Battle of the Bulge - Essay Example

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge was the last attempt for success by Hitler against the allied forces during the Second World War. It was started in Belgium forests by Germany on 16 December 1944 and ended on 25 January 1945. The intention of this war was to split the British and American allied forces in half and to capture some of the Belgium’s territories. It was happened towards the end of WW2 in order to force Western powers to sign a peace treaty in favor of Germany. The Battle of the Bulge was planned in extreme secrecy and most of the activities for the preparation of the war conducted during night time only.

Even though Western powers expected a major strike from Germany towards the end of WW2, they were unaware about the timing, location and the strategies of the German attack. This paper analyses the importance of Battle of the Bulge in the rest of the Second World War. Hitler was able to create some panic in the enemy camp during the initial periods of Battle of Bulge because of his unexpected war tactics and strategies. “On Christmas Eve, the Allies experienced the first ever attack by jet bombers.

Sixteen German Me-262’s attacked rail yards in an attempt to upset the ability of the Allies to supply themselves” (The Battle of the Bulge). However, Hitler could not sustain the advantages gained by his troops because of the shortage of fuel for filling his jet bombers. After surviving the initial shock, Americans started the counter attack immediately using their air power. In fact Battle of Bulge was the largest battle fought by the Americans during the entire period of Second World War.

It was estimated that more than 600000 American soldiers took part in this battle. Both the Americans and the Germans suffered major casualties during this war. Around 81000 Americans and 100000 Germans lost their lives in this battle. On 17 December 1944, an American battalion was captured by German SS troops between the towns of Malmedy and Ligneuville, Belgium. The prisoners were forced to line up in a field, and kept under a light guard. It is not certain why, but the German SS opened fire on the American POW’s in the field.

Eighty-six men were killed by the gunfire and their bodies were left where they fell (Background of the Battle of the Bulge, p.3) The reason why Germans conducted such a mass massacre against America is still unknown. However, it is evident that this massacre forced America to fight against Germany using all their capabilities. Battle of Bulge was conducted without proper planning and vision. It was the one of the coldest winter happening in Europe during that period and Hitler calculated that he could use such weather for gaining advantages in this war.

However, the weather cleared immediately after the beginning of this war. Moreover, it was evident that the German fighter planes and other military vehicles need continuous supply of fuel in order to maintain their supremacy in the battle. However, Hitler went ahead with this battle in order to gain some supremacy in the negotiation process for ending WW2. To conclude, Battle of Bulge was a last attempt made by Hitler to win WW2. However, lack of resources and unexpected weather changes forced Hitler to suffer huge defeat and to agree for the negotiation process to end WW2.

Works Cited 1. “Background of the Battle of the Bulge”. Web. 20 June 2011. 2. “The Battle of the Bulge”. Web. 20 June 2011.