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Venlo

Venlo. The Ardennes Offensive also known as the Battle of the Ardennes Valley also also known as the Battle of the Bulge or, How the U.S. kicked some serious butt one winter evening: A Children’s Tale also also also known, to the Nazis, as Operation Watch on the Rhine.

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Venlo

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  1. Venlo

  2. The Ardennes Offensivealso known as the Battle of the Ardennes Valleyalso also known as the Battle of the Bulgeor, How the U.S. kicked some serious butt one winter evening: A Children’s Talealso also also known, to the Nazis, as Operation Watch on the Rhine Which in German translates to: UnternehemenWacht am Rhein

  3. Thesis Much like Operation Citadel on the Eastern Front the Battle of the Bulge represents the last main counter offensive by the Germans on the Western Front. This defeat leads directly to the fall of Nazi Germany. Since most Germans realized the war has been lost at this point, German military gambles and atrocities are desperate attempts to save the Reich.

  4. The Battle of the Bulge • Single bloodiest encounter by American forces in WWII in Europe: 800,000 troops engaged, 19,000+ dead • Represented the one main German counter offensive that mustered a serious challenge after the D-Day  attempt by Hitler to neutralize the Western Front • Allied victory caused Nazis to retreat back to Siegfried Line (border of Germany)

  5. Main players • Allies: Ike, Patton, Monty, Bradley, McAuliffe • Nazis: Hitler, etc. • This is an example of yet another time Hitler’s generals tell him not to do something and he does it anyways only to have disaster occur (and then he blames them)

  6. How it went down • December 1944-January 1945 • Germans plan counter offensive very secretly (one of the few times Allies don’t have notice), drop paratroopers behind our lines • Attack Allied positions in central Belgium near the French border. Sudden attack causes Allied line to bend and not break, creating a Bulge. • U.S. and RAF planes ground the Luftwaffe • Allies out numbered and attacked form pockets of resistance. Germans in command.

  7. The response • Allies form pockets of resistance to Germans that are all separate  need to unite to win battle • Most famous at Bastogne (more on this later) • Allies unite, launch counter offensive, kinda works • Germans launch counter, counter offensive, kinda works • Allies launch counter, counter, counter offensive which breaks through once Monty arrives and sends Nazis running to German border

  8. Malmèdy Massacre • Germans capture 90 American paratroopers and, through some debatable error, open fire on them in a field near Malmèdy, Belgium • Done under direct orders from the SS—maybe • Lead to the US order: “No SS troops or paratroopers are to be taken prisoner, they are to be shot on sight” • Is this a war crime?? • Reports similar at other places • Nazis tried post war (Dachau Trials) and sentenced to death—those sentences were not carried out because torture was used, maybe

  9. Siege of Bastogne • Occurs outside small Belgian town of Bastogne where Nazis attack • Nazis encircle McAuliffe and his troops and outnumber them about 3:1 • McAuliffe commits all able men and reserves to the battle placing them in a domino form • Barely hold off until Patton’s tanks bust through • Last serious offensive for Nazis in WWII

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