The German Army launched the “Ardennes Counteroffensive”, better known as the “Battle of the Bulge”.
As the last major German offensive in the west, it was their final attempt to beat and push back the advancing Allied armies that had moved rapidly across France and Belgium since June 6, 1944.
Planned in secrecy, the Germans campaign goal was recapturing the harbor city of Antwerp, Belgium which was critical to the Allied supply chain in western Europe. On top of stopping Allied transport across the English Channel, the offensive was intended to split the Allied line in half.
The morning of December 16, 1944, over 200,000 German troops and 1,000 tanks attacked a 75-mile stretch of the front in the Ardennes, covering parts of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The four American divisions stationed there were exhausted from previous operations as well as recuperating, or inexperienced and still in training.
About 19,000 Americans were killed during this counteroffensive. Many of the Americans who lost their lives in the Battle of the Bulge are buried in Ardennes, Henri-Chapelle, Luxembourg, and Netherlands American Cemeteries.