Photos from the Battle of the Bulge
http://life.time.com/history/battle-of-the-bulge-photos-from-hitlers-last-gamble-1944-1945/?iid=lf|latest#1
Some of these have never been published before. I've always thought that this was the most interesting battle on the Western Front. Very unique. A total failure of Allied intelligence and reconaissance, local German air superiority, a mid-Winter paratroop drop, frogman commandos (in a near-frozen river), some of the best units in the German army, including the Panzer Lehr division, and four top of the line waffen ss divisions, an entire brigade (the 150th) of troops masquerading as Americans in captured vehicles, and the infamous English speaking squads sent out to disrupt the rear areas and the emergency dividing of commands on the Allied sides, with American divisions serving under British direction, etc.
But despite the early failures to detect the coming offensive, it showed that the Yanks could take a hit, and come right back at you. It was a bulge, never a breakthrough. Not only was the prime objective never reached - they didn't get close. And the defense and counter attacks showed near-miraculous command and control, particularly in logistics. Combined with heroism, grit and ingenuity, it turned the nazis secret plans into a defeat that actually ended up destroying their strategic reserve and reduced the war by a probable period of months.
Some of these have never been published before. I've always thought that this was the most interesting battle on the Western Front. Very unique. A total failure of Allied intelligence and reconaissance, local German air superiority, a mid-Winter paratroop drop, frogman commandos (in a near-frozen river), some of the best units in the German army, including the Panzer Lehr division, and four top of the line waffen ss divisions, an entire brigade (the 150th) of troops masquerading as Americans in captured vehicles, and the infamous English speaking squads sent out to disrupt the rear areas and the emergency dividing of commands on the Allied sides, with American divisions serving under British direction, etc.
But despite the early failures to detect the coming offensive, it showed that the Yanks could take a hit, and come right back at you. It was a bulge, never a breakthrough. Not only was the prime objective never reached - they didn't get close. And the defense and counter attacks showed near-miraculous command and control, particularly in logistics. Combined with heroism, grit and ingenuity, it turned the nazis secret plans into a defeat that actually ended up destroying their strategic reserve and reduced the war by a probable period of months.
posted by mendip at
1:33 PM
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