Battle Of The Bulge Analysis

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BATTLE OF THE BULDGE.

SGT’s: Johnson, Swofford, Guillemette, Kouns

005-18

SFC Greene

“NUTS!” that was the response of Brigadier General McCaulif , acting Commander of the 101st Airborne, when ordered the retreat by General Luttwitz, Commander of the XLVII Panzer Corps, at the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of The Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge turned the tide of WWII on the Western Front and ultimately lead to the inevitable defeat of the German Army. The Battle of the Bulge was the Germans final attempt to push through the lines of the Allied powers during WWII. The intent of the German was to stop the Allied use of Antwerp, Belgium and to split the allied lines In order to enable the German army to surround the Allied forces
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Up through World War II the German Army still continued the use of horse drawn artillery which proved to be their ultimate demise during The Battle of the Bulge. The United States Army however, after World War I chose to update their field artillery from the French 75mm gun to the M2 105mm howitzer and M1A1 155mm howitzer. Unlike the German artillery, the United States’ artillery where towed by a 2 ½ ton truck or the M5 Tractor as opposed to horses. Having towed artillery enabled the American’s artillery to both highly mobile and efficient. Unlike the German artillery that could only move a maximum of 25 miles per day with their horse drawn cannons, the US Artillery could continue to advance with their maneuver elements. The other detrimental issue faced by the German commanders was the variety of cannons in the logistical nightmare that ensued. The German artillery consisted of a multitude of different horse drawn artillery pieces. With such a variety of weapon systems within their formations, it proved to be difficult to provide a continuous resupply to the firing batteries throughout the course of WWII and the Battle of the