The Bulge Bugle - Battle of the Bulge Association magazines online

Discussion in 'Research Material' started by brithm, Mar 31, 2022.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    On the internet archive The Bulge Bugle - Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge magazines have been uploaded

     
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  2. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

  3. riter

    riter Well-Known Member

    I don't think Ike would have blame Monty for a German victory. In their memoirs Ike and especially Brad admitted that they took a calculated risk by having such a lengthy line defended by exhausted or new units. The 99th ID was there for only a short while, had no battle experience other than some patrol work while they were there. The 106th ID (Golden Lions) was even worse off. When they relieved the 2nd ID:

    They were exposed in a salient that was vulnerable but the Allies wanted the 106 ID to hold it as a toe hold from which an offensive could be launched.
    Unlike the 2nd Infantry Division that had a surplus of phones, the 106th ID had only that which the ToE called for.
    The 106th maintained radio silence when it relieved the 2nd ID. There was no time to calibrate/tune their radios.
    The 106th's artillery did not have an opportunity to register their weapons.
    Stockpiled ammunition was only for one day.
    Two of the three infantry regiments were across the Our River, whose depths were too deep to ford and banks were too steep to climb with vehicles. Lose the bridges (which they did) and they were cut off (which they were).
    Normal doctrine called for a division to hold 5 miles and the 106th had 20 miles (excluding the 5 miles held by a cavalry battalion that was unknown to them).

    The men fought bravely and it's amazing that they accomplished what they did; but they cannot be faulted for their loss or failure to hold that line. Brad and Ike took a gamble that nothing would happen. They lost that gamble.

    BTW, great link and thank you Brithm.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2022
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  4. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Riter - I fully agree, the Allied Commanders were aware of a German build-up (formation of Sixth Panzer Army), but no one expected a large-scale German counter-offensive, since the logistic resources mainly were lacking for this. They assumed the enemy would carefully herd his reserves in order to counter the Allied offensives. No one on the Allied side expected that the opponent would waste his last precious reserves in a hopeless counter offensive. The miscalculation was that it was no longer the military that made the decisions on the German side, but an irrational head of state. An almost similar situation we now experience again in the Ukraine.

    The 99th US Infantry Division arrived in November 44 in the Ardennes, fresh from the USA. It had some weeks to obtain some frontline experience, be it only static defense. The ill-fated 106th US Infantry Division arrived a week prior to the German counter-offensive and like-wise took up a defensive position; taking over Westwall/Siegfried Line positions on the high ridgeline of the Schnee Eifel, just inside Germany. Ill-fated, because two Infantry Regiments of the 106th were cut-off in the opening stage of the Ardennes offensive and a couple of days later had to surrender to the Germans. The 106th U.S. Infantry Division (aka Golden Lions) has an excellent unit history:

    [​IMG]

    The divisional history 99th US Infantry Division (aka Checkerboard Division) is of somewhat lesser of quality, but still interesting:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2022

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