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Hitler begins to plan battle
From the early May to November, Hitler began to plan Operation Autumn Fog, relaying the scheme purely in person and relaying flurries of misinformation via radio and public rumors to confuse the Allied forces. -
German army launches offensive
The morning silence was broken by an hour long barrage of german artillery attacks. As the dust cleared, the new and weary men alike looked in horror to see 18 German infantry divisions, and 2,500 tanks driving towards them. -
Poor weather settles in limiting Allied air support
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Period: to
German assault goes on relatively unhampered for 5 days
The attack continued without major opposition for five straight days, creating a 50 mile deep “bulge” in the American front lines, giving the battle its infamous name. -
Allied POWs executed
German Colonel Joachim Peiper ordered the death of 87 Allied troops who surrendered, which were then killed in cold blood -
Stavelot lost to German advancing forces
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Allied forces surrender to German troopers
6,000 Allied soldiers surrender to Germans surrounding them. -
US forces begin to regroup and launch counter attacks
Along the Ardennes line, US forces begin to regroup together and even launch counteroffensive measures against the weary German troops -
Town of Stavelot recaptured by Allies
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US airborne troops surrounded by Germans
The 101st Airborne division is completely encircled by the German 162nd Panzer corps -
Changes of command
British General Montgomery is tasked with taking charge of the progress along the north line of defense while American General Bradley is told to command the south front. -
Parts of the US army surrounded by German troops
In the Eiffel region, parts of the US 106th Division were surrounded by German forces -
Allied airborne reinforcements join the fight
2,000 allied planes are launched to aid in combating german forces on the ground -
Poor weather begins to clear
The bad weather over the Ardennes begins to clear up, allowing for Allied reinforcements to aid -
Allied air to ground fighters destroy German vehicles
Ground attack planes target German vehicles and troop clusters. Without air support, the Germans aren't capable of much in response. -
German losses on Christmas Day
The Germans lost 400 vehicles including 81 tanks and 3,500 infantry units on Christmas Day alone. -
Hitler orders a halt of the German advance
Hitler orders his troops to stop pushing, but not to retreat, leaving them to be attacked by the freshly reinforced Allied forces -
Allies push back, regaining territory quickly
Allied forces push back, destroying German forces -
All signs of German advance erased
All advances made by the German army have been erased; suffering casualties of 82,000 men total, to a 77,000 lost by the American Army -
British and American armor repel German armor
At the farthest push of the German offensive, 60 miles in, the American 2nd Armored Division and the British 29th Armored Brigade repelled the German 2nd Panzer Division.
