Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 1, 2004

American soldiers taking up defensive positions in the Ardennes

The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western Front in World War II. It was intended that the German forces would split the Allied line in half, capture Antwerp, sweep north and encircle and destroy four Allied armies, thus forcing them to negotiate for peace. Although unsuccessful, it nevertheless tied down huge amounts of Allied resources, and a slow response to the resulting gap in their lines erased months from their timetable. An alternative analysis is that the offensive allowed the Allies to severely deplete the cream of German army outside the defenses of the Siegfried Line and in poor supply state, greatly easing the assault on Germany afterward. In numerical terms, it is the largest battle the United States Army has ever fought. (more...)

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