BATTLE OF BULGE

Abstract

The Battle of the Bulge, which occurred in the winter of 1945 and had been Hitler's

desperate attempt to destabilize the Allied soldiers invading Germany from the west,

is a military classic. It is written from the viewpoint of the Allied operational

command level. The Allied operational decisions (theatre and army) show both (a)

very effective Industrial Age strategic choices and (b) situations where network-

centric and Edge decision making would have made a significant difference. Because

it was mainly a reflection of one individual's peculiarities compounded by a rigid,

centralised, and hierarchical method to command and control, understanding the

Germans' decision making skills is also crucial to understand what occurred.

Introduction

The Battle of the Bulge was a major battle in the history of the world. On December

16, 2010, Adolf Hitler commenced this fight. He believed the United Coalition of

Britain, France, and the United States is too weak. He sensed this and designed a

strategy to counter the allied powers and, ultimately, win the war. After many

deliberation, he agreed that we can somehow go after Antwerp and Brussels. During

some war's worst and harshest winters, this conflict would occur. This would be the

most hard battle of WWII, involving 81,000 American and 100,000 Nazis casualties.

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge has also been called the battle of Ardennes. Because of

German strategy, it has become known as the Battle of the Bulge, whom Winston

Churchill termed it. It was Hitler's penultimate attempt to put the conflict to an end.

During in the winter of 1944-1945, nearing the ending of WWII, this battle apparently
happened. The Nazi party was on the brink of dissolving, and Hitler felt that if he

didn't win this battle, the war would be over. To Hitler, the risk was justified. If Hitler

is succeeded, the Nazi party may expand, whereas the Allies would shrink. Hitler

engaged the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Fifteenth Panzer Armies to execute a

devastating onslaught on the Allies. His primary strategy was to recapture Antwerp,

which featured a vital port that served the Allies. He aimed to capture Antwerp with

the Sixth Panzer Army, causing chaos on the Allied forces. The Fifth Panzer Army

could assault the controlling authority of the American Forces and push them out.

They could later conquer Brussels. The southern flank of the Sixth Panzer Army

would've been assaulted by the Seventh Panzer Army. This would make it almost

impossible for the US to turn around it and assault the Fifth Panzer Army. Any

potential Allied Forces attacks would be met with opposition from the Fifteenth

Panzer Army. Hundreds of thousands of troops and over 1,000 military vehicles

would be needed for this invasion. The battle began with Germany bombing the

Allied forces for 2 hours. The invasion grabbed the US off guard, and they were

unable to defend themselves. After the shelling, the Germans launched a massive

vehicle attack. The Germans looked to be on the way to glory. Prior to the battle,

English-speaking Germans camouflaged in American uniforms infiltrated the camp

and give false information about an attack. To mislead the Allies, they cut telephone

lines and modified road signs, among many other things. For the Germans, the battle

seemed to be moving well at first. The onset of the fight was also impacted by the

weather. It was a foggy day with a minimal range of sight. This was a typical winter

landscape in the Ardennes. Everything went well with the Germans, but everything

went wrong for the Allies.

Principles of Mission Command:

A. Provide a clear commander's intent:

The overall sentiment of this principle is to ensure that everyone is

unmistakably and irrevocably on the same page--made more poignant by the reality of

what's at stake in the case of the Army. But it's no less important in your workplace,

so get intentional about providing clear intent.

B. Build cohesive teams through mutual trust

This includes keeping the values and ethics of the organization on display at

all times. Cohesive teams also flourish when the commander balances subordinate

needs with mission requirements and takes the time and thoughtfulness to build a

consensus.

C. Create shared understanding:

When leaders communicate and invest in the time it takes to share and

translate important information. Doing this effectively requires more than just

"shouting from the mountain top". The most exceptional leaders interact with their

employees and use personal power versus position power to ensure commitment, not

just compliance, to common goals. In the Army, and in business, creating shared

understanding also means ensuring every team member understands what the other

does and that there's minimal overlap in responsibilities.

D. Exercise disciplined initiative:

 The Field Manual discloses that this comes about by influencing others to

take initiative, by maintaining professional bearing and conduct at all times, and by

anticipating uncertain or changing conditions. All of this creates a mindset that what

matters is staying accountable for achieving the desired end result.

E. Use mission orders

This principle encourages the troops to really use directives versus

just following them, i.e. use them as an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop and to

do so as the Field Manual describes, "without excessive, detailed direction".  In other

words, every mission is a chance for leaders to practice granting autonomy and for

followers to practice taking it and running with it.

F. Accept prudent risk:

The Field Manual defines this as carefully assessing and managing risk (not

avoiding it) while making good decisions about allocating resources that would help

improve the likelihood of success behind the risk. So get good at assessing what

defines a "prudent" risk and couple it with a plan for allocating supporting resources.

"Victory or defeat in battle changes the situation to such a degree that no human

acumen is able to see beyond the first battle. Therefore no plan of operation

extends with any certainty beyond the first contact with the main hostile force…

The advantage of the situation will never be fully utilized if subordinate

commanders wait for orders, it will be generally more advisable to proceed

actively and keep the initiative than to wait to the law of the opponent"

-Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Force comparisons by date

Force Allied[3] Axis[4]

Date 16 Dec 24 Dec 2 Jan 16 Jan 16 Dec 24 Dec 2 Jan 16 Jan
228,74 ~541,00 ~705,00 700,52 406,34 ~449,00 ~401,00 383,01
Men
1 0 0 0 2 0 0 6
Tanks 483 1,616 2,409 2,428 557 423 287 216
Tank

destroye

rs 499 1,713 1,970 1,912 667 608 462 414

and assa

ult guns
Other A
1,921 5,352 7,769 7,079 1,261 1,496 1,090 907
FVs
Anti-

tank and
971 2,408 3,305 3,181 4,224 4,131 3,396 3,256
artillery 

pieces
Armored 
2 6 8 8 7 8 8 8
divisions
Armored 
1 2 2 1 1 1
brigades
Infantry
6 15 22 22 13 16 15 16
divisions
Infantry
2 2 2
brigades

Initial and Final manpower commitments for all units in Ardennes Campaign
American British German
Initial 687,498 111,904 498,622
Final 680,706 111,100 425,941
Conclusion

Germany knew from the start, going into this fight that even if they won, it would be a

deathblow to the Allies, but that the opposite would be true if they lost. Hitler was

prepared to take that chance. The Germans had produced a positive start, but it wasn't

enough. This was a game changer in the war, and it was only a matter of time till

Germany fragmented and succumbed. This would end in the downfall of the Nazi

party and, subsequently, Hitler's suicide.

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