SPECIAL REPORT # 75TH ANNIVERSARY BY THE NUMBERS ALLIED FORCES NAZI FORCES TROOP STRENGTH IN ‘THE BULGE’ On Dec. 16, 1944: On Dec. 16, 1944: 228,741 406,342 On Jan. 16, 1945: On Jan. 16, 1945: 700,520 383,016 Dec. 16, 1944-Jan. 25, 1945: Named after the wedge-shaped advance the Nazis made into Allied lines, NUMBER OF TANKS DEPLOYED the Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, was the last major German offensive on the On Dec. 16, 1944: On Dec. 16, 1944: Western Front during World War II. The Nazis hoped to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and split the 483 557 Allied lines. They quickly gained ground in the opening days of the battle with American forces incurring a high On Jan. 16, 1945: On Jan. 16, 1945: number of casualties. But by Christmas, Allied troops began to push Nazi forces back, eventually handing Adolf Hitler 2,428 216 a major defeat. The battle was the third deadliest military campaign in American history with 19,276 U.S. forces killed. CASUALTIES Graphic by Kevin Burkett | (Logansport, Indiana) Pharos-Tribune Over 90,000 Up to l00,000 killed, wounded killed, wounded or captured or captured ARMEMENTS LOST THE GERMAN ADVANCE 733 tanks and 554 tanks and tank destroyers tank destroyers Nazi front line Elsenborn Dec. 16, 1944: Approx. 1,000 Approx. 800 aircraft aircraft 1 Dec. 16, 1944 BELGIUM Spa Ridge area The invasion of the Elsenborn CIVILIAN LOSSES 2 Dec. 24, 1944 Ridge is led by the Malmedy Butgenbach Approximately 3,000 civilians were MILES units selected by Allied front lines Staumont Adolf Hitler himself. killed during the course of the battle. 0 5 Bullange It is considered U.S. FIRST ARMY Stavelot GEN. COURTNEY HODGES Trois-Ponts the shortest route 2 to the ultimate objective of the Ciney offensive, Marche en St. Vith A SURVIVOR’S STORY Famenne Antwerp. But Dinant 1 the attack is thwarted Celles by the U.S. 2nd Gouvy Prüm Oudler and 99th Infantry Ciergnon Divisions. Rochefort Pronsfeld Beauraing 1 Ortheuville Clervaux Wellin Amberloup GERMANY St. Hubert Bastogne Bitburg 2 Wiltz Consthum BELGIUM Libramont Dec. 23, 1944: Better weather allows the The seige of Bastogne Allies begin air raids 2 Ettelbrück Diekirch Byon Dec. German 19, 1944, troops Bastogne and its network of roads wasis Dec. 26, 1944: Echternach underand supplysevere routes.threatthreat. from. Gen. Gen.Dwight DwightPatton's D. Eisenhower D. Third Eisenhower asks askedGen. Martelange Gen.GeorgeAllied George airPatton forces Patton to helpturn to his turn Third his ThirdArmy Armyendsnorth northto attack. to attack. Patton Thomas Fetzer, of Milton, hasPattondefend anticipated anticipated Bastogne the the request request and andthe the thesiege movement movement at is already was already Trier Pennsylvania fought in the Battle underwayunderway.and drop before Whilesupplies, Patton’sEisenhower Army ever Bastogne.makes asked. its Whileway north, Patton’s Bastogne Army madeismedicine fiercly its defendedway and north, by Bastogne the 101st was Airborne fiercly Division, defended the by all the African 101st of the Bulge. AirborneAmericanammunition. Division, 969th Artillery the all BattalionAfrican American and Combat 969th Command Artillery Battalion B LUXEMBOURG “I was in a gun position,” he said. “It was rough going.” andof the Combat 10th Armored Command Division. B of the 10th Armored Division.U.S. THIRD ARMY GEN. GEORGE PATTON Fetzer’s unit had been cut off FRANCE from the rest of the division. “We didn’t know what was going on,” he recalled. “The next morning, we were all alone. There was nothing around us. We THE ALLIED COUNTERATTACK didn’t have anything to eat from supper the night before through Allied front line Though primarily breakfast time in the morning. I comprised saw a bulldozer and we raised a Elsenborn 1 Dec. 26, 1944 BELGIUM Spa of U.S. troops, the white flag and they came over MILES Ridge area United Kingdom, 2 Jan. 2, 1945 and got us out of there.” 0 5 France, Canada, Malmedy Butgenbach Fetzer walked down a road, 3 Jan. 16, 1945 Belgium and and saw Americans who had Staumont Stavelot Luxembourg are Bullange lost their lives piled together. 4 Feb. 7, 1945 also part of the U.S. FIRST ARMY Trois-Ponts “I said, ‘Oh God, are we going GEN. COURTNEY HODGES Allied counterattack. to be on that pile, too?’ But we walked around a curve and saw other American troops. I looked St. Vith Marche en to see if any of my guys were Ciney 1 Dinant Famenne around. All of a sudden there was a big explosion.” Celles Fetzer fell down. He’d been 2 Prüm shot. He felt his legs and arms Ciergnon Oudler 3 but someone asked if he had Rochefort been hit. “I guess I am,” he said. Beauraing Pronsfeld “I was hit by the explosion in the arm, but I didn't realize it at first.” Ortheuville Clervaux 4 Wellin Fetzer was placed in an St. Hubert GERMANY ambulance and sent to Paris to recover. Consthum “They laid me down on a Bastogne BELGIUM Bitburg table, fixed me up and put me in Wiltz bed. I said to myself, ‘Oh thank God I don’t have to go back to Dec. 23, 1944: Better Germany.’ But I did. My outfit weather allows the Diekirch was transferred to the Seventh Allies beginto begin air airraids raids Dec. 26, 1944: Army, tank division. I drove a on German troops Ettelbrück Patton's Third Martelange truck. Finally after the surrender, and supply routes. Army ends the Echternach Allied air forces help they told me I was going home. siege at Bastogne as They sent me to Camp Lucky defend Bastogne Trier Gen. Courtney Hodges’ First Strike (near Janville, France) and drop supplies, Army attacks from the north. medicine and where I waited, and then they ammunition. LUXEMBOURG sent us home. I returned to Milton. My parents, they were U.S. THIRD ARMY GEN. GEORGE PATTON so happy. …” FRANCE He recalls he and a buddy being discharged on Jan. 27, 1945..