(1944) The Battle of Bulge begins in Belgium In the heavily forested Ardennes region, German forces launch a surprise counterattack and push deep into the American line, creating a 50-mile wide “bulge” in the Allied front. The battle will continue for a month and will be the deadliest one for US troops in World War II.The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of World War II. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany’s armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them. German personnel and, later, Luftwaffe aircraft also sustained heavy losses.
Start date: Dec 16, 1944 End date: Jan 25, 1945
Map showing the swelling of “the Bulge” as the German offensive progressed creating the nose-like salient during 16–25 December 1944. Front line, 16 December Front line, 20 December Front line, 25 December Allied movements German movements