Ardennes Operation of 1944–45

Ardennes Operation of 1944–45 

the offensive of the fascist German troops on the Western Front in the region of the Ardennes in southwest Belgium from December 1944 to January 1945. At the end of 1944 fascist Germany was gripped in a vise between the east and the west. Germany’s military, economic, and international situation had badly deteriorated. The objective of the Ardennes operation was to attack Antwerp via the Ardennes with 25 divisions (including seven tank divisions), to rout the British and American forces in Belgium and the Netherlands, and to change the course of the war in Germany’s favor. The expectations of Hitler’s generals for a turning point in the war were founded on their hopes for a split in the coalition against Hitler and for a possible change in the policy of the Western powers. The German offensive began Dec. 16, 1944, with the forces of the Sixth Tank Army of the SS, the Fifth Tank Army, and the Seventh Field Army, all of which were united in Army Group B under Field Marshal W. Model. Four American divisions (from the ranks of the American First Army from the Allied Twelfth Army Group under General O. Bradley), defending themselves along a 115-km front, were taken by surprise. Suffering severe losses, they retreated in panic. By Dec. 26, 1944, the fascist German troops had advanced to a depth of 90 km. The Allied command quickly threw great numbers of troops and airplanes into the gap. Beginning on Dec. 22, 1944, the American Third Army counterattacked successfully at Bastogne. The fascist German offensive was stopped. On Jan. 1, 1945, the fascist German troops launched an offensive in the region of Strasbourg with the objective of diverting the Allied forces. Although the Allies succeeded in stopping the Germans, the situation on the Western Front at the beginning of January remained tense. On Jan. 6, 1945, England’s prime minister Churchill turned to the Soviet government for help. True to its obligations as an ally, the USSR came to the aid of the USA and England. On Jan. 12, 1945, eight days earlier than the date agreed upon, Soviet troops took the offensive in East Prussia and Poland. The fascist German command was forced to give up further attempts at an offensive in the west and to begin the transfer of troops to the Soviet -German front (from Jan. 12 to Jan. 31, 1945, seven divisions were transferred). By the end of January 1945 the Allies had restored the situation on the Western Front. The Allied losses (killed, wounded, and missing-in-action) in this operation were about 77,000 men; German losses were about 93,000 men.

REFERENCES

Vtoraia mirovaia voina, 1939–1945. Moscow, 1958.
Rokovye resheniia. Moscow, 1958. (Translated from English.)
Merriam, R. E. Dark December. Chicago, 1947.

I. E. ZAITSEV