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Step back into the frozen Ardennes of December 1944 – the last great German offensive of World War II. In this video, we uncover what really happened when Hitler’s feared 1st SS Panzer Division clashed with General Patton’s elite American forces during the Battle of the Bulge.
👉 Discover the brutal conditions, shocking strategies, and the turning points that decided the fate of one of history’s bloodiest winter battles.
This is more than just history – it’s the story of courage, desperation, and survival when two of the world’s most elite forces met on the battlefield.
📌 Topics Covered:
The Ardennes Offensive explained
Hitler’s 1st SS Panzer Division tactics
Patton’s rapid counterattack
How the battle changed World War II
If you’re passionate about WWII history, military strategy, and epic battles, make sure to subscribe for more!
#WWII #BattleOfTheBulge #Patton #History
👉 Discover the brutal conditions, shocking strategies, and the turning points that decided the fate of one of history’s bloodiest winter battles.
This is more than just history – it’s the story of courage, desperation, and survival when two of the world’s most elite forces met on the battlefield.
📌 Topics Covered:
The Ardennes Offensive explained
Hitler’s 1st SS Panzer Division tactics
Patton’s rapid counterattack
How the battle changed World War II
If you’re passionate about WWII history, military strategy, and epic battles, make sure to subscribe for more!
#WWII #BattleOfTheBulge #Patton #History
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LearningTranscript
00:00By the end of 1944, after a series of military defeats on both fronts,
00:10the Third Reich found itself on the defensive, both in the east and in the west.
00:15Faced with this situation, Adolf Hitler concluded that it was necessary to change strategy
00:20and go on the offensive in an attempt to alter the course of the war.
00:25The top priority was, without a doubt, the Western Front,
00:28since the alliance between the Western powers and the Soviet Union was rapidly weakening.
00:34A rupture in this coalition could change the course of events,
00:38and the area chosen for this attack was a region located between Belgium and Luxembourg,
00:42known as the Ardennes.
00:45Hitler's plan for the Ardennes was extremely bold.
00:48The strategy consisted of mobilizing an impressive army,
00:51made up of around 45 divisions positioned behind the Siegfried Line,
00:55which protected the German border,
00:58and launching them against the American lines along the course of the Meuse River,
01:02with the goal of reaching the port of Antwerp.
01:04If the First U.S. Army were defeated or forced to retreat,
01:08the next step would be to isolate the British Second Army in the north,
01:11in the border area with the Netherlands,
01:14trapping them in a pocket from which they could only escape by retreating toward the sea,
01:18just as had happened during the invasion of France in 1940.
01:21If the offensive succeeded, it was believed that Germany would gain the necessary time
01:27to produce its so-called secret weapons, which could lead to final victory.
01:32More importantly, it was expected that the Allies' defeat in the Ardennes
01:36would force them to reconsider their alliance with the Soviet Union,
01:40as a collapse in this region would mean that the Red Army could advance into Western Europe,
01:45something neither London nor Washington was willing to allow.
01:48Almost none of the German army generals considered an offensive in the Ardennes feasible,
01:54recognizing that it was a disproportionate idea driven by Hitler's fantasies,
01:58who had been at the head of the Third Reich for years
02:01and showed clear signs of moral exhaustion.
02:04Fearing that his officers might openly oppose the project,
02:08Hitler devised a cunning plan to ensure their compliance.
02:11On the night of December 11th,
02:13he summoned the High Command to a secret meeting in an isolated area near Frankfurt.
02:18Upon arrival, the generals were shocked to be searched and stripped of their weapons by SS men,
02:23who then loaded them onto a bus with covered windows.
02:27The vehicle took several turns to disorient them
02:29before quickly bringing them to Ziegenburg Castle,
02:32where they were led to a basement with no understanding of what was happening.
02:36Once in the basement, the generals were forced to sit in chairs
02:40while an SS guard watched over them with his pistol at the ready.
02:44At that moment, a door opened and Hitler entered smiling, with a confident attitude.
02:49He began explaining his offensive plan for the Ardennes with great enthusiasm,
02:53praising the brilliance of his own strategy.
02:56The generals, humiliated and terrified by the situation,
03:00had no choice but to nod and accept his words,
03:03knowing that their survival depended on it.
03:05They could not risk opposing the Fuhrer.
03:08At the end of his speech,
03:09Hitler demanded that the generals sign a document
03:11confirming their support and participation in the offensive he was preparing.
03:16It was in this unusual and coercive manner
03:19that the planning of what would become Germany's last major offensive of World War II was carried out,
03:25an offensive that many knew was nearly impossible,
03:28but which they were forced to support due to pressure and fear.
03:32To carry out the ambitious offensive on the Western Front,
03:34the German High Command had to face a considerable logistical challenge.
03:39The decision to concentrate forces in the Ardennes required diverting troops and resources from the Eastern Front,
03:45which meant withdrawing entire divisions.
03:48In early December 1944, thousands of soldiers and military equipment began moving toward the German-Belgian border.
03:55With an impressive deployment of more than 10,000 railway wagons used to transport troops and material,
04:01the movement was conducted under strict secrecy, with extreme security measures,
04:06such as the use of messengers to avoid message interception and the nighttime transport of tanks to evade aerial reconnaissance.
04:13Even patrol flights were suspended, allowing the Allies to remain unaware of the concentration of German forces.
04:21In technological terms, the Wehrmacht was better equipped than at any other point in the war,
04:26just before the Ardennes offensive.
04:28Germany had a well-supplied army of men, armoured vehicles and aircraft, giving them a significant advantage.
04:34The armoured units, including the well-known Stugi, Panzer III, Panzer IV and Jagdpanzer,
04:42were reinforced with the formidable Tiger, Panther and the feared King Tiger tanks,
04:47considered some of the most powerful war machines of the conflict.
04:51Hitler entrusted the main effort of the offensive to his elite Waffen-SS formations.
04:55The 6th SS Panzer Army, under the command of Oberstgruppenführer Josef Sepp Dietrich,
05:01was assigned to lead the attack in the northern sector, the most critical, tasked with breaking through to Antwerp.
05:08This SS armoured army included two SS Panzer Corps and concentrated some of the Reich's most experienced and fanatical units.
05:16Within the 1st SS Panzer Corps, led by Gruppenführer Hermann Pries,
05:20were the veteran 1st SS Panzer Division Leipstandarte Adolf Hitler,
05:25and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, supported by the 3rd Parachute Division of the Luftwaffe,
05:31the 12th Volksgrenadier Division, and the Special Panzer Brigade 150.
05:36Alongside them, the 2nd SS Panzer Corps included the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich,
05:42and the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, among other supporting grenadier and Volksgrenadier units.
05:48In total, 4 SS Panzer Divisions participated in the battle,
05:53forming the core armoured spearhead of the German offensive.
05:57These SS Divisions, rebuilt and reorganised after the fighting in Normandy and the Netherlands months earlier,
06:03were redeployed from other theatres for this decisive assault,
06:07evidence of Hitler's heavy reliance on his most loyal troops.
06:10The Luftwaffe also played a key role,
06:13with aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Mi-262, the first operational jet fighter,
06:19as well as the famous BF-109 and FW-190,
06:24along with the Junkers Ju-88 and Heinkel He-111 bombers,
06:28and the terrifying Stukas, which remained effective in bombing missions.
06:32In addition to its impressive air and ground power,
06:35the Germans positioned heavy artillery in the Ardennes hills,
06:39including 88mm flak cannons and Nebelwerfer rocket launchers capable of causing massive devastation.
06:46Artillery was also deployed via Leopold armoured trains,
06:49which carried enormous long-range guns.
06:52However, what truly made the difference in terms of firepower were the V-1 and V-2 missiles,
06:58which had hidden launch ramps in the forests and represented a serious strategic threat.
07:02Moreover, innovations such as the STG-44 assault rifle,
07:08which would go on to revolutionise modern warfare,
07:11and the first night vision goggles,
07:13gave German troops an even greater advantage during night-time operations.
07:17Thus, while the Allies underestimated the scope of the offensive in the Ardennes,
07:22the Wehrmacht was preparing to launch one of the boldest attacks of the war,
07:26relying on an arsenal of new technologies and advanced warfare tactics.
07:29The plan was to break through Allied lines,
07:33seize key ports, and change the course of the war on the Western Front,
07:36all under a veil of secrecy that held until the very moment of the attack.
07:41Operation Wacht am Rhein, also known as the Battle of the Bulge,
07:45was Germany's last major attempt to shift the tide of war in the West.
07:49Originally scheduled for December 10th, 1944,
07:53the operation was delayed until the 16th of that month
07:56due to poor weather conditions that were expected to hinder Allied air operations.
08:01Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt,
08:03who had played a key role in the German victory in France in 1940,
08:08was appointed as the main commander of the offensive.
08:10Despite his experience,
08:13Rundstedt remained skeptical due to the lack of fuel,
08:16since the reserves promised by Hitler were far greater than what could actually be gathered,
08:21forcing German forces to rely on captured enemy supplies.
08:24The German attack plan involved a rapid blitzkrieg-style offensive,
08:29launched in three main columns.
08:31The first, led by General Hasso von Manteufel,
08:34targeted the central Ardennes,
08:35with the 5th Panzer Army dividing its strength into multiple armoured and infantry units.
08:41The second column, under General Josef Sepp Dietrich,
08:44would advance toward the Liège area,
08:47also using several armoured and infantry divisions,
08:50aiming to break quickly through the Allied lines.
08:53Finally, the third column, commanded by General Erich Brandenberger,
08:56would take the southern flank,
08:58advancing from Luxembourg and moving toward the Allied positions.
09:02The German offensive was carefully prepared,
09:04with an army composed of 200,000 soldiers,
09:072,000 tanks,
09:091,900 artillery pieces,
09:12and 3,000 aircraft.
09:14However, despite the magnitude of the operation,
09:17the lack of supplies and the strong Allied counterattack
09:20hampered the advance of German forces.
09:22The bad weather initially worked in Hitler's favour,
09:25allowing the offensive to take the Allies by surprise.
09:28But the shortage of fuel and the difficulty
09:31in maintaining the momentum of the attack
09:33eventually caused the German forces to stall and retreat,
09:37marking the ultimate failure of the offensive.
09:40Despite its ambition,
09:41the offensive did not achieve its strategic objectives.
09:44Allied resistance, especially that of American forces,
09:48along with the rapid arrival of reinforcements,
09:51halted the German advance,
09:53marking the beginning of the end of the war on the Western Front.
09:55The operation,
09:58though initially successful in terms of penetration,
10:01ended up being a toll failure,
10:02exhausting the last reserves of the Wehrmacht,
10:05and irreparably weakening Germany's ability
10:07to resist the Allied advance.
10:10The Ardennes,
10:11a mountainous region spanning parts of Belgium,
10:13Luxembourg, and Germany,
10:14was a difficult terrain,
10:17characterised by dense vegetation,
10:19steep hills,
10:20dark forests,
10:21deep valleys,
10:22and numerous streams,
10:23all covered in thick layers of snow during winter.
10:26In this region,
10:27the US Army was scattered,
10:29weakened,
10:29and demoralised,
10:31after suffering severe defeats
10:32in operations such as Market Garden
10:34in the Netherlands,
10:35and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
10:38Furthermore,
10:39the Allies were in a precarious logistical situation,
10:41as supplies had to travel long distances
10:44from the beaches of Normandy,
10:46across all of France and Belgium,
10:48making resupply extremely complicated.
10:51As a result of the failures suffered at Hürtgen Forest,
10:54where German forces inflicted heavy losses on the US Army,
10:58the Allies found themselves with limited resources
11:00to carry out any offensive actions.
11:03In response,
11:04Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower
11:07convened a meeting on December 7, 1944,
11:10in Maastricht.
11:11The conference included
11:12British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery,
11:15Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder,
11:17and American General Omar Nelson Bradley.
11:20The objective of the meeting
11:21was to discuss the possibility
11:23of a swift counter-offensive
11:25against the Third Reich,
11:26in order to show the public
11:27that the Allies still had the capacity
11:29to take the initiative,
11:31especially after the defeats of Autumn 1944.
11:34However,
11:35the offensive initially planned for January 1945
11:38never took place.
11:39Ironically,
11:41instead of being the attackers,
11:42the Allies became the ones under attack.
11:45In the weeks that followed,
11:47German forces under Hitler's leadership
11:49launched a surprise offensive in the Ardennes,
11:51a maneuver that completely caught the Allied forces off guard.
11:54This German attack would alter the course of events
11:58on the Western Front,
11:59testing the Allies' ability to respond
12:01to such a bold and well-coordinated strike.
12:04In the Ardennes,
12:05U.S. forces were in a vulnerable defensive position.
12:08Their deployment consisted of an irregular network
12:11of fortified outposts and trenches,
12:13some very close to German lines,
12:15increasing the risk of encirclement
12:17and shortages of supplies like ammunition and fuel.
12:21In addition,
12:22tanks were scattered in small units,
12:24making them less effective against German armor,
12:27which included superior models
12:28such as the Tiger and Panther.
12:31Although the Allies had air superiority,
12:33their technology was still inferior
12:35as they lacked jet aircraft,
12:37and fighters like the P-51 Mustang
12:39and P-47 Thunderbolt
12:41had to operate without adequate protection.
12:44The deployment of Allied forces in the Ardennes
12:46was primarily under the U.S. First Army,
12:49commanded by General Courtney Hodges
12:51with several infantry and armored divisions.
12:54General George Patton in command of the U.S. Third Army
12:57also played a crucial role in the defense,
13:00mobilizing multiple infantry and armored divisions.
13:03In addition,
13:04the British Corps was involved
13:05with infantry and paratrooper units.
13:08Although their presence was more limited
13:10compared to that of the Americans.
13:12In total,
13:13the Allies concentrated 83,000 soldiers,
13:16242 tanks,
13:18394 artillery pieces,
13:20and 1,000 aircraft in the Ardennes sector.
13:23Despite these resources,
13:25Allied forces were quickly overwhelmed
13:26by the German offensive,
13:28facing extreme conditions
13:29such as cold weather and inadequate equipment.
13:33Morale was low
13:33due to the proximity of the Christmas holidays,
13:36further affecting the soldiers' readiness.
13:39The severe cold
13:40caused numerous cases of frostbite
13:42even before the battle began,
13:44leaving the Allies even more weakened
13:46in this inhospitable terrain.
13:50December 16th,
13:51the final blow in the Ardennes.
13:53In the early morning hours of December 16th, 1944,
13:57German forces unleashed
13:59a ferocious bombardment over the Ardennes,
14:01with more than 1,500 artillery pieces
14:04firing shells across a 141-kilometer front
14:07spanning the borders of Luxembourg,
14:10Germany, and Belgium.
14:11This attack was followed
14:13by the launch of V1, V2,
14:15and Rhineboot missiles,
14:17which struck the cities of Liège and Antwerp,
14:19causing chaos and terror
14:21among the civilian population.
14:22The US v Corps,
14:25stationed at the vanguard,
14:26found itself caught in this devastating assault,
14:29with no chance of repelling the attack.
14:32Trapped under a hail of shrapnel,
14:34the soldiers took cover as best they could,
14:36digging holes into the snow
14:37to protect themselves.
14:39The situation was worsened
14:40by the exploding shells splintering trees,
14:43sending lethal wooden fragments
14:45in all directions,
14:46resulting in deadly injuries
14:47for many who couldn't escape the bombardment.
14:50A new tactical trick added to the confusion.
14:53Along the Auer River,
14:54the Germans used powerful spotlights
14:56to illuminate the low-hanging clouds,
14:59creating an artificial glow
15:00that temporarily blinded the American troops.
15:03This visual deception,
15:05lighting the sky as if it were day,
15:07served as the signal for German forces
15:09to begin their ground advance.
15:11As German lines pushed forward,
15:14120 Junkers-Ju 52 aircraft took off,
15:17loaded with paratroopers
15:19ready to carry out an airborne assault
15:20under Operation Stozer.
15:23The 3rd Parachute Division,
15:25led by General August von der Heiter,
15:27was the first to jump.
15:28However, the operation was poorly organized,
15:31and due to navigation errors,
15:32many paratroopers were scattered
15:34throughout nearby forests,
15:36some even landing as far as the Netherlands
15:38or the outskirts of Aachen.
15:41Out of the 1,200 paratroopers dropped,
15:44only around 300 managed to land
15:46near Yupan and Malmedy,
15:48creating disruptions and distractions
15:50in the American rear lines.
15:52The second wave of paratroopers,
15:54under the command of Otto Skorzenny,
15:56had more success than the first.
15:58The 150th Panzer Special Brigade,
16:01formed by elite commandos disguised
16:03in U.S. Army uniforms
16:05and equipped with Willis jeeps,
16:07trucks, and some captured tanks,
16:08infiltrated enemy lines undetected.
16:12These commandos wreaked havoc
16:13by creating confusion
16:14and sabotaging U.S. equipment.
16:17Skorzenny, with 50 men
16:18under his command that night,
16:20misled several American units
16:22by changing road signs
16:23or placing red tape
16:24to simulate minefields.
16:26Some groups captured strategic bridges
16:28over the Mews River,
16:30disrupting routes to Liège and Hue,
16:32causing an entire American column
16:34to take the wrong road.
16:36Using the same fake minefield trick,
16:37another U.S. detachment
16:39was unable to cross a tunnel
16:40near the Esco River,
16:42while near Malmedy,
16:43commandos attacked a key crossroads,
16:45severing communications.
16:47Of the 40 jeeps
16:48that managed to penetrate the rear,
16:50only eight were captured,
16:51and their occupants were executed
16:53for violating the Geneva Convention
16:55by wearing enemy uniforms.
16:58Nevertheless,
16:58the impact of these commandos
17:00was devastating for the Allies.
17:02Their infiltration
17:03caused absolute chaos.
17:05Roads quickly became clogged
17:06with traffic jams,
17:08while confused Allied troops,
17:09obsessed with capturing
17:10the supposed infiltrators,
17:12arrested hundreds of innocent soldiers.
17:15Additionally,
17:16at every checkpoint,
17:17soldiers were forced
17:18to pass tests
17:18on U.S. history
17:19and current events,
17:21all while German forces
17:22continued their relentless advance.
17:25From a psychological standpoint,
17:27the use of German commandos
17:28disguised as American soldiers
17:30was a masterstroke.
17:31That same night,
17:33Dwight Eisenhower's headquarters
17:34in Paris received confusing reports
17:36from the Ardennes.
17:38Skorzenny's units,
17:39by spreading the false belief
17:41that German commandos
17:42were attempting to assassinate
17:43Eisenhower in Paris and Versailles,
17:45successfully misled the Allies.
17:48This rumor spread rapidly,
17:50and as a precautionary measure,
17:51Eisenhower confined himself
17:53to his headquarters
17:53while thousands of American troops
17:55took up defensive positions
17:57in Versailles.
17:58As a result,
17:59Eisenhower was effectively trapped
18:01by his own men for ten days,
18:03unable to communicate properly
18:05with the front,
18:06giving the Germans
18:06a considerable strategic advantage
18:08by disrupting Allied communications.
18:12Another tactic used
18:13to distract the Allies
18:14involved the launching
18:15of V-2 missiles
18:16by German forces
18:17into rear zones in Belgium.
18:20These missiles,
18:21due to their high altitude
18:22and speed,
18:23could not be detected
18:24by Allied radar,
18:26allowing them to strike
18:27without warning.
18:28On that day,
18:29the effects were devastating,
18:30particularly in the city
18:31of Antwerp,
18:32where one missile hit a cinema,
18:34killing 296 American soldiers
18:36and 271 civilians inside.
18:40Before dawn on December 16, 1944,
18:44the German 5th Panzer Army
18:45made contact with U.S. positions.
18:48The advance was so swift
18:49and unexpected
18:50that many American soldiers,
18:52unable to react in time,
18:54surrendered without firing
18:55a single shot.
18:57Towns such as Marnack,
18:58Hosingen and Holzum
18:59fell quickly under
19:01the initial German onslaught,
19:03encountering minimal resistance,
19:04which was easily overcome,
19:06except at the Auer River crossing,
19:08where the Germans faced
19:09some light resistance
19:10that was soon eliminated.
19:12To the north,
19:13the offensive intensified
19:14when the 6th SS Panzer Army,
19:16under General Sepp Dietrich,
19:18launched a fierce armoured assault
19:20against the U.S. 99th Infantry Division
19:22near Haufen.
19:23The troops of the 1st SS Panzer Division,
19:26Leipstandarte Adolf Hitler,
19:28leading the attack,
19:29were the first to clash
19:30with the Americans.
19:32U.S. soldiers,
19:33using the cover provided
19:34by dense forests and hills,
19:36initially managed to resist
19:37and retreat in an orderly fashion.
19:40This forced the Germans
19:41to deploy Volksgrenadier units,
19:44made up mostly of young boys
19:45and older men,
19:47who, armed with the dreaded
19:48Panzerfaust,
19:49began to destroy U.S. positions
19:51one by one,
19:52especially those located
19:53in foxholes and nearby ridges.
19:56Throughout the day,
19:57Kampfgruppe Peiper,
19:58composed of 124 armoured vehicles
20:01and 2,000 men,
20:02advanced swiftly to Lohsheim,
20:04a key crossroads.
20:06However,
20:07a massive build-up of vehicles
20:08caused severe traffic jams,
20:10preventing the tanks
20:11from continuing
20:12at the planned speed.
20:13The traffic collapse
20:14was caused
20:15by the overlapping movements
20:16of the 1st SS Panzer Division,
20:19Leipstandarte,
20:20and the 12th Volksgrenadier Division,
20:22leading the group's commander,
20:24Joachim Peiper,
20:25to make a drastic decision.
20:27Frustrated by the delay,
20:28Peiper ordered his forces
20:29to ram through the vehicles
20:30of the 12th Volksgrenadier Division,
20:33regardless of the damage caused.
20:35The tanks pushed through the obstacles,
20:37clearing a path
20:38until,
20:39aware of the growing danger,
20:41Peiper chose to cross
20:42a German minefield
20:43to accelerate the advance.
20:45Although several vehicles were lost,
20:46the manoeuvre allowed
20:47the German army
20:48to keep moving forward.
20:50By midday,
20:51Peiper's armoured units
20:52encountered
20:53the 3rd Parachute Division,
20:55which had previously landed
20:56in the area
20:56after jumping from aircraft.
20:59Fortunately,
21:00the airborne troops
21:00were able to board
21:01the German tanks,
21:02avoiding having to continue on foot.
21:05Upon resuming their advance,
21:06Peiper's column
21:07reached the town of Buchholz,
21:08where the American defenders
21:10surrendered without a fight.
21:11After capturing Buchholz,
21:13Peiper's group
21:14faced another traffic jam,
21:16this time caused
21:17by a line of American vehicles.
21:19Without hesitation,
21:20Peiper ordered his men
21:21to open fire,
21:22destroying all the vehicles
21:23without exception.
21:25This devastating attack
21:26wiped out the enemy column
21:28and prevented the Americans
21:29from alerting
21:29their nearby units,
21:31allowing the Germans
21:32to surprise the troops
21:33in Honsfeld,
21:34where hundreds of prisoners
21:35surrendered once again.
21:37With unstoppable momentum,
21:39Peiper continued his advance
21:41along Route N-23
21:42and captured
21:43the Bullingen airfield,
21:45where he took 50 more prisoners
21:46and seized a fuel depot
21:48full of gasoline.
21:50Thanks to the capture
21:51of this depot,
21:52German forces were able
21:53to refuel without issue,
21:55giving them a significant
21:56logistical advantage.
21:58This success was critical
21:59in allowing Peiper
22:00to press forward
22:01without concern for supplies.
22:03Thanks to his bold
22:04and rapid tactics,
22:05Joachim Peiper
22:06solidified his reputation
22:08as one of the most prominent
22:09and successful
22:10panzer commanders
22:11of World War II.
22:13By late afternoon,
22:14the 1st SS Panzer Corps
22:15succeeded in breaking
22:17through the defenses
22:17of the U.S. 99th Infantry Division,
22:20overwhelming them
22:21with their armored forces.
22:23This assault created
22:25a major breach in the front,
22:27splitting the USV Corps
22:28in two
22:29and cutting off communication
22:30with other American units
22:32deployed in Europe.
22:33As night fell,
22:34the remnants of the 99th Division
22:36tried to regain control
22:38by launching an offensive
22:39from their positions
22:40to halt the German advance
22:42near Heinerscheid.
22:43However,
22:44this counterattack
22:45resulted in unnecessary casualties
22:47and the destruction
22:48of numerous Sherman tanks.
22:51Following the collapse
22:52of their lines,
22:52the division began to retreat,
22:54relentlessly pursued
22:55by German troops,
22:57who bombarded the fleeing forces
22:58with artillery,
22:59spreading chaos
23:00among the soldiers
23:01as they crossed
23:02snow-covered forests.
23:03Near Lonsheim,
23:05late into the night,
23:06German forces scored
23:07a major victory
23:08by annihilating
23:09the U.S. 14th Cavalry Group.
23:11At the same time,
23:12in Schnee Eiffel,
23:13they eliminated
23:13all American artillery units
23:15stationed in the area.
23:17Not far from there,
23:18German vanguards
23:19achieved another decisive blow
23:21at Clairvaux,
23:22where the American headquarters
23:23was located in an old castle.
23:25After an intense siege,
23:26the defenders were overwhelmed
23:28and a panzer tank
23:29crushed through the main gate,
23:31allowing German troops
23:32to storm the castle
23:33and massacre
23:34the trapped American soldiers inside.
23:36By midnight,
23:37the information reaching
23:38Allied headquarters in Paris
23:40was riddled with confusion,
23:42especially after the false alarm
23:44about the assassination attempt
23:45on Eisenhower.
23:46The only confirmed fact
23:48was that the Germans
23:49had launched an attack
23:50along a front
23:50more than 100 kilometers wide,
23:53stretching from the Ardennes
23:54to Luxembourg.
23:56However,
23:56the reality was far more serious
23:58than initially reported.
23:59In just one day,
24:00the Allies had lost
24:01nearly three divisions
24:02and the German forces
24:04were advancing
24:05at an astonishing speed.
24:07The situation was beginning
24:08to resemble
24:08the blitzkrieg tactics
24:10the Germans had employed
24:11in May 1940.
24:13During the night
24:14of December 16th to 17th,
24:16the Allies took urgent measures
24:18to try to halt
24:19the German advance
24:20in the Ardennes.
24:21After the U.S. 5th Army
24:23was cut off
24:23from communication,
24:25orders were issued
24:25from Paris
24:26to send reinforcements immediately.
24:28The 106th Infantry Division
24:30was quickly dispatched south
24:32to secure the road
24:33to St. Vith,
24:34while the 2nd Infantry Division
24:36was transferred
24:36to reinforce the flank
24:38of the already battered
24:3999th Infantry Division.
24:41The veteran 1st Infantry Division,
24:43Big Red One,
24:44was also mobilized.
24:46Unfortunately,
24:47the reinforcements
24:48arrived too late,
24:49as by dawn
24:50on December 17th,
24:51Skorzeny's 150th Panzer
24:53Special Brigade
24:54had already managed
24:55to delay the relief units.
24:57Left unprotected,
24:59the 99th Division
25:00was ambushed
25:01in Elsenborn
25:01by Piper's Column,
25:03suffering nearly
25:043,000 casualties,
25:05including the dead,
25:06wounded,
25:07and captured.
25:08That same morning,
25:10Piper ordered his Column
25:11to continue
25:12toward their next objective,
25:14Lignerville.
25:15Upon reaching
25:16the outskirts
25:16of the village,
25:17an American Sherman tank
25:19destroyed a German Panther,
25:20but Piper,
25:21having located
25:22the enemy tank
25:23through binoculars,
25:24bravely rushed forward
25:25with a Panzerfaust
25:26to destroy it.
25:28However,
25:28before he could act,
25:30another German Panzer fired
25:31and destroyed the Sherman
25:32with a single shot.
25:35After taking Lignerville
25:36and eliminating
25:37the few American tanks
25:38hiding among the trees,
25:40Piper's Column advanced
25:41toward Bullingen,
25:42penetrating more than
25:43six kilometers
25:44into the American lines.
25:46Despite receiving orders
25:47not to push too far
25:48and to leave troops
25:49on the flanks,
25:50Piper disobeyed
25:51and pressed forward
25:52toward the Meuse River,
25:53annihilating scattered units
25:55of the U.S. 9th Armored Division.
25:57By the end of December 17th,
26:00the Allies finally understood
26:01the seriousness
26:02of the situation.
26:04Eisenhower gave
26:04the immediate order
26:05to mobilize
26:06the 82nd and 101st
26:08U.S. Airborne Divisions
26:09and selected Patton's
26:11U.S. 3rd Armored Army
26:12to assist the forces
26:14being overwhelmed
26:15in the Ardennes.
26:16The main challenge
26:17with this maneuver
26:18was that Patton's forces
26:19were still far from the front,
26:21meaning they could not
26:22arrive quickly,
26:23which left the remaining
26:24Allied units
26:24with only one viable option,
26:26resist until exhaustion.
26:30Malmedy and Shinnonia,
26:31war crimes in the Ardennes,
26:33December 17th, 1944,
26:35became a dark day
26:36for Allied forces,
26:38particularly the United States Army,
26:40following the discovery
26:41of the horrific Malmedy Massacre,
26:43an act of brutality
26:44carried out by Waffen SS soldiers
26:46belonging to Kampfgruppe Piper.
26:49The tragedy occurred
26:50when 84 American prisoners of war
26:52were coldly executed
26:53in the small town
26:54of Malmedy, Belgium,
26:56just weeks into
26:57the German Ardennes offensive.
26:59The prisoners,
27:00who had been captured
27:00and were unarmed,
27:02were shot without warning
27:03in a mass execution
27:04that left a deep impact
27:05on Allied troops.
27:07News of the Malmedy Massacre
27:09spread quickly
27:09and its effect was immediate.
27:12Allied media used the event
27:13as a symbol of the cruelty
27:14of German troops,
27:16and the story served
27:17as a grim reminder
27:18of why the Allies
27:19were fighting the Third Reich.
27:21The bodies of the victims,
27:22found frozen in the snow,
27:24served as further proof
27:25of the barbarity
27:26inflicted on prisoners of war
27:28and sparked widespread outrage
27:30within U.S. ranks.
27:31The massacre itself
27:33was not only a reminder
27:34of the deep-seated hatred
27:35between both sides,
27:37but also revealed
27:38the fierce nature
27:38of the battle raging
27:39in the Ardennes.
27:41As the German advance
27:42intensified and U.S. forces
27:44were overwhelmed,
27:45feelings of revenge
27:46and desperation
27:47grew rapidly
27:48among Allied soldiers.
27:50While Malmedy became
27:51a symbol of the atrocities
27:52committed by German forces,
27:54few knew at the time
27:55that this was not
27:56an isolated crime.
27:58In the weeks following
27:59the tragedy,
28:00the Allies would discover
28:01that American forces
28:02also committed war crimes
28:04in retaliation
28:05for German atrocities.
28:06The Chenin Massacre,
28:08another grim episode
28:09during the Battle of the Ardennes,
28:10reveals an often overlooked
28:12aspect of war crimes
28:13committed by the Allies.
28:15While the Malmedy Massacre
28:16was widely publicized
28:18and condemned,
28:19the killing of German prisoners
28:20in Chenin remained hidden
28:22for a long time.
28:23This massacre,
28:24which took place
28:25in January 1945,
28:27was a direct reprisal
28:28for the crimes
28:29committed in Malmedy.
28:31A significant number
28:32of German prisoners
28:33were executed
28:34by U.S. soldiers
28:35in much the same way
28:36as the American prisoners
28:37had been in Malmedy.
28:39However,
28:40unlike Malmedy,
28:41the events at Cheninonia
28:42were kept secret for years,
28:45largely due to the lack
28:46of surviving witnesses
28:47and the U.S. High Command's
28:48refusal to investigate
28:49or acknowledge the incident.
28:52The Cheninonia Massacre
28:53occurred when 70 to 80
28:54German prisoners
28:55were coldly executed
28:57by soldiers
28:57of the U.S. 11th Armored Division
28:59near the Belgian village
29:01of Cheninonia,
29:02about 75 kilometers
29:03from Malmedy.
29:05Unlike Malmedy,
29:06where some prisoners
29:07managed to escape
29:08and later report the massacre,
29:09there were no survivors
29:11in Cheninonia.
29:12The prisoners were lined up
29:13along the roadside
29:14in full view
29:15of American troops
29:16and machine-gunned
29:17without mercy.
29:18The details were so chilling
29:20that even some
29:20of the American soldiers
29:22involved reportedly
29:23felt deeply disturbed
29:24by what had happened,
29:25though few dared
29:26to speak up at the time.
29:28The context of the massacre
29:29is crucial to understanding
29:31the atmosphere
29:31of animosity and revenge
29:33that permeated
29:34the front lines
29:35at the time.
29:35The news of Malmedy
29:37had spread like wildfire
29:38and the desire for vengeance
29:40took hold of many U.S. soldiers
29:42who saw these German prisoners
29:44as a way to release
29:45their grief and rage
29:46over the loss
29:47of their comrades.
29:48While there were no official orders
29:49to execute prisoners,
29:51the general attitude
29:52was that,
29:53after what had happened
29:54at Malmedy,
29:55no mercy should be shown
29:56to captured German soldiers.
29:58Testimonies from participants
29:59like Corporal John Fague,
30:01who was present
30:02during the massacre,
30:03confirmed that there was
30:04a clear intent to punish
30:06the Germans for prior crimes,
30:08regardless of the legal
30:09or moral consequences.
30:11Although the Shinnonia massacre
30:12never received the same level
30:14of media attention as Malmedy,
30:16its impact was significant.
30:18The cover-up of this crime,
30:19largely due to the U.S. military's
30:21refusal to investigate,
30:23left an open wound
30:24that remained buried
30:25under official history
30:26for many years.
30:28However, with time
30:29and through the work
30:30of historians like
30:31Antony Beaver
30:32and Krista Bergstrom,
30:33the truth about Chinon
30:35began to surface.
30:36These investigations
30:37uncovered the chilling details
30:39of what occurred
30:40and challenged
30:40the traditional narrative
30:42of war crimes
30:43during World War II,
30:45which often focused exclusively
30:46on the atrocities
30:47committed by Axis forces.
30:49The last fortress,
30:51the heroic resistance
30:52of St. Vith in the Ardennes.
30:55The battle for St. Vith
30:56began in the early hours
30:57of December 18, 1944,
30:59when the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division
31:02launched a fierce assault
31:03on the town,
31:04located along the Auer River,
31:07where U.S. forces
31:07were positioned
31:08along the Monschau-Elsinborn line.
31:11By that point,
31:12German troops had advanced
31:14to within just 500 meters
31:15of their objective,
31:17and after destroying
31:17three Sherman tanks,
31:19they managed to take control
31:20of the hills
31:21near Wallerode Mill.
31:22With dominance
31:23over this key position,
31:25the German forces
31:25quickly overwhelmed
31:26the American troops,
31:28destroying four more tanks
31:29and forcing them
31:30to retreat toward
31:31the center of St. Vith,
31:33where they hoped
31:34to reorganize
31:35and withstand
31:35a prolonged offensive.
31:37Several kilometers away
31:39from St. Vith,
31:40Kampfgruppe Piper's column
31:41continued its advance
31:42at dawn,
31:43defeating American forces
31:45in Stavelot
31:45with little resistance
31:46and raising the town
31:48completely.
31:49Piper's troops
31:49then rapidly advanced
31:51toward Troia Ponce,
31:52but their progress
31:53was temporarily halted
31:54when a small group
31:55of 13 U.S. engineers,
31:57led by Sergeant Charles Hensel,
31:59blew up the bridge
32:00over the Amblev River.
32:01Facing this obstacle,
32:03Piper chose
32:03to reroute
32:04toward La Gliese,
32:06but by the afternoon,
32:07a squadron of P-51 Mustangs
32:09located the German column
32:10and destroyed
32:1110 of its tanks.
32:13After this blow,
32:13delayed American units
32:15counterattacked
32:15in Stavelot,
32:17forcing Piper
32:17to alter his direction
32:18once again.
32:19Ironically,
32:20just 500 meters
32:21from Stavelot,
32:23the Germans overlooked
32:24a fuel depot
32:24containing 11 million tons
32:26of gasoline,
32:28a cache that,
32:28if discovered,
32:29could have provided them
32:30with enough fuel
32:31to continue their advance
32:32into Belgium.
32:34Due to the threat
32:35posed by Piper's proximity
32:36to the U.S. headquarters
32:37in Spa,
32:39American forces decided
32:40to partially evacuate
32:41further into Belgium
32:42after learning
32:43that German armored vanguards
32:45had secured the banks
32:46of the Lien River
32:47and the village
32:48of Habermont.
32:50On the night
32:50of December 18,
32:52the U.S. 9th Armored Division
32:54faced off against
32:55the 2nd Panzer Division,
32:57losing all of its tanks
32:58one after another.
33:00This defeat
33:00opened the road
33:01to Bastogne,
33:02allowing the 5th Panzer Army
33:04to advance
33:04throughout the night,
33:06eventually encountering
33:07the 101st U.S. Airborne Division.
33:10Despite the adverse conditions,
33:11the paratroopers
33:12managed to halt
33:13the German advance
33:14near Bastogne.
33:15However,
33:16their bravery
33:17came at a high cost
33:18as they lost
33:19an entire regiment
33:20in the process.
33:21The Last Fortress,
33:23The Heroic Resistance
33:24of St. Vieth
33:25in the Ardennes,
33:26Part 2.
33:28In the early hours
33:29of December 19, 1944,
33:31German forces
33:32took control
33:33of Schnee Eiffel,
33:34while the three divisions
33:35that had attacked
33:36St. Vieth
33:36annihilated
33:37two U.S. infantry regiments.
33:39Meanwhile,
33:40to the north,
33:41Kampfgruppe Peiper
33:41occupied the town
33:42of Stumont,
33:43capturing 284 American prisoners
33:45and destroying
33:46several Sherman tanks
33:48and an Me3 anti-aircraft gun,
33:51while the Germans
33:51lost only three Panther tanks
33:53in the process.
33:54For more than three days
33:55of intense fighting,
33:57Liege and Antwerp
33:58were bombarded
33:58by a rain of V1
34:00and V2 missiles,
34:02spreading panic and chaos
34:03among civilians
34:04and Allied occupation forces.
34:06The Dürn airfield,
34:08vital for the Allies,
34:09was also hit
34:10by these missiles.
34:12The launch bases
34:13and ramps,
34:13strategically placed
34:14and well camouflaged
34:16in the Ardennes forests,
34:17were hard to detect
34:18from the air,
34:19making the strikes
34:20even more effective.
34:21These bombings
34:22caused numerous casualties,
34:24mostly Belgian civilians,
34:25and severely disrupted
34:27Allied supply lines
34:28and troop movements.
34:29On December 20th,
34:31due to a critical
34:31fuel shortage,
34:33Kampfgruppe Peiper
34:34was forced to come
34:35to a complete halt,
34:36allowing the U.S. 82nd
34:38Airborne Division
34:39to retreat deeper
34:40into St. Vieth
34:41along with the remaining
34:42armored units.
34:43However,
34:44the Allies barely had time
34:45to regroup before
34:46on December 21st,
34:48the Germans launched
34:49an assault from the northwest
34:50against St. Vieth.
34:52After defeating
34:53three M10 tanks,
34:55they took Breitfeld
34:55and advanced
34:56to the town's entrance,
34:57where German grenadiers,
34:59armed with panzerfausts,
35:00destroyed five Sherman tanks.
35:02This setback
35:03forced the Americans
35:04to reduce their defensive perimeter
35:06to a narrow strip
35:07within the ruins of St. Vieth.
35:09Further south,
35:10in Schoenberg,
35:11the 18th Volksgrenadier Division
35:13wiped out the last remnants
35:14of the U.S. 106th Infantry Division
35:17near Schnee Eiffel Mountain.
35:19Over 10,000 American soldiers
35:21were captured
35:22as they emerged
35:23from the forests,
35:24surrendering with hands raised.
35:26This defeat marked
35:27a critical point
35:28in the offensive,
35:29becoming one of the greatest
35:30tactical humiliations
35:32for the U.S. Army
35:33during the war.
35:35After several failed attempts,
35:37on December 22nd and 23rd,
35:39King Tiger and Panther tanks
35:41launched a direct assault
35:42on St. Vieth,
35:43wiping out the last remaining
35:45U.S. Shermans.
35:46During the attack,
35:47many American tank crews,
35:49fearing they would be burned alive
35:50by enemy fire,
35:52abandoned their vehicles
35:53and joined the retreating infantry.
35:55However, some drivers
35:56chose to face the situation bravely,
35:59launching suicidal charges.
36:01One such instance
36:02involved five Shermans
36:04attempting to attack
36:05a platoon of six Stugs
36:06on a steep hill,
36:07but the German guns
36:08quickly set them ablaze.
36:10Thanks to these
36:11successful manoeuvres,
36:12the morning of December 23rd
36:14brought the collapse
36:15of the final American resistance
36:17in the western sector
36:18of the city,
36:19allowing German forces
36:20to enter St. Vieth.
36:22This victory came
36:23at a high cost
36:24for the Allies.
36:25The U.S. 7th Armored Division
36:26was completely wiped out,
36:28and the 9th Armored Division
36:30suffered heavy losses,
36:31with its few surviving members
36:33forced to flee
36:33toward the Sarm River,
36:35but not before German troops
36:37seized the riverbanks.
36:38Up to that point,
36:40the Battle of St. Vieth
36:41had turned into a disaster
36:42for the U.S. Army,
36:44which suffered
36:44a devastating defeat.
36:46The casualties
36:46were enormous.
36:48Over 14,000 soldiers,
36:49including 3,397,
36:52killed or wounded,
36:54and 10,000 captured.
36:56Additionally,
36:57140 tanks
36:58and numerous vehicles
36:59and artillery pieces
37:00were destroyed.
37:02By contrast,
37:03German forces
37:03suffered only 2,800 casualties,
37:06a relatively low number
37:08compared to their opponents,
37:10making it a decisive victory
37:11for the Wehrmacht.
37:13Curiously,
37:14not only German soldiers
37:15celebrated the victory,
37:17but also the local population
37:18of St. Vieth,
37:19predominantly of German origin,
37:21who hung swastika flags
37:23from their windows
37:24and balconies in support.
37:26With the fall of St. Vieth,
37:27the town of Bastogne
37:28was now completely isolated,
37:30trapping within it
37:31the U.S. 1-0 Honest
37:33Airborne Division.
37:35Bastogne would become
37:36the final obstacle
37:37between the German forces
37:38and the Meuse River,
37:40just as George Patton's
37:41Third Army
37:42began its advance
37:43toward the city.
37:44Bastogne would be the place
37:45where the fate
37:46of the Ardennes campaign
37:47would ultimately be decided.
37:50December 24th,
37:51an unexpected sunny day
37:53surprises the Germans.
37:55On December 24th,
37:56an unexpected sunny day
37:58took the Germans by surprise.
37:59This change in weather conditions
38:01allowed Allied aviation
38:02to take off,
38:04attacking German supply lines
38:05and destroying vehicles
38:07and tanks on nearby roads.
38:09At the same time,
38:10U.S. C-47 Dakota planes
38:12carried out more than
38:133,000 flights
38:14to drop supplies and ammunition
38:16to the 101st Airborne Division Forces
38:19trapped in the city.
38:21Thanks to these supplies,
38:22the American soldiers
38:23were able to celebrate
38:24Christmas Eve,
38:25sharing food rations
38:26and enjoying
38:27small Christmas gifts
38:28that had been airdropped to them.
38:31December 25th,
38:33Christmas Day,
38:34Under Fire
38:34On December 25th,
38:36Christmas Day,
38:37the German 5th Panzer Army
38:39resumed its attack
38:40on Bastogne,
38:41ignoring the planned advance
38:42toward the Meuse River.
38:44However,
38:44the German soldiers
38:45were soon caught off guard
38:47by the fierce fire
38:48from American artillery
38:49and bazookas,
38:50which set the approaching
38:51panzer tanks ablaze.
38:53Meanwhile,
38:54German infantry forces
38:55were also severely attacked
38:57by American machine guns.
38:59Although German troops
39:00managed to penetrate
39:01some streets of Bastogne,
39:03the American resistance
39:04repelled them,
39:05destroying several German tanks.
39:08In retaliation
39:09for the stubborn defense,
39:10during the night,
39:11the Luftwaffe carried out
39:12an intense bombing
39:13over the city,
39:15causing numerous casualties
39:16among both soldiers
39:17and the civilian population.
39:19Fighting continues
39:20across the Ardennes.
39:22While the Battle of Bastogne
39:24continued,
39:25other fronts in the Ardennes
39:26also saw intense fighting.
39:28The German 6th Panzer Army
39:30continued advancing
39:31through the forests,
39:32managing to take La Roche.
39:34At the same time,
39:35on December 26th,
39:37the 2nd Panzer Division
39:38captured the towns
39:39of Rochefort and Selle,
39:41located near the Meuse River,
39:43just before the German tanks
39:44ran out of fuel.
39:46The furthest position
39:47reached by German forces
39:48was Foy Notre Dame,
39:50marking an advance
39:51of 100 kilometers
39:52into the interior of Belgium,
39:54which was not surpassed.
39:56Despite this German progress,
39:58the troops of the U.S. First Army
39:59put up fierce resistance,
40:01managing to halt
40:02the Wehrmacht's advance
40:03in places like Freyture,
40:05Manhey, Hotton,
40:07Marsh, Grand Menil,
40:08Huffelize, Boring,
40:10and the outskirts of Dinant.
40:12As a result of this
40:13tenacious defense,
40:14the Americans destroyed
40:1686 German tanks,
40:1783 cannons,
40:18and 280 trucks.
40:20Meanwhile,
40:21Piper's column,
40:22advancing independently,
40:23had no better luck.
40:25His forces were surrounded
40:26in Le Glais
40:27after suffering heavy losses.
40:29However,
40:30thanks to his tactical cunning,
40:31Piper managed to open a gap
40:33in the enemy lines
40:34and allowed his forces to escape,
40:36returning to German territory.
40:38Despite this escape,
40:40the losses were devastating.
40:4136 tanks,
40:43including 15 Panthers,
40:458 Stugs,
40:467 King Tigers,
40:47and 6 Panzer IVs,
40:4870 Hanemag half-tracks,
40:5012 SDKFZ armoured vehicles,
40:535 20mm anti-aircraft guns,
40:561 Flak 88-gun,
40:576 120mm mortars,
41:00and 888 casualties,
41:02including dead,
41:03wounded,
41:03and prisoners.
41:05Patton's 3rd Armoured Army
41:06breaks through to Bastogne.
41:08Patton's 3rd Armoured Army
41:10advanced rapidly toward Bastogne,
41:12smashing through everything in its path,
41:14including German troops
41:15and armoured vehicles.
41:17However,
41:17its progress was slowed
41:18by barricades and obstacles
41:20placed by German engineers,
41:22who felled trees
41:23and created other blockades
41:24in an attempt to delay the advance.
41:28Additionally,
41:28ambushes by German paratroopers,
41:31such as the one
41:31at the Chaumont Hunting Lodge,
41:33cost the Americans
41:3411 destroyed Sherman tanks
41:36and 65 dead soldiers.
41:38Despite these difficulties,
41:40Patton's advance
41:41had a positive moral effect
41:42on the besieged forces,
41:43as by midday
41:45on December 23rd,
41:46some units
41:47of the 101st Airborne Division
41:49emerged from their shelters
41:50upon learning
41:51that Patton's forces
41:52were approaching.
41:54While the paratroopers
41:54held off the German attack,
41:56Patton's forces
41:57flanked the encirclement
41:58from the south,
41:59opening fire with their tanks
42:01and forcing the Germans
42:02to retreat.
42:03Although Patton's troops
42:04finally broke the siege
42:05at 1650 on December 31st,
42:08the Battle of Bastogne
42:09continued in the following days.
42:12Between December 27th
42:13and 30th,
42:14fighting took place
42:15around the city,
42:16including a fierce armoured battle
42:18between 50 Panzer IVs
42:20and 350 American Shermans,
42:23which ended in a German victory,
42:25though the numerical superiority
42:26of the Americans
42:27soon became evident.
42:29The Wehrmacht,
42:30still resisting in some areas,
42:32suffered heavy losses,
42:34with 30 Shermans destroyed
42:35and ongoing attrition
42:37that reduced German armies
42:38to an unsustainable situation.
42:41Allied aviation also played
42:42a key role,
42:44destroying much of the German columns
42:45in both Bastogne
42:46and other parts of the Ardennes,
42:48while Belgian and Luxembourgish
42:50resistance fighters
42:51contributed with effective sabotage
42:53to halt German advances.
42:55Frustrated by the failure
42:56of the German offensive,
42:58Hitler, from Berlin,
42:59ordered a general withdrawal
43:00to the Siegfried Line.
43:03On December 31st,
43:04the US army regained full control
43:06of Bastogne
43:07and one-third of the Ardennes.
43:08However, the Germans
43:10still had a contingency plan
43:11prepared in case
43:12Operation Wacht am Rhein failed,
43:15known as Operation Bodenplatt,
43:17which was to be carried out in secret.
43:19The Ardennes offensive
43:20and its accompanying operations
43:22cost Germany 80,000 men
43:24and exhausted a significant portion
43:26of the country's
43:27already low fuel reserves.
43:30Hitler refused to accept
43:31that the Battle of the Ardennes
43:32had been a failure comparable
43:34to the Kaiserschlacht,
43:35Germany's last great offensive
43:37of World War I,
43:38and obsessively rejected
43:39any parallels with 1918,
43:42which to him symbolized
43:43only the revolutionary betrayal
43:44that overthrew the Kaiser
43:46and led to a humiliating defeat
43:48for Germany.
43:49We will never surrender,
43:50we may perish,
43:52but the whole world
43:52will fall with us,
43:54he declared vehemently.
43:56General Guderian,
43:58horrified by the looming disaster
43:59on the Eastern Front,
44:01returned to the Führer's headquarters
44:02twice more in close succession.
44:05During his visit on New Year's Day,
44:08Guderian encountered
44:08the annual procession
44:10of regime dignitaries
44:11and general staff chiefs
44:12coming to deliver
44:13their personal New Year's wishes
44:15to the Führer.
44:17That same morning,
44:18Operation North Wind,
44:19the main supporting action
44:21of the Ardennes offensive,
44:22had been launched in Alsace.
44:24The day turned out
44:25to be catastrophic
44:26for the Luftwaffe.
44:28In a characteristically
44:29irresponsible move,
44:30Göring deployed
44:31nearly 1,000 aircraft
44:32to attack ground targets
44:34on the Western Front.
44:35This attempt to impress Hitler
44:37resulted in the total destruction
44:39of the Luftwaffe
44:39and granted the Allies
44:41complete air supremacy.
44:43That same day,
44:44German state radio broadcast
44:46Hitler's New Year's address.
44:48In it,
44:49there was no mention
44:49of the fighting in the West,
44:51an omission that highlights
44:52the failure of the offensive,
44:54and surprisingly,
44:55there was also no reference
44:56to the Wunderwaffen.
44:58At the beginning of the New Year,
44:59the Führer addressed
45:01the German people
45:02from his headquarters.
45:03German people,
45:04national socialists,
45:06my fellow citizens.
45:07The events of the past 12 months
45:09have compelled me
45:10to dedicate a great portion
45:11of my time and effort,
45:13all my attention and energy,
45:15to the one task
45:16for which I have lived
45:17for so many years,
45:18the struggle for the destiny
45:19of my people.
45:22Operation Bodenplatter,
45:24the last aerial breath
45:25of the Third Reich Operation.
45:27Bodenplatter was an extreme measure
45:29devised by Hitler
45:30in case the offensive
45:31in the Ardennes failed.
45:33While German forces,
45:34both from the Wehrmacht
45:35and the Waffen-SS,
45:37fortified positions
45:38in the eastern part
45:39of the Ardennes
45:39in anticipation
45:40of a future counteroffensive,
45:42the Luftwaffe was tasked
45:44with executing
45:44a decisive aerial attack.
45:47The main objective
45:48of this operation
45:49was to annihilate
45:50the Allied air forces
45:51in the region,
45:52covering Belgium,
45:53the Netherlands
45:54and northern France
45:55and then focus efforts
45:57on eliminating
45:57enemy ground forces.
45:59To carry out the operation,
46:01several airfields
46:02were established in Germany
46:03from which Luftwaffe aircraft
46:05would take off.
46:06The aim was to deal
46:07a deadly blow
46:08to Allied aviation
46:09in the targeted regions,
46:11neutralising their ability
46:12to respond
46:13and exposing
46:13their ground positions.
46:15For their part,
46:16the Allies also had
46:18strategic airfields
46:19in Belgium,
46:19France and the Netherlands,
46:21which were to be attacked
46:22to hinder their movements.
46:24The operation,
46:25whose purpose was
46:26to alter the course
46:27of the war,
46:28became a desperate attempt
46:29to shift the direction
46:30of the air and ground
46:31conflict in Europe.
46:33On the night of December 31, 1944,
46:36Luftwaffe pilots received
46:37strict orders ahead
46:38of Operation Bodenplatter.
46:40They were instructed
46:41to avoid New Year's Eve celebrations,
46:44abstain from consuming alcohol,
46:46and go to bed early
46:46to be ready for the mission
46:47the following day.
46:49The next morning,
46:50January 1, 1945,
46:53the so-called Hermann Order
46:55was issued.
46:56Named after the ancient
46:57Germanic victory
46:58in the Teutoburg forest
46:59in 9 AD,
47:00this order marked
47:01the beginning
47:02of a massive aerial assault.
47:04At dawn,
47:05more than 900 Luftwaffe aircraft
47:07took off from Germany
47:08and headed toward France,
47:10Belgium,
47:10the Netherlands,
47:11and Luxembourg,
47:12with the mission
47:13of destroying Allied air forces
47:14in the region.
47:15In Helmand,
47:17due to a navigational error,
47:18the Germans attacked
47:19an empty airfield
47:20and lost 27 aircraft.
47:23In Eindhoven,
47:24they destroyed 110 Allied planes,
47:27losing only 15 of their own.
47:29At Gilser-Enrigen,
47:30German jets,
47:31such as the Arado R-234
47:33and the Messerschmitt 262,
47:36launched attacks
47:37without causing
47:37significant damage.
47:39The operation resulted
47:40in a tactical victory
47:41for the Germans,
47:43although the Luftwaffe
47:44also suffered significant losses
47:46in the process.
47:47Operation Bodenplatte
47:48was a tactical victory
47:49for Germany,
47:50but a severe strategic defeat.
47:53Despite inflicting
47:54heavy losses on the Allies,
47:56destroying twice as many planes
47:57as the Germans lost,
47:59the Luftwaffe was unable
48:00to replace its own losses
48:01due to a lack of aircraft
48:03and trained pilots.
48:05Although the operation
48:06caused a temporary decrease
48:07in the number
48:08of Allied flights,
48:09the Allies' industrial capacity
48:11allowed them to quickly regain
48:13air superiority
48:14by mid-January 1945.
48:17During the attack,
48:19in comparison,
48:20Germany lost 275 aircraft
48:22and 69 were damaged,
48:24making the operation,
48:25although successful
48:26in the short term,
48:27have no lasting strategic impact.
48:29After the conclusion
48:31of Operation Bodenplatte,
48:33German forces attempted
48:34to hold out in the Ardennes,
48:36carrying out minor skirmishes
48:37without achieving significant progress.
48:40At the same time,
48:41U.S. forces focused
48:42on dismantling the V-1
48:44and V-2 missile launching ramps,
48:46which had been firing
48:47on cities like London,
48:49Liège and Antwerp.
48:50The arrival of the British
48:51CETI-X Corps
48:53proved decisive
48:54in tipping the balance
48:55in favour of the Allies,
48:56consolidating their advantage
48:58in the region.
48:59As January 1945 progressed,
49:02the battle became known
49:03as the Battle of the Bulge,
49:05in which the U.S. Army
49:06maintained the initiative
49:08and began pushing the Germans
49:09back toward their own border.
49:12German forces suffered
49:13heavy casualties
49:13and were forced
49:15to withdraw units,
49:16such as the 6th SS Panzer Army,
49:19which were sent
49:19to the Eastern Front
49:20to face the Soviet offensive
49:22in Hungary.
49:23Despite increasing pressure,
49:25the German army
49:25continued to offer resistance.
49:27For example,
49:28on January 2nd,
49:29two King Tiger tanks
49:31destroyed 22 American
49:32Sherman tanks
49:33between Arlenkort
49:34and Magare.
49:35The following day,
49:37January 3rd,
49:38the 12th SS Panzer Division,
49:41Hitlerjugend,
49:42destroyed 48 Sherman tanks
49:44on the road to Bastogne.
49:45However,
49:46on January 4th,
49:47Patton's 3rd Army
49:48suffered one of its
49:49greatest setbacks,
49:51when 20 German tanks
49:52destroyed 16 Shermans
49:54and caused 475 casualties,
49:56including dead and captured.
49:59Bayzori represented
50:00the last significant triumph
50:02for German forces
50:02in the Battle of the Ardennes
50:04when the 26th and 340th
50:06Volksgrenadier Divisions
50:08managed to take the village
50:09and push U.S. troops
50:11more than 2 kilometers
50:12from their positions.
50:14However,
50:14this victory was short-lived,
50:16as the American counter-offensive
50:18began quickly that same day,
50:20allowing for the liberation
50:21of Barac de Fréture and Samre.
50:24From that point on,
50:26Allied forces advanced rapidly,
50:28recapturing Bras
50:29and breaking through German lines
50:31at the Ondernval Pass
50:32on January 15th.
50:34Hufferlis fell on the 17th,
50:36the Suhr River was crossed
50:37on the 18th,
50:38and Born and Hunningen
50:39were occupied on the 20th.
50:41The recapture of Sainte-Vith
50:43and Trois-Verges
50:44took place on the 23rd,
50:46followed by the incursion
50:47into Heinrichshide on the 24th,
50:49and the entry into Valerode
50:51and Weisswampach on the 25th,
50:53before the capture of Prunberg
50:54on the 27th.
50:56Since Axis forces realized
50:58that recovering from the defeat
50:59in the Ardennes
51:00was practically impossible,
51:02and facing the danger
51:03of being trapped
51:04before reaching the Rhine River,
51:06the OKW,
51:07German High Command,
51:09with Adolf Hitler's authorization,
51:11ordered a general withdrawal
51:12to the initial positions
51:13of the offensive
51:14launched on December 16th, 1944.
51:18Thus, most German forces
51:20and the Waffen-SS
51:21pulled back to the 1944 borders,
51:24saving much of their manpower
51:25in the process.
51:27On January 28th, 1945,
51:29the German army
51:30completely abandoned
51:31Belgium and Luxembourg,
51:33marking the end
51:34of the Battle of the Ardennes.
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