This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive. In a bold bid to seize Antwerp, Adolf Hitler launched a massive blow to break through Allied lines which caught the Allies off guard and caused an enormous crisis in the bitter winter of 1944.
Unfortunately many studies of this key struggle follow a simplistic refrain that the offensive was foiled mostly due to the fact that the Germans eventually ran out of steam – namely, fuel – and were thus inevitably thwarted by Allied troops. A deeper study of the battle reveals a much more complicated picture.
Among other things, this battle provides a fascinating study of generalship. For me, an often overlooked aspect of the ultimate Allied victory in the Ardennes is the leadership of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
Frequently, and undeservedly, denigrated by historians, Montgomery handled troops under his command with sterling ability, providing much-needed cohesion in the battle’s crisis.
“The leader’s power of decision results from his ability to remain imperturbable in the crisis. His calmness prevents panic, and his resolution compels action.”
FM Bernard Law Montgomery
I will have more to share with you about my study of this important battle in the future.