It's mid-December, 1944, and Allied troops have crossed over into Western Germany.
In the east, most of the hard-won gains of the German army against the Soviet Communists
have been lost, and now a furiously vengeful Red Army bears down on Germany.
The nation is facing war on two fronts, and is losing on both counts.
In his command headquarters, Hitler stews and fumes, blaming his generals, the troops,
the equipment- everything and everyone but himself, despite the fact that he personally
oversaw and planned many of the major offensives against the Allies.
Hitler needs a miracle to save himself, and as he inspects the battle lines drawn out
on a giant tactical map before him, he thinks he sees one.
He stabs a finger down on the Ardennes Forest, disputed territory that lies between German
and Allied forces- his generals raise skeptical eyebrows.
The forest is very difficult terrain for the mechanized armies of the Wehrmacht to cross,
and yet years before at the glorious onset of what was at the time a highly successful
and victorious war, they had done just that, completely taking the French and British by
surprise and rendering the formidable French Maginot line series of fortifications completely
useless.
It worked once, it'll work again, and despite the protests of his generals, Hitler orders
the attack.
His plan is simple: he'll surprise the Allied forces and split them in two by cutting through
the Ardennes and deep into their lines.
Once split, the Germans will hook north and seize Amsterdam and Antwerp, denying the Allies
the use of their port facilities to land more troops and supplies closer to the front lines,
and more importantly keeping Allied air power at bay.
In a stunningly bold master stroke, Hitler planned to crush the Allied offensive on the
Western front, and perhaps convince the demoralized Allies to join him in combating the Communists-
whom most of the world already held in deep suspicion.
The plan was ambitious, and if it worked it could indeed have set the Allies back months,
giving Germany a chance to negotiate a cease fire and push the Soviets back.
Germany may not be able to retake the lost territories in France, but it could hold Poland
and focus its efforts on the Soviet Union, at last crushing the Red Army and bringing
Stalin to heel.
It could work, and if it did it would swing not just the course of the war, but history
itself.
Yet Hitler could never plan on the grit, resolve, and determination of America's 101stAirborne,
who would hold against incredible odds and keep the Germans from securing their final
victory.
Working under a veil of extreme secrecy, the Germans began to organize for the pending
attack under the codename of Operation Watch on the Rhine, a purposefully defensive sounding
name which was hoped would fool Allied spies into believing the Germans were simply preparing
for their defense of the Rhine river.
Under the guise of defensive operations, the germans gathered a force of 200,000 men, 1,000
tanks, and 1,900 artillery pieces, all supported by 2,000 fighter aircraft.
They would be facing off against 80,000 Allied troops with less than 250 pieces of armor
and 400 artillery guns.
Most of the troops directly in Hitler's way were American, and of them the majority were
still inexperienced, while the Germans fielded a great number of battle hardened veterans,
though they had supplemented their ranks with boys and men who would have previously been
considered too young or too old for military service.
The Germans would also be bringing to bear the mighty 70 ton Tiger II tanks, absolute
monsters with no equal on the European battlefield.
These tanks could score kills on Allied armor at incredible ranges, and were so well protected
that they could take several direct hits in return with little damage.
In the air the Germans also featured the new Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter jets, which dramatically
outperformed any Allied fighter in the skies.
Fortunately for the Allies, numbers of both Tiger II and Messerschmitts were limited,
but where they were applied would dominate the battlefield.
On December 16th, at 0530 hours, 1600 German artillery pieces opened fire, raining down
destruction for an hour and a half across a 80 mile (130 kilometer) front opposite the
6thPanzer Army.
The American forces weathering the storm believed this to be an expected and localized counterattack
in response to their recent attack in the Wahlerscheid sector in the north, where the
US's 2ndDivision had destroyed a large portion of the German's defensive Siegfried Line.
As heavy snowstorms blasted the area, both Allied and German aircraft were grounded,
but the snow did not stop the rumbling advance of heavy German armor.
In the center, the Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne and St. Vith, critical road
junctions that must be seized in order for the offensive to be successful.
In the south the Seventh Army pushed into Luxembourgh in order to secure the attack's
flank versus Allied counter attacks.
If the southern push failed, the flank of the German offensive would be exposed and
vulnerable to counter attacks that could sever supply lines and isolate German forces in
the same way they planned to do to the Americans and British.
In the north, the Sixth Panzer Army, best equipped of all German armies, cut straight
towards its chief objective, Antwerp and its port facilities.
It's the opening day of the assault, and American forces have been taken completely by surprise.
The initial push has seen major retreats by American infantry, but after the initial shock
wears off the Americans dig their heels in and repel the Germans.
For their part, the Germans are now focusing their efforts on taking the critical Losheim
road, a route through the Losheim Gap which must be secured in order to transport the
rest of the offensive to its ultimate objective in Antwerp.
But American engineers have beaten the Germans to the punch and blown up two key overpasses,
leaving the Germans with no option but to reroute their forces through the small village
of Lanzerath.
Twenty two Americans hold Lanzerath at the moment, eighteen of them form an intelligence
and reconnaissance platoon from the 99th Infantry Division, and four of them are forward Air
Controllers tasked with calling in air support where needed.
This small village, normally relatively strategically unimportant, has suddenly become the most
important objective in the German campaign- and this small force of 22 US soldiers is
all that stands between Antwerp and the full might of the Sixth Panzer Army.
Early in the morning of the 16th as the Germans launch their offensive, 55 soldiers from the
820th Tank Destroyer Battalion helping secure Lanzerath are ordered to reinforce US troops
in battle near Bucholz Station.
Their withdrawal has left the 22 Americans alone, and with no armor support.
1st Lieutenant Lyle Bouck, in command of the American defenders, orders three of his men
to set up an observation post in a house on the east side of the village, and as he accompanies
them he spots a column of 500 German soldiers advancing towards them.
From their distinctive helmet style Bouck immediately realizes that these soldiers are
Fallschirmjager, some of the best soldiers in the German army.
Most of his troops meanwhile are raw recruits, with a few seasoned veterans amongst them.
They are all expert marksmen though, and in top physical condition- handpicked for their
assignment, they were supposed to be operating behind enemy lines, capturing enemy soldiers
for intel and fixing enemy positions.
What they were not supposed to be doing was securing an entire village against a force
20 times their size.
Bouck radios HQ for permission to organize a retreat in force, fighting a delaying action
that would let his men retreat while putting up a fight that would slow the Germans down.
The request is denied however- the sudden offensive has taken the Americans by surprise,
and the loss of the blown up overpasses has made Lanzerath critical to the German plans,
it must be held at all costs.
Bouck is promised reinforcements and told to hold.
The Germans stroll into town with weapons slung, not expecting any American resistance
in this sector- a fact that Bouk takes to full advantage as he organizes a brutal ambush
on the unsuspecting Germans.
The fighting quickly becomes house to house, and despite being hugely outnumbered, Bouck's
men are scoring massive casualties on the Germans.
The Germans may have brought their best, but the Americans are crack shots and have the
advantage of being on the defensive.
Still, the battle is clearly suicidal, and desperately Bouck calls for reinforcements
and artillery support.
He's told that none is available, and yet he must hold “at all costs”.
This means hold until dead or captured, the village must not fall.
With grim resolve the Americans hold their ground, exacting a heavy toll on the advancing
Germans.
After twenty hours of constant fighting, the Americans are finally forced to surrender,
but not before inflicting 92 casualties while suffering 15 of their own.
Lieutenant Bouck is shipped off to a POW camp believing he has failed, and won't learn until
the end of the war that his heroic stand was likely responsible for foiling the entire
German northern advance.
The 20 hour delay has halted the whole of the German Sixth Army's advance, creating
a massive bottleneck that buys time for American defenders to reorganize and counter attack.
Improved weather opens up the skies for Allied aircraft which savage German Panzers, and
the northern attack fails.
While the advances in the north and the south were facing considerable resistance and slowly
being ground to a halt, the advance in the center is a considerable success.
The Fifth Panzer Army, spearheaded by the 2nd Panzer Division swings south of Bastogne
and crosses the Ourthe river, though a lack of fuel briefly halts its advance.
The Germans are cutting deep into Allied lines, and back in Berlin there's much celebration-
despite the failures in the north and south the Allies may still have their forces split,
and if that happens the Germans may be victorious yet.
There's just one tiny problem- the town of Bastogne, a critical junction for the German
advance, is still being held by America's 101st Airborne.
All seven roads that traverse the dense Ardennes forest converge on Bastogne, and if Antwerp
and its harbor are going to be taken, Bastogne must fall first.
Failing here means that the Allies will be able to bring their air power closer to the
front lines and begin landing troops and supplies close to the front.
Bastogne has to fall, no matter the cost.
In the small village a few thousand American airborne troops are being supplemented by
a small force of light and medium tanks and three artillery battalion.
The American armor has taken a savage beating, and the remnants are organized into a mobile
fire brigade of 40 tanks.
The surviving artillery numbers at thirty six guns, but ammunition is dangerously low.
In command of the Americans is Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, and having received news
that the Germans have pushed the Allies back on both his north and his south, he knows
that he's standing alone and reinforcements aren't coming.
He also knows that if Bastogne falls, the German offensive through the Ardennes will
break upon the retreating allied forces with devastating results.
The General assigns his men defensive positions to the east, north and south, and orders the
remaining tanks to form a mobile fire brigade responsible for responding to any armor spearheads
by the Germans.
At his disposal is the thirty six artillery but their ammo is running low, so its use
will have to be sparing and only where most needed.
Most German tanks will have to be dealt with by the infantry, using their portable bazookas
and grenades if need be.
The worst winter storm in memory has struck the area as well, so resupply by air or tactical
air support will not be available- the Americans are alone, and facing a force of over 54,000
Germans.
Early on the 20th of December, the Germans launch probing attacks against the encircled
Americans against their southern and western defensive perimeters.
The one advantage the Americans have is that being surrounded, their armor doesn't have
to travel far to reposition against each German attack.
When the infantry is in danger of being overrun by German tanks, the American armor disengages
from one battle and rushes to the other.
Their artillery is also able to rapidly retarget, and barrages of fire are brought down on each
subsequent German attack.
The Germans find no weak spots in the American defense and suffer serious casualties for
the attempt.
Still, the Americans are low on ammunition and the weather has kept resupply planes at
bay.
It's only a matter of time before they are annihilated, and on the 22nd the German commander
sends a letter to General McAuliffe.
In it he reminds the General that he is completely surrounded and that the fortune of war is
changing.
He informs the General that more German armor has already crossed the river outside Bastogne
and is ready to join the fight.
If he doesn't surrender his troops they will be met with total annihilation.
General McAuliffe carefully reads the letter, then picking up a blank sheet of paper he
scribbles a quick response before handing it to the German messenger.
Back behind friendly lines, the messenger delivers the response to the German commander,
who opens it to read:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander
On Christmas Day the Germans make good on their threats and assault Bastogne in force.
The night before the Luftwaffe had carried out a bombing attack which killed 21, but
the Americans are still holding fast.
The German commander concentrates his forces on one spot rather than attack from all sides,
and the XLVII Panzer Corps smashes into the Americans on their western perimeter, rather
than the south where expected.
The initial fighting sees the Americans pushed back all the way to their command post, but
then they dig in and hold out against several infantry assaults.
The Panzers that formed the original assault split into two columns to encircle and try
to reach the American command post from the rear, but they are met by the remaining American
armor and four tank destroyers and completely obliterated.
The German assault has failed, and within days the Allies have regrouped from the massive
German offensive and retaken the lost territory.
The defenders at Bastogne are relieved and hailed as heroes, but theirs is a story that
has played out dozens of times across dozens of different flashpoints by British and American
soldiers who refused to yield under the weight of the crushing German advance.
Peace at last is on the horizon, as well as the fall of one of the most murderous regimes
of the 20th century.
That’s the story.
Make sure you check out our other video, Battle of Thermopylae - Spartans vs Persians.
See you next time!