Battle of St. Vith - World War II
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2012
- This two part 1965 film begins with the background of events on Hitler's Ardennes offensive December 1944, with focus on 19 December attack on St. Vith and marking the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. The second part continues with the Battle of the Bulge along with highlights of the U.S. Army's 84th Infantry Division fighting the German Army in World War II, including the penetration of the Siegfried Line in November 1944 and the move into Belgium in December 1944. The film is narrated by actor, Robert Taylor.
The Big Picture two episodes produced by the U.S. Army
Combined into one video by
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"Pride of America!"
"American Pride" book
www.americanpridebook.com
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GREAT documentary. Nothing but good interviews, good footage, and zero fluff. Way better than the stuff that comes out today.
HellBent Touché
SmoothRide , you see obviously these people are the actual soldiers and officers participated in the battle.. this is a documentary film not hollywood shit movie!
@@Tokski even documentaries can be shit, this one however, is most certainly not.
You forgot the music
My children will watch this video many times to learn what their Grandfather went through during the Bulge. He was in Recon and spent much time with a tank crew.
Proud Son of a member of the Lucky 7th Armored Division.
Never Forget!
Dad was with a 81mm morter crew in the 48thAIB, 7TH AD.
My grandfather was with the 7th AD. Unfortunately i don’t have any children to pass his stories along.
nobobby in the world cares about your kiIIed veterans.
This is an Outstanding Documentary on The U.S 7th Armored Division that took 425 Battle Casualties in the Battle of Saint Vith from December 17-23, 1944, including the 1st day of the Battle of Manhay according to page 465 of "Hitler's Last Gamble" by Trevor N. Dupuy out of the 3,397 Battle Casualties suffered by the U.S 112th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 28th Infantry Division, the U.S 424th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 106th Infantry Division, Combat Command B of the U.S 9th Armored Division, U.S 14th Cavalry Group and the U.S 7th Armored Division in the Battle of Saint Vith. Daniel Kneeland, Grafton, Ma.
This documentary is spectacular. The firsthand approach and the methodical breakdown of the situation both sides are in is fascinating.
My great grandpa was one of the few from the 106th that didn’t surrender and made it to St. Vith
As part of the 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division my grandfather was among the soldiers who fought for St. Vith. I can't imagine the hardship these men faced. Men were cut from a different cloth back then, that's for certain.
My uncle was there in the 7 armored division with the 814 tank destroyer battalion.
Cody Kaucic If you'd like to research your Grandfather may I suggest pulling up the 7th Armored Division website. There you can find all kinds of awesome information about the 31st Tank Battalion. My Father was with the 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th AD. Both units were assigned to the Combat Command "B" for the St. Vith battle. My Dad was wounded on the 21st of Dec. in St Vith. He was hospitalized until March of '45 then rejoined his unit after they had crossed the Rhine and were well into Germany. If you don't know already, the 7AD was awarded a Presidential Unit citation as well as the Belgian Fourragere for their part in this battle...
The 7 armored division (unofficial) headquarters is located in Farmington Connecticut.
My dad was with the 48th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division. He was in an 81mm mortar crew.
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1106632722688120&set=a.469333423084723.111016.100000242080725&type=3&theater
Dad is front left, ready to fire the mortar during the Battle of Bulge, outside of St. Vith.
I salute everybody's ancestors who were there.
These Documentaries are so important! Much respect to these men.
Go look at the aerial views of the elevated railroad embankment and the partially broken down massive masonry railroad bridge starting at the 34:09 mark. My Dad dug, and fired from, two successive foxholes that were within a hundred yards of the southern end of the bridge. He was ordered to dig his first foxhole in an open field on the forward slope of the embankment. He shared this foxhole with a buddy. They fired their M1 rifles from this foxhole at German forces advancing on them from out of the southeast along a road that left the southeastern side of Saint Vith and headed off to the southeast. The foxhole my Dad shared with his buddy was one of a line of such two-man foxholes spaced about fifty yards apart. The attacking German forces were probably the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division. The American thin foxhole line in this sector did not achieve much more than to define the front line. What was really holding the Germans away from overrunning the foxhole line was the American artillery fire that was fired from somewhere behind my Dad, came flying over the back of his head, and landed on the Germans to his front. After a couple days and nights of this situation, a lieutenant came along collecting one G.I. from each foxhole pair of G.I.s. Soldiers were needed somewhere else for some other purpose. The lieutenant took my Dad’s buddy, leaving my Dad in the foxhole. The foxhole line now consisted of one-man foxholes spaced about fifty yards apart. At this point, my Dad took it upon himself to move back about thirty to forty yards to the very top of the railway embankment where the tracks were laid. He dug his second foxhole down between two crossties and between the rails. He made an embrasure on the enemy side of the foxhole such that he could aim and fire his rifle *under* the steel rail on the enemy side. In so doing, the rail protected the top of his head from enemy fire. German attacks continued for another couple days and nights, but then, the American artillery fire ceased and never started up again. Then, the final German assault consisting of infantry and combat vehicles started to collapse the American foxhole line from right to left, that is to say, from south to north. A G.I. came running from south to north past Dad’s foxhole and shouted to him, “Buddy, you better get out of here quick.” Dad took the hint, got out of his foxhole, and headed north at speed. He hid in the basement of a house that was near the huge, partially broken down stone railway bridge that carried the railroad tracks over the normal road. Purely by chance, Dad met two other G.I.s in the basement of the house. When they looked out the basement windows, they saw pairs of German boots walking by within a few feet of them. When darkness fell, they left the basement, ran into the forest, and started heading west. On several occasions, they had to cross a road, but, the road was crammed with German troops and vehicles. They had to lie motionless in the cold until there was a gap in the German traffic and they could dart across the road. After a couple days and nights of this business, they were close to death from hunger and the cold. They had nothing to eat but snow. At dark, they knocked on the door of an isolated farmhouse. For all they knew, there could have been German soldiers inside. An elderly woman opened the door, pulled them inside, and hustled them down into the cellar. She served them hot soup and bread. German soldiers could have entered the house at any time. Before it got light again, Dad and his two comrades left the farmhouse and resumed heading west through the forest. Eventually, they came out on the new American lines. They were able to identify themselves to the American soldiers they met, so, they were able to pass back through the American lines without being inadvertently shot by their own side. They found safe refuge behind American lines and realized that they had survived. It was Christmas Day. By a typically American feat of logistics, they were served a big Christmas dinner with all the fixings. It was too much for Dad. He promptly puked it up. During the late 1980s, Dad and I went to Saint Vith. The whole area was remarkably unchanged from 1944. We identified where he dug his foxholes within a few yards left or right and we identified three old houses in a row, one of which must have been the house where he and the two other G.I.s hid out in the basement watching German boots walking buy. I went back to Saint Vith myself in the summer of 2015. The entire area of my Dad’s adventure had been obliterated by recent commercial development. The railroad track and the huge stone railroad bridge had vanished. The meadow in which my Dad dug his first foxhole is now a parking lot.
Thanks for taking the time to share your Dad's war experience. My Dad was 5th Ranger. When I got home in 1969, he says now we can talk. When he got done telling me about his war, I felt kinship as a warrior, but as a boy scout compared to his service for the duration of the war. A chest full of metals but stayed drunk the rest of his life. Still Love him and Proud he was my Dad for what he give of himself as a warrior for our country.
@@malcolmmarson Thanks for your comments!
And to think that both Montgomery and Eisenhower were told of the offensive and they continued their festive occasions of a golf game and dinner party. My uncle, Donald Reaser was there in the bulge. He was one of two in his whole company to survive. He also said that half the casualties were due to inadequate equipment: trench foot, etc.
The bit with Gen. Clarke and Gen. Manteufel looking back and talking about the battlefield gave me chills.
The best documentary I've ever seen on the battle of the Bulge.. Incredible to hear so much first hand, US and German alike.. Thanks for uploading!
The event of that time was a lot closer to us in 1965, middle aged men talking to each other- just about 50 years later, they are almost all gone.
The West has deleted all masculinity. 99% of men have transformed themselves into spoiled, whiny, entitled pubescent girls.
This is a good one, most of the time I hate watching The Big Picture because the footage does not match the history but this one does seem to match and the interviews are very nice. Robert Taylor is a bonus too. Thanks for posting!
Nice find, good visual quality, very good production values for the time, made exceptional by the inclusion of Manteuffel.
time stamp 3:40. Mentions the 106th Infantry Division! My Dad was 422 Regiment. Rest In Peace, Dad.
+Richard D. Je remercie votre papa et je prierai pour lui!!
Indeed! A pleasure to make your acquaintance !
Je remercie votre papa et je prierai pour lui!!
translation: I thank your dad and I will pray for him !!
pressman7272 same my uncle was also in the 106 423
@@jackmarkey9687 I'll bet they chewed some of the same dirt. :-)
There is a book out through Merriam Press titled 'The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944'. It has this battle described as "one phase of the largest pitched battle on the Western Front in World War II". It is also used as a teaching aid at the U.S. Army Armor School....
Excellent technical documentary, clear film, and concise. It certainly is balanced, too. Great job by our Army film makers...
George Custer George Custer? I thought you were dead. How is Libby?
What really hurts, is the thought of a child. Not only having to live through all that but later when it's time to play, finding a body lying in a hole. Worse still is, they have seen so many that they could tell. This guy wasn't shot but had just froze to death.
It's sad to think, that there are more people turning children into soldiers as we speak ie Africa, Middle east and so on. Unfortunately even the USA can't stop this from happening on their on land or anywhere else. My friends daughter was killed by one of these soldiers last October, while attending school in Southern Oregon.
Hay Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you.
That would require a whole new political system and removal of corrupt politicians and corporate control of the populace and a miracle, perhaps after the ten kingdoms (which could happen now that the EU is fading) and last days come.
These "Big Picture" episodes from the 1950's and early '60's on the U.S. Army in World War II and the Korean War are still interesting.
My father was in this battle and I remember him mentioning it, but as a kid I paid little attention to it
Great doc. Always thought Hasso von Manteuffel was a stud (read his Bio sometime for the uninitiated), who always got the job done. Great seeing him in this and the World at War series.
German: from Low German Mandüvel, a nickname composed of the elements Man ‘man’ + Düvel ‘devil’, ‘devil’s fellow’. This was the name of a Pomeranian noble family. What a cool name.
The real problem is that the intro overlay text uses the word 'highlights' to suggest that the infantry engagements were mostly dull but there were occasional moments of interest... It was all horror. Start to finish. Frankly, it's a miracle anyone survived. Please don't trivialise this for the sake of a tidy edit.
I love the depth and detail of this documentary and the great footage, images, and quotes. I really resent modern documentaries that treat the audience like we have the attention spans of goldfish.
Learning about what my grandpa did here. Company B: 9th Armored Engineer Battalion.
Very interesting documentary One point I would add to the pictures at the end showing St. Vith in January 1945 at liberation is that the damage there was mainly from bombing raids and not the battle itself. Some 1.2kt of bombs fell on St Vith after it was captured by the Germans.
My great great uncle served in St. Vith he was the sergeant that drove the general!
Refreshing to see a documentary on the Bulge not concentrating on Bastogne and the 3rd Army. To be sure, the epic defense and relief of that town were bright chapters.in the history of this battle, but are FAR from being the whole story. The fact that the defenders of St. Vith held up the German offensive for seven days is sorely overlooked. Even FM Montgomery, never really on the greatest of terms with his American counterparts, stated on ordering the withdrawal of the GIs from the St. Vith sector "Tell them they can come back with all honor. They put on a magnificent show". On the down side, the loss of two whole regiments of the 106th Division is barely touched upon.
Absolutely true...the news media never discusses this either...the media now a days is mostly filled with propaganda.
Gen Clarke is one of few Americans who praised Monty for his withdrawal order.
I was stationed at Mons, Belgium , many times I drove the auto bahn to Mannhaim, I went through St Vith.
This must be considered a important historical record. Made with some of the key players who were there at the time, it has a convincing accuracy. Many of the incidents relater here were later demoted. It is important to note the German generals assessment of these holding actions which brought about the demise of the whole operation.
General von Manteuffel was a sharp dresser. You could tell Will Rogers Jr had great storytelling roots.
Some of these US officers are speaking like Donald Duck or like if they had a hot potato in their mouth. But I loved this docu, Much better (to my opinion) then what they do nowadays (National Geo, etc). In this at least they don't make it look like a Hollywood drama. I am appalled when I see the clothing those US soldiers had to fight the cold. It must have been really harsh. It is also good to hear the Germans talking about their experience.
I live not far from the Ardennes (about 200km), if you Americans ever visit Europe, do not miss Bastogne and the region around; tanks and monuments are everywhere and a couple of nice museums as well. You would be well received by the inhabitant. They do remember and some of those who were there at the fore stage are still alive. Every year veterans are coming, but lesser and lesser as time passes of course.
+Jpm Thanks for the invite. I'm glad to hear the people still remember those who have fallen in defense of freedom. God Bless America.
thats not in the ardennes.
My uncle was at St. Vith, 814th td battalion, ccb, 7 armored div...he is no longer on earth but would of liked to go back and look around that part of Europe.
He is and will remain remembered
its is really cool to hear from the german generals and commanders, such as von Manteufel, in a friendly disucssin wiht his former enemies.
If only there were more like this!
Nice video, i just spend my weekend in that arrea.
i live in St.vith its rebuild the church and the " büchelturm" is always there!
keep it comming!
Pretty good doc, fair for the 60's. I find the details of the first days fascinating. I'd love a doc that expanded on this, the German advance through the Ardennes, their problems and which units they attacked and the US response and the small unit actions that slowed the advance for a crucial day or two. It probably take a whole TV series.
*****
You are right of course. What I mean is a comprehensive doc, big picture small picture. Seems to me all the docs have the pieces but no one has put them all together. Bulge docs seem to focus on just a few things, this one shows St Vith, which is different for a change.
It is Just B.S. The US army could of just stayed defensive and out waited them. Again logistically the Nazi's had already lost. The US air war did it's job. Pity that more American's had to die for another European war and to protect wall street's profits.
Johnny bizaro
I liked one potential strategy that Patton suggested (probably in jest). If I recall correctly, he advocated actually *letting* the Germans break through and advance all the way to Paris, *then* close the trap and completely annihilate them. Obviously for political reasons they weren't going to do that, but from a purely military point of view I think such an approach would have resulted in far fewer Allied casualties than stubbornly resisting the German offensive and then painstakingly wrestling them back inch by bloody inch.
James Snee
funny. But I believe it.
antred11 I've read that American General Ridgeway wanted to fight a surrounded 7th Armored Division to the death at St. Vith. It was the intervention of Field Marshall Montgomery, that allowed them to be withdrawn from the town at all. Of course the US Army would never mention this in this documentary.
Sankt Vith is like my second home going there every week
scdnj really? I live next to sankt Vith in Neubrück do you know it (:?
Division headquarters was 40 miles to the rear. This that normal to be so far to the rear? 11:01
Wish i would have searched for this a long time ago. My grandfather was in this area with the 7th Armored Div.
My grandfather was in the 7th and there also
@@bobburke9840 under Patton?
Eisenhower failed his soldiers by not Suppling the soldiers with cold weather gear, a major failure.
The best American sons! My respect and simpatise!
Thumbs up if you're proud St. Vither !
Bonjour
Très intéressante reconstitution de événements. Cela m'a laisser sans voix beaucoup images que je n'avait jamais vu. O. A eu la vrai vérité et pas celle des politiques.
Merci pour cette vidéo et merci à sais hommes hélas tué et au survivent grâce à leur courage nous somme libre
KING-AIR-148
cool, and i'm thinking "they don't understand eachother but just act like they do"
The real war was in the East. That was combat.on a large scale.
Did Westphal serve in the Bundeswehr?
CMH online has an account of this. About the Schnee Eiffel, it says that regiment was told armored relief was 36 hours away- it wasn't, the commander's estimate was way optimistic- and that air resupply was coming- it did but had to turn around when denied permission to land by airfield controllers who hadn't been informed! A failure of command. That's why the regiment didn't pull back- they waited for relief, then had to surrender when their ammunition ran out.
A few more details: under the shock of the attack, some units stayed put and others took flight, like happened to the Russians on a larger scale in 1941. Team Cherry went out with their Shermans, held up the armored advance for a day and got destroyed doing it. German infantry's advance into the open would be broken up by American artillery, like every time. And we had to slog them back, we couldn't cut them off from North and South because there was just one road to use and that's not enough.
Watching the veterans talk about this battle is the best part. Most are gone now. I only wish the world they fought in was still here. Now it seems all was naught as the new generation is taught little..
Dear sir, in the world you grew up a clerk in a department store made enough money to support his family. Now we have people working 2 and three jobs to make ends meet. The few of us that have a small military retirement and managed to get a good job, are doing fairly well. We are educating our children, they are dressing properly going to college and will be ok. What is to be said for the rest? The older folks like yourself demand a lot of resources that we work like hell to provide.I continue:
My father and uncle was in WW 11 . dad Germany uncle Pacific.
nobobby in the world cares about your kiIIed veterans.
No hate, just old soldiers exchanging war stories probably going for a drink together afterwards.
Without airpower and 100% dominance from the sky the Allies could not have succeeded.
I Agree, what a breath of fresh air compared the simplistic S**t you get on The History Channel. I felt this was very balanced and well thought out, and your getting from the men who were there, not a twenty-something copywriter who doesn't have a clue!
28th Division, The Bloody Bucket" The "Keystone Division" ROLL ON!
The Pennsylvania National Guard prior to federalization around February 1941.
Maybe it is not true, but I think that at least a bit of contribution for American GI final success in those difficult situations is due to the M1 Garand rifle, that gave to defenders a better volume of fire against Germans equipped with bolt action rifles et not many stg 44
6:24 his key elements were speed, surprise, and an almost fanatic devotion to the Pope ... I will come in again!
23:30 theres a doggie whos gonna have chicken tonight.
The internet has a horrible oversimplifying effect.
17:28 the spoils of war...^^
I wonder how much they were not allowed to say, what was removed etc. ALL films, documentary or not, are always carefully edited, especially from the USA, where patriotism is often held with higher esteem than most.
Before anyone get's defensive and starts telling me how they saved the world, how I"m ungrateful etc. This appears to have much better balance than most but, especially with older film/interviews, they were very carefully crafted to air a certain light.
This is also a compilation by 'USA Patriotism' . Many comments echo what I have heard from other reliable sources too, so reality is there but how far were they allowed to go before being told not to say this or that?
All these generals survived eh.. Quote he told me his units to the west were surrounded but he didn't have a clear idea what was going on..... No because the general of that division wasn't even with them.. These generals sit back in safety and advise their divisions from the rear.. Right way back at the rear..
cold
If the wars in Afganistan and Iraq will never have a follow-up moment like at 07:04, then perhaps they shouldn't be called "wars".
Weird the way the commanders talk about the battle. They are like robots. I guess it is the style of the day and it seems to be a government product. A pity they werent allowed to express themselves.
Blair Maynard I don't think Clark or Manteuffel would be unable to express themselves. I think they'd get together and kick the crap out of anyone who tried to stop them.
WashuHakubi4 General Mark Clark deserves a lot of credit for the U.S. victory at the Battle of the Bulge -- by making himself scarce.
Blair Maynard Ha Ha, good one. I was referring to Gen. Bruce Clark. Gen. Mark Clark was screwing up in Italy. Different theater, as I'm sure you know.
amen
Life in general, and this war in particular, was very hard. People get hardened to endure and there's no feeling for the sensational and self indulgent expressing of oneself that is common amongst the soft and spoiled people of today.
Maybe it is because the mind is more agile than the tongue(?)
History repeats itself - the old saying goes. And, it does not only in social and economic histories, but also in military history. American troops were freezing in the Ardennes just like Germans were near Moscow and Stalingrad. History repeats itself not because it is some kind of unstoppable force in nature, but because people do not pay attention - the American High Command being over-confident decided that US troops will finish Germans off before the winter sets in. It never had a plan B - what if things go bad?They never learned from the German experience. Oh, we will be fine. The cold will not bother us. The same mistakes are made over and over again. There is a price to pay for this. When will this kind of thinking end, dear Generals? Don't blame it all on history, blame it on yourselves.
Why not, especially what the great American generals knew in 1944 about German freezing experience at Moscow and Stalingrad in 1941 and late of 1942. By the way, in the military everything is matching. I am sure that those American soldiers
who had a scarf and/or ear muffs were glad they had them.
You, moron! It's easy for you to babble about things you know nothing about, apparently, from your computer desk sitting on your chair or whatever. All you people do is watch a documentary only to display your ignorance. What don't you read a book!
I forgot to direct this comment for "SmoothRide".
Wouldn't it be better to show progress maps instead of talking heads talking?
54:20?
Unclear. The narration is referring to bodies still being out there, and the soldier standing there looks pensive, so I presume it is the outline of a body underneath the ground.
It's a bit disrespectful to the dead having two generals who were once enemies cosying up to one another.
Professional soldiers have a great deal of respect for each other, particularly after hostilities have ceased. Their is no disrespect shown to the dead on either side.
..
*AREA %! BATTLE IN A NUTSHELL*
Poor, poor feet!
Bevor the battle at the bulge, the americans faced no German Elite Units..And no full equiped German Division. The canadiens and british do. With heavy losses on both sides.
Actually the US had fought German elite units, and defeated them, thank you very much. 4th Armored at Arracourt defeated newly raised German armor brigades, despite being outnumbered 3 or 4 to one. Panzer Lehr was defeated by US at St. Lo in Normandy. After the breakout at St. Lo, at Mortain, the Germans counterattacked with the 2nd Panzer Division, 116th Panzer Division, the 2nd SS Panzer Division and part of the 1st SS Panzer Division, certainly mostly an elite force by any WWII measure. The US stopped them cold.
Don Meaker what you forgot: the biggest part of the allied victory: the allied airforce. 60:1 to the german Luftwaffe. The german panzer - divisions at this time had only 60 % of their normal standart. only the panzer - lehr was in full strength. only the british and canadiens faced the Germans in heavy tank - battles. (With heavy losses at both sides.)
Hetman first
Didn't forget. US was organized at that time so that the air forces were part of the Army. Army Air Force was indeed an important part of the battle, and indeed participated in the fight against Germans when supporting the British and Canadians, and so also fought against the elite Germans in heavy tanks in those battles. US Artillery also supported Allied units when positions were favorable.
How was the SS not an elite unit? Other than being defeated!
lastofthefinest?????????????????????
I am in the middle of reading Don Burgett’s third of four memoirs on his time in the 101st Airborne, 506th PIR, A company 1st battalion (BoB E company was in 2nd). His books are just unbelievable. In fact they were so unbelievable that he could not get his first book on Normandy published. The editors thought it was made up. It was not until a female editor who did believe him sent his manuscript to Eisenhower that Burgett won out. Ike’s admonition was “publish it, it’s all true.” His book was the only one on the Normandy invasion to be endorsed by Eisenhower. This dude should have been killed at least 20 times over (or more). I have no idea how they survived and how they managed to fight. In Bastogne as the battalion was heading north of the city to Noville to find the Germans and hold them off, some idiot captain told the paras to take their winter coats off!! In below zero weather! He somehow thought it would make it easier to fight. Pretty hard when you a frozen corpse. Soldier like him had trench foot, trench mouth (his teeth were coming loose) and some marched to the frontlines without a rifle, not to mention the well-known ammo shortage. I would have crumpled like piece of paper; the balls of these men was amazing.
Had Gen Eisenhower given support to Patton when France was liberated the battle of the Bulge would possibly never have happened. Tactical delays prevented Patton's advancing troops reaching the bridgeheads across the Rhine. There is a theory that had Patton followed his intention the war could have been shortened by many months and the heavy American causality numbers greatly reduced. Delays caused a halt in advancing American forces giving time for German troops to regroup and stage a winter counter attack. Documentary evidence provides a theory that deliberate delays by the American High Command gave Russian Forces time to cross eastern Europe that after the war became part of the Communist regime. Speculation exists about Patton's mysterious accident in 1945 and a book suggesting this was carried out to silence any controversy by the OSS /CIA. Patton died as a result of a mysterious road accident that some claim was stage managed to hide the truth. A former OSS/CIA operative claims he was directed to perform this task that he confessed to on his deathbed. Truth being stranger than Fiction ? Who knows ! .
brian Mckay 20/20 hindsight./
Patton died in a road accident after the war. I have studied the accident, there is no way it was staged. It was a minor accident but he broke his neck because there were no seat belts in those days
brian Mckay General Patch got to the Rhine...
If the Americans had fought the 1940 or even the 1943 Germans they would have had a real fight the Germans where beat by 1944 everyone knew it that's why Normandy happen let's be real!
I have never understood the German thought process behind this offensive. Common sense should have told them that the greatest danger to their country was to come from the Russians in the East. That is where their strength might have been more profitably expended, perhaps getting them a somewhat better post-war deal..
Their logic went something like this: We're faced with two armies, both of them stronger than us, slowly closing in on us from the East and the West. If we concentrate on defense, we can prolong the war, but surely in the end we'll lose it all the same. For the war to have any outcome other than defeat, we *must* knock one of those armies out. That will then allow us to concentrate all of our forces on the remaining enemy and at least give us a fighting chance. Since we deem the Anglo-American forces to be the weaker of those 2 armies, that's where we should strike.
To a certain degree it actually makes sense. Of course by that time the war was simply lost for Germany, no matter what they did. Even if they had actually succeeded not only in winning the battle of the Bulge (unlikely) but also in destroying all Allied forces in Western Europe (forget about it), that still wouldn't have stopped the Soviet juggernaut.
antred11 What you say makes sense. I would further suggest that experienced military commanders were under no illusion that they had any real chance of ultimately defeating either the Russians or the Allies in the west. I believe that the saner among the German command staff believed that they might achieve a decent bargaining position for surrender negotiations with the Americans if they could gain a decisive battle victory that would be very costly to the Americans, in terms of lives and material. The Germans may have also hoped that the Americans might put pressure on the Russians to cease hostilities as part of a conditional surrender deal. Who knows what hair-brained plan Herr Hitler had though.
Jim Nesta
Although the offensive was military doomed the goal appear to be compelling the United States and Britain to sign a separate peace so that Germany could focus its efforts against the Soviets in the East. Kind of like the TET offensive in Vietnam where Viet Cong started a massive fire fight with US forces. It was suicidal but they did, and the political repercussions helped turn the American public against the war.
But then again the supreme commander of the German forces had a track record of override his generals with less than sound orders, was on all sorts of medications, and with serious question marks over how much of a grip on reality he had after the tide of war turned.
thedoubledog - cut US and Brits in half, get to Antwerp cut off supplies - divide further US/Brits - already uneasy with each other over tactics (Monty had to step in and take over 2 US armies in BoB) - throw 'Allies' into further chaos and thus collapse - out of battle/sue for peace then concentrate on the East.
Possibly his only roll of the dice at that stage,
The German army was not as strong anymore at this point after fighting for over 5 years.
15:53
"The enemy infiltrated between our lines and into our 'REAR AREAS.'"
GOOD LORD ALMIGHTY! War IS hell! LOL!
***** Lighten up.
God loves you come to him and repent
So what do we say to you? That in 5 or six years you have collected in social security all the money you have contributed and now depend on younger people to support you. Before you would not go to the doctor for anything short of surgery. Now we have annual checks. The whole life has changed. I have used newspaper in the bathroom instead of toilet paper. So please don't tell me about how bad the world is. We are doing fine. It all depends on the parenting YOU are providing to YOUR kids good day
this two arrogant generals talking about this event.... they have killed thousands of brave soldiers,
disgusting!!
In today's military, medals are given out at the drop of a hat. They use medals as publicity and propoganda for merely doing a normal job. There are thousands of Americans in the European and Pacific theatres that did things on a daily basis that men of today get the highest of medals for doing once. That's not to say some, if not most, are surely appropriate. But I, personally, know of several that were given only for being in the right place at the right time and just doing what they were expected to do. When a cook is given a Silver Star for feeding troops, or some lieutenant is given a meritorious medal for driving a general from his jet to the hotel - that's bull shit when I know of men that lost count of the buzz of bullets that passed an inch from their ears while pulling his fellow soldier to safety.
Ha!..Thats exactly what I tought when I watched a documentation about the 1th Gulfwar. A F-111 was chased by a MiG-29...an F-15 shot down the chasing MiG and gets a Silverstar..okay...and the F-111 Pilots the DFC...for flying low and turning hard...^^
we were the best-GERMANS--saved the WEST---or say hi -UNCLE JOE!!!!
I can understand German, but suck at speaking it. you just need a basic level of knowledge and vocabulary in a language to be able to understand it.
Even if they did make it to Antwerp it still won't have saved them ,we were that close ,an only the brass ,aka officers doing this video makes me sick the GI did the real fighting ,these guys drank whiskey an shouted orders ,lions lead by lambs again
Such a shame....anglo American forces and axis forces should of joined together and liberated the Slavic people from Judea bolshevism ....
i live in St.vith its rebuild the church and the " büchelturm" is always there!
i live in St.vith its rebuild the church and the " büchelturm" is always there!