Battle Of The Bulge Research Paper

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One of the briefest, yet more famous exchanges of World War II, was at the Battle of the Bulge when United States Army General Anthony McAuliffe replied to a German demand for an unconditional surrender, “To the German Commander. Nuts! The American Commander.” McAuliffe thought the Germans were offering to surrender at first, but it was then explained to him that the Germans wanted the Americans to surrender. An American officer that took the note to the German officers explained the meaning of the expression, “In plain English, it is the same as ‘Go to hell!’” Holding on for four more days, the division was reinforced by a tank regiment of General George S. Patton’s Third Army; two weeks later, the German offensive was broken and defeated (McHenry). The Battle of the Bulge was remarkable because it was seen as Hitler’s last major offensive in the war while it…show more content…
By recapturing Antwerp they hoped that it would force the Allies to agree to a negotiated peace instead of an unconditional surrender (Barcousky). Hitler trusted and authorized Field Marshals Walter Model and Gerd von Rondstedt to carry out the plans. Both of the men agreed that the taking of Antwerp was too challenging, without prior success, to freeze the attack at the Meuse River. To be successful in this operation, the two men planned on having General Sepp Deitrich’s 6th Panzer Army attack in the north with the idea of taking Antwerp. At the same time, General Hasso von Manteuffel’s 5th Panzer Army would charge in the center with the hopes of taking Brussels, while General Erich Brandenberger’s 7th Army would develop in the south with instructions to protect the flank (Hickman). With the plan all mapped out, the Germans moved the necessary forces into place; the Battle of the Bulge was about to

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