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The Battle of the Bulge was supported by subordinate operations known as
Hermann, Greif, Nordwind, and Wahrung. The German Armed Forces had
intended to split the Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then
proceeding to sweep north to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, thus
as Hitler believed, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty
in the Axis' favor.
Initially
the German attack surprised the less experienced American forces.
Two out of three regiments of the 106th Infantry Division were
surrounded and forced to surrender. The Americans fared better in
the Battle of St. Vith and managed to hold back the Germans until
December 21st. The St. Vith defense was led by the 7th Armored
Division and the remaining regiment of the 106th division.
Although ultimately unsuccessful, the offensive nevertheless tied down huge amounts of Allied resources, and the Allies' slow response to the resulting gap in their lines set their timetable back by months. However, the offensive also allowed the Allies to severely deplete the cream of the German army outside the defenses of the Siegfried Line and left Germany's remaining forces in a poor state of supply, thus greatly easing the assault on Germany afterward.
In numerical terms, it is the largest land battle the United States Army has fought to date.
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