Battle of the Bulge

I am pretty certain that the information above includes include ALL causalities .. .wounded, captured, missing, perished. The actual number who died appears to be significantly lower.

The Battle of the Bulge was just that---the Germans penetrated through the Allied lines and made a bulge in the lines. So the bulge covered a lot of territory. However, the most noted battle was at Bastogne, Belgium, where the Allies were surrounded for several days. Othe notable cities involved are Foy and Noville The Battle of the Bulge was fought in an area of Belgium known as the Ardenne, and fighting took place in several towns and villages. Not in any one particular city.

Rather than a city, the Battle of the Bulge raged mostly across the Ardennes Forest area on the German/Belgium border. The attack was the last large German offensive movement of WW-II, pushing across a front of some 85 miles.

Harold was a foot soldier so he couldn't control his soldiers. Please note that all the English fought on foot, horses were used to get to the battle and were not used by them in it.

His men ran after the enemy when they faked retreat, and broke the shield wall - which was until then protecting them extremely well!

When the shield wall broke and Harold's army ran straight ahead, the Normans split into two columns. These then closed on Harold's army. That is called an envelopment.

Harold's men were not only tired from marching up and then down the country again after taking on and defeating Harald Hardrada but they were also disaffected (fed up) with the terms of their involvement - many of them were not career soldiers but ordinary farm folk who had been rounded up and pressed into Harold's army in leiu of taxes (which he apparently then made them pay anyway). Those that were not killed during the Battle of Stamford Bridge with the Norse King (Harald Hadraada) had marched nearly 250 miles in a couple of days - perhaps if Harold had waited for his men to recover or if he had been a better tactitian he may have been luckier but maybe it was just down to that... luck.

1. Political,

2. Economic.

All of the possibilities fit into one (or both) of these two categories. For example:

1. Freedom from oppression (political)

2. Boundary disputes (political)

3. Assasination (political)

4. Resources (economic)

5. Poverty (economic)

6. Boundary disputes, again (economic)

There were thousands on both sides that lost their lives.

You would have to take an Order of Battle - a list of all units that were involved - and go to the National Archives and research the files of each unit, looking at morning reports of each sub-unit, reports of the medical units, graves registration reports, to compile such a list. This would be a tremendously daunting task, a very great amount of work, which is probably why no one has ever done it.
There were over 10,000 US troops killed in the month-long battle. I have never known of any comprehensive list of their names. The men killed were from many different units, and each unit keeps up with its own rosters.

it was 3 exactly Patton,Eisenhower and Anthony McAuliffe (the commander of 101st Airborne Div in the Bulge) but there was also other Generals but I dont know they names =)

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some that you missed are Omar Bradly (12th army) and Courtney Hodges (1st army)

It is of interest to note that while the action of the 101st was important the battle was really decided by the actions of regular soldiers 2ID and 99ID on the northern shoulder of the bulge.

It was the failed, last-ditch German offensive
the significance was that Hitler was planning to take Antwerp spliting the allied forces and was the last offense the Germans made. It began on December 16, 1944 and lasted for one month. At first the Gemans were making good progress but at the town of Bastogne the 101st airborne held the town until Genreal Gerorge S. Patton saved the town with his 3rd Army. Overall the German offense ended on January 16th, 1945 with 84000 German causalties and 89,500 American casualties. So pretty much Hitler failed to capture antwerp and force the Allies to neoigate.
In World War II, the Battle of the Bulge was significant for two reasons. First, it used up the last remaining military resources of Germany, which led to quicker victory on the part of the Allies. Second, taking place on the western front, it allowed Soviet troops to gain more ground in the east than would otherwise have been possible before the war's end. These gains led to greater Soviet domination in post-war Europe and may also be seen as a primary cause of the Cold War.

It was also significant because General Eisenhower failed to have his forces positioned properly to prevent this German counter attack. If this battle was lost by the Allies, their supply lines in Beligium would be threatened.

It was also a wake up call for allied intelligence groups who ignored the warning signs that a German counter offensive was in the making. By being a surprise, many allied soldiers were needlessly killed. The counter attack was the result of the Germans having no alternative. The allies won the battle mostly due the clearing weather, allowing allied air forces to bomb German positions.

The Battle of the Bulge was not a single battle, but a major push (the Ardennes Offensive) by the German army during the last winter of World War II. Facing Allied advances across a wide front, Hitler ordered a concentrated attack to drive toward the Dutch port of Antwerp through the Ardennes Forest. It was the last major German offensive of the war.

In December, 1944 the Germans attacked a weak area of the allied lines. Their intention was to break through, split the American and British armies, and capture Antwerp, Belgium thus cutting off the British from supplies and reinforcements. They hoped to force the evacuation or surrender of the British forces and that that would force America to make peace. They would then have been able to turn all their strength to defending against the Russians. It didn't work though. The allied lines held, although they were pushed back in a broad semicircle, or bulge, in the line, hence the name of the battle.

The main thrust of the offensive was a two-pronged Panzer attack on the weak points of the Allied lines. It is also noted for the German deception of using captured US vehicles and uniforms to infiltrate the American lines.

*(see also the related links below)

Aspects of the Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of The Bulge was a battle fought in Belgium, across the Siegfried Line. It was the battle right after the Americans took the Hürgenwald (Huertgen Forest). The battle is most recognized from two perspectives: the 101st Airborne surrounded in Bastogne, and the 1st Infantry Division pressing the Germans back up through the Bulge. It was a great long series of battles and operations. Some of the more notable would be

- Operation Stösser, where the Germans attempted to drop Fallschrimjäger paratroopers into an area outside of the Allied Lines

- Operation Greif where the Germans were able to send a single man behind Allied Lines and steal a great deal of gold

- The Malmedy Massacre, where 84 American prisoners were executed by the Germans.

The Siege of Bastogne

While in Bastogne, the 101st Airborne became encircled when the Germans hit their lines behind them, and captured a number of American doctors and medics, as well as killing many soldiers. One of the most famous quotes of the war was uttered by acting 101st Division Commander, General Arthur McAuliffe. When the Germans had encircled the Americans, the German commander sent them a letter asking for their honorable surrender, to which McAuliffe replied "NUTS!" This gave the members of the 101st a good laugh. Eventually, General Patton's Third Army charged through and rescued the 101st, even though no member of the division had ever agreed that they needed to be rescued.