It's mid-December, 1944, and Allied troops
have crossed over into Western Germany. In the east, most of the hard-won gains of
the German army against the Soviet Communists have been lost, and now a furiously vengeful
Red Army bears down on Germany. The nation is facing war on two fronts, and
is losing on both counts. In his command headquarters, Hitler stews
and fumes, blaming his generals, the troops, the equipment- everything and everyone but
himself, despite the fact that he personally oversaw and planned many of the major offensives
against the Allies. Hitler needs a miracle to save himself, and
as he inspects the battle lines drawn out on a giant tactical map before him, he thinks
he sees one. He stabs a finger down on the Ardennes Forest,
disputed territory that lies between German and Allied forces- his generals raise skeptical
eyebrows. The forest is very difficult terrain for the
mechanized armies of the Wehrmacht to cross, and yet years before at the glorious onset
of what was at the time a highly successful and victorious war, they had done just that,
completely taking the French and British by surprise and rendering the formidable French
Maginot line series of fortifications completely useless. It worked once, it'll work again, and despite
the protests of his generals, Hitler orders the attack. His plan is simple: he'll surprise the Allied
forces and split them in two by cutting through the Ardennes and deep into their lines. Once split, the Germans will hook north and
seize Amsterdam and Antwerp, denying the Allies the use of their port facilities to land more
troops and supplies closer to the front lines, and more importantly keeping Allied air power
at bay. In a stunningly bold master stroke, Hitler
planned to crush the Allied offensive on the Western front, and perhaps convince the demoralized
Allies to join him in combating the Communists- whom most of the world already held in deep
suspicion. The plan was ambitious, and if it worked it
could indeed have set the Allies back months, giving Germany a chance to negotiate a cease
fire and push the Soviets back. Germany may not be able to retake the lost
territories in France, but it could hold Poland and focus its efforts on the Soviet Union,
at last crushing the Red Army and bringing Stalin to heel. It could work, and if it did it would swing
not just the course of the war, but history itself. Yet Hitler could never plan on the grit, resolve,
and determination of America's 101stAirborne, who would hold against incredible odds and
keep the Germans from securing their final victory. Working under a veil of extreme secrecy, the
Germans began to organize for the pending attack under the codename of Operation Watch
on the Rhine, a purposefully defensive sounding name which was hoped would fool Allied spies
into believing the Germans were simply preparing for their defense of the Rhine river. Under the guise of defensive operations, the
germans gathered a force of 200,000 men, 1,000 tanks, and 1,900 artillery pieces, all supported
by 2,000 fighter aircraft. They would be facing off against 80,000 Allied
troops with less than 250 pieces of armor and 400 artillery guns. Most of the troops directly in Hitler's way
were American, and of them the majority were still inexperienced, while the Germans fielded
a great number of battle hardened veterans, though they had supplemented their ranks with
boys and men who would have previously been considered too young or too old for military
service. The Germans would also be bringing to bear
the mighty 70 ton Tiger II tanks, absolute monsters with no equal on the European battlefield. These tanks could score kills on Allied armor
at incredible ranges, and were so well protected that they could take several direct hits in
return with little damage. In the air the Germans also featured the new
Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter jets, which dramatically outperformed any Allied fighter in the skies. Fortunately for the Allies, numbers of both
Tiger II and Messerschmitts were limited, but where they were applied would dominate
the battlefield. On December 16th, at 0530 hours, 1600 German
artillery pieces opened fire, raining down destruction for an hour and a half across
a 80 mile (130 kilometer) front opposite the 6thPanzer Army. The American forces weathering the storm believed
this to be an expected and localized counterattack in response to their recent attack in the
Wahlerscheid sector in the north, where the US's 2ndDivision had destroyed a large portion
of the German's defensive Siegfried Line. As heavy snowstorms blasted the area, both
Allied and German aircraft were grounded, but the snow did not stop the rumbling advance
of heavy German armor. In the center, the Fifth Panzer Army attacked
towards Bastogne and St. Vith, critical road junctions that must be seized in order for
the offensive to be successful. In the south the Seventh Army pushed into
Luxembourgh in order to secure the attack's flank versus Allied counter attacks. If the southern push failed, the flank of
the German offensive would be exposed and vulnerable to counter attacks that could sever
supply lines and isolate German forces in the same way they planned to do to the Americans
and British. In the north, the Sixth Panzer Army, best
equipped of all German armies, cut straight towards its chief objective, Antwerp and its
port facilities. It's the opening day of the assault, and American
forces have been taken completely by surprise. The initial push has seen major retreats by
American infantry, but after the initial shock wears off the Americans dig their heels in
and repel the Germans. For their part, the Germans are now focusing
their efforts on taking the critical Losheim road, a route through the Losheim Gap which
must be secured in order to transport the rest of the offensive to its ultimate objective
in Antwerp. But American engineers have beaten the Germans
to the punch and blown up two key overpasses, leaving the Germans with no option but to
reroute their forces through the small village of Lanzerath. Twenty two Americans hold Lanzerath at the
moment, eighteen of them form an intelligence and reconnaissance platoon from the 99th Infantry
Division, and four of them are forward Air Controllers tasked with calling in air support
where needed. This small village, normally relatively strategically
unimportant, has suddenly become the most important objective in the German campaign-
and this small force of 22 US soldiers is all that stands between Antwerp and the full
might of the Sixth Panzer Army. Early in the morning of the 16th as the Germans
launch their offensive, 55 soldiers from the 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion helping secure
Lanzerath are ordered to reinforce US troops in battle near Bucholz Station. Their withdrawal has left the 22 Americans
alone, and with no armor support. 1st Lieutenant Lyle Bouck, in command of the
American defenders, orders three of his men to set up an observation post in a house on
the east side of the village, and as he accompanies them he spots a column of 500 German soldiers
advancing towards them. From their distinctive helmet style Bouck
immediately realizes that these soldiers are Fallschirmjager, some of the best soldiers
in the German army. Most of his troops meanwhile are raw recruits,
with a few seasoned veterans amongst them. They are all expert marksmen though, and in
top physical condition- handpicked for their assignment, they were supposed to be operating
behind enemy lines, capturing enemy soldiers for intel and fixing enemy positions. What they were not supposed to be doing was
securing an entire village against a force 20 times their size. Bouck radios HQ for permission to organize
a retreat in force, fighting a delaying action that would let his men retreat while putting
up a fight that would slow the Germans down. The request is denied however- the sudden
offensive has taken the Americans by surprise, and the loss of the blown up overpasses has
made Lanzerath critical to the German plans, it must be held at all costs. Bouck is promised reinforcements and told
to hold. The Germans stroll into town with weapons
slung, not expecting any American resistance in this sector- a fact that Bouk takes to
full advantage as he organizes a brutal ambush on the unsuspecting Germans. The fighting quickly becomes house to house,
and despite being hugely outnumbered, Bouck's men are scoring massive casualties on the
Germans. The Germans may have brought their best, but
the Americans are crack shots and have the advantage of being on the defensive. Still, the battle is clearly suicidal, and
desperately Bouck calls for reinforcements and artillery support. He's told that none is available, and yet
he must hold “at all costs”. This means hold until dead or captured, the
village must not fall. With grim resolve the Americans hold their
ground, exacting a heavy toll on the advancing Germans. After twenty hours of constant fighting, the
Americans are finally forced to surrender, but not before inflicting 92 casualties while
suffering 15 of their own. Lieutenant Bouck is shipped off to a POW camp
believing he has failed, and won't learn until the end of the war that his heroic stand was
likely responsible for foiling the entire German northern advance. The 20 hour delay has halted the whole of
the German Sixth Army's advance, creating a massive bottleneck that buys time for American
defenders to reorganize and counter attack. Improved weather opens up the skies for Allied
aircraft which savage German Panzers, and the northern attack fails. While the advances in the north and the south
were facing considerable resistance and slowly being ground to a halt, the advance in the
center is a considerable success. The Fifth Panzer Army, spearheaded by the
2nd Panzer Division swings south of Bastogne and crosses the Ourthe river, though a lack
of fuel briefly halts its advance. The Germans are cutting deep into Allied lines,
and back in Berlin there's much celebration- despite the failures in the north and south
the Allies may still have their forces split, and if that happens the Germans may be victorious
yet. There's just one tiny problem- the town of
Bastogne, a critical junction for the German advance, is still being held by America's
101st Airborne. All seven roads that traverse the dense Ardennes
forest converge on Bastogne, and if Antwerp and its harbor are going to be taken, Bastogne
must fall first. Failing here means that the Allies will be
able to bring their air power closer to the front lines and begin landing troops and supplies
close to the front. Bastogne has to fall, no matter the cost. In the small village a few thousand American
airborne troops are being supplemented by a small force of light and medium tanks and
three artillery battalion. The American armor has taken a savage beating,
and the remnants are organized into a mobile fire brigade of 40 tanks. The surviving artillery numbers at thirty
six guns, but ammunition is dangerously low. In command of the Americans is Brigadier General
Anthony McAuliffe, and having received news that the Germans have pushed the Allies back
on both his north and his south, he knows that he's standing alone and reinforcements
aren't coming. He also knows that if Bastogne falls, the
German offensive through the Ardennes will break upon the retreating allied forces with
devastating results. The General assigns his men defensive positions
to the east, north and south, and orders the remaining tanks to form a mobile fire brigade
responsible for responding to any armor spearheads by the Germans. At his disposal is the thirty six artillery
but their ammo is running low, so its use will have to be sparing and only where most
needed. Most German tanks will have to be dealt with
by the infantry, using their portable bazookas and grenades if need be. The worst winter storm in memory has struck
the area as well, so resupply by air or tactical air support will not be available- the Americans
are alone, and facing a force of over 54,000 Germans. Early on the 20th of December, the Germans
launch probing attacks against the encircled Americans against their southern and western
defensive perimeters. The one advantage the Americans have is that
being surrounded, their armor doesn't have to travel far to reposition against each German
attack. When the infantry is in danger of being overrun
by German tanks, the American armor disengages from one battle and rushes to the other. Their artillery is also able to rapidly retarget,
and barrages of fire are brought down on each subsequent German attack. The Germans find no weak spots in the American
defense and suffer serious casualties for the attempt. Still, the Americans are low on ammunition
and the weather has kept resupply planes at bay. It's only a matter of time before they are
annihilated, and on the 22nd the German commander sends a letter to General McAuliffe. In it he reminds the General that he is completely
surrounded and that the fortune of war is changing. He informs the General that more German armor
has already crossed the river outside Bastogne and is ready to join the fight. If he doesn't surrender his troops they will
be met with total annihilation. General McAuliffe carefully reads the letter,
then picking up a blank sheet of paper he scribbles a quick response before handing
it to the German messenger. Back behind friendly lines, the messenger
delivers the response to the German commander, who opens it to read: To the German Commander. NUTS! The American Commander On Christmas Day the Germans make good on
their threats and assault Bastogne in force. The night before the Luftwaffe had carried
out a bombing attack which killed 21, but the Americans are still holding fast. The German commander concentrates his forces
on one spot rather than attack from all sides, and the XLVII Panzer Corps smashes into the
Americans on their western perimeter, rather than the south where expected. The initial fighting sees the Americans pushed
back all the way to their command post, but then they dig in and hold out against several
infantry assaults. The Panzers that formed the original assault
split into two columns to encircle and try to reach the American command post from the
rear, but they are met by the remaining American armor and four tank destroyers and completely
obliterated. The German assault has failed, and within
days the Allies have regrouped from the massive German offensive and retaken the lost territory. The defenders at Bastogne are relieved and
hailed as heroes, but theirs is a story that has played out dozens of times across dozens
of different flashpoints by British and American soldiers who refused to yield under the weight
of the crushing German advance. Peace at last is on the horizon, as well as
the fall of one of the most murderous regimes of the 20th century. That’s the story. Make sure you check out our other video, Battle
of Thermopylae - Spartans vs Persians. See you next time!
