spread across a 115 mile front in the Ardennes region and North to Aachen, preparing for the Rhineland campaign. In the Ardennes, Bradley and Hodges had placed the First Army’s overextended 8th corps as the regions defence; they along with most of Allied command felt the Germans couldn't muster the strength to launch a counteroffensive in the dead of Winter. Unlike other Allied commanders, Patton believed the Germans could still launch a spoiling attack; this attributed from his heavy reliance and interest upon enemy intelligence. Upon news of Hitler’s offensive reaching Patton on the 16th of December, General Bradley ordered Patton's 10th Armoured Division to Hodges First Army to aid in repelling large German assaults. Patton was then summoned to Verdun for a meeting of all Allied commanders. During this meeting, Supreme Allied