Considering this, Eisenhower sent some of the best American troops to the town he knew they would have to give their best if the Allies held Bastogne. Due to heavy rainfall before the German attack, only one road could be used as a crossing point.Īt this point, the Allies realized that they couldn’t afford to lose Bastogne, they had already lost some lines during previous battles, and if they were to lose Bastogne, the Germans could keep advancing. Because the troops weren’t wide enough to sustain an even battle line, their attention was on the four roads. He planned to attack a 7-mile (11 km) line using three divisions the Allied forces were mostly in small groups located at big villages with outposts at the river. The responsibility of capturing Bastogne was in the hands of Heinrich Freiherr von Luttwitz.

Infantry of relief force near Bastogne, December 1944. Because of the terrain layout in the area, the Allied command believed that there couldn’t be a big-scale attack in this area. Bastogne, a strategically important city in the region, was protected by the 28th Infantry Division which was assigned to this relatively peaceful area after constantly fighting in its previous assignment. In the weeks leading up to the Battle of Bastogne, the Allied command expected an attack from anywhere but the Ardennes. On the other hand, the Allied commanders didn’t consider that the Germans would launch an attack from the Ardennes because of the terrain, which wasn’t suitable for a large-scale attack. Despite protests from some of his commanders, the plan was set to launch on 16 December 1944. The plan was for 55 divisions to perform a surprise attack to cross the Meuse River and capture Antwerp. Hitler developed a plan to attack Allied troops near Belgium. The city of Antwerp was notable for its port and was captured during the push by winter, the Allies controlled the German territory near Aachen. Battle of Bastogne VideoĪfter the Invasion of Normandy and the push to France afterward, the Allies extended their lines from Nijmegen to the neutral Swiss. Allies: 3,000+ total casualties (2,000+ from the 101st Airborne)īattle of Bastogne Map Bastogne, Belgium Map december 19-23, 1944.Total: All or parts of 7 German Divisions.Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (XLVII Panzer Corps).Creighton Abrams (US)(37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division).Roberts (US)(Combat Command B (CCB), 10th Armored Division) Anthony McAuliffe (US) (101st Airborne Division).General McAulifee’s Famous Bastogne Quote.

Ww2 tank battle