Battle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge, or Ardennes Offensive, was the last attempt by the Nazis to divide the Allies (America, Great Britain and Russia), and was their most desperate and The deadliest battle focused primarily on American forces. Ending in failure for the Nazis and success for the Americans, it helped end World War II. The battle took place from December 16, 1944 to January 25. Hitler's idea was to capture Antwerp, located in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, in northeastern Belgium, which is a port where the Allies could resupply. He also wanted to take the strategic San Vito road and prevent the arrival of American reinforcements. But the main objective was to conquer Bastogne, a road junction that could help the Germans expand further north. The battle itself took place in the Ardennes, on the Belgian border with Germany and France, which includes dense forests, the Meuse River and the Ardennes mountain range. The battle began with a two-hour assault, followed by a huge attack. The Germans were initially successful, taking command for a short time. This was generally due to the Americans being totally unaware of the German movement. They had no idea about the attack planned against them, so the Germans used the element of “surprise”. Additionally, the intense cold meant the terrain was hard enough to allow tanks to move and destroy many American forts/vehicles. And before the actual attack, English-speaking German soldiers disguised themselves as American soldiers and spread disinformation, cut telephone lines, changed street signs, and helped other German soldiers capture bridges crucial to the success of the war. Furthermore, the weather in the forest at that time consisted of a temperature drop of 14 de...... middle of paper...... They knew that any form of armored attack required an intense amount of fuel, so the soldiers burned critical gasoline lines and bombed fuel plants so supplies could run out. Seizing the moment, General Dwight D. Eisenhower rushed in American reinforcements; Lieutenant General George S. Patton Jr. entered Bastogne unexpectedly when he made a last-minute decision, turned his 3rd Army 90 degrees and broke straight through the German forces, "saving" Bastogne. Patton's army became known for saving Bastogne, and to the north the American 2nd Armored Division stopped German tanks just in time from crossing the Meuse River. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle fought by the Americans during the Second War world war and is known as the largest battle ever fought by the US Army. Approximately 600,000 American soldiers were involved and 81,000 men died. 100,000 Germans were killed, wounded and/or captured.