Battle of Bastogne
Part of Battle of the Ardennes (World War II)
Map of battlefield movements during the Battle of the Bulge. Bastogne is near the middle.
Date December 1944 – January 1945 Location Bastogne, Belgium Result Allied victory.
Combatants
United States	Germany
Commanders
Anthony McAuliffe	Hasso von Manteuffel
Strength
101st Airborne Division, Combat Command B of 10th Armored Division	Nine German divisions (mostly Panzer) (estimated)

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

THE ARDENNES:
BATTLE OF THE BULGE.
CHAPTER XIX:
THE BATTLE OF BASTOGNE

The Battle of Bastogne was a smaller battle in and around the Belgian town of Bastogne, during the larger Battle of the Bulge. Success of the German offensive, seizure of the harbor at Antwerp with encirclement and destruction of Allied armies, required the German Army mechanized forces to use the roadways in order to maintain the speed of the offensive. All seven main roads in the Ardennes mountain range converged on the small town of Bastogne. Control of the crossroads of Bastogne was vital for both sides since Allied control acted to reduce the speed of the German advance while German control acted to increase the speed of their advance and improved resupply of the German columns as the poor weather conditions made cross country travel difficult. The battle lasted from mid-December 1944 to January 1945. Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Download high resolution version (557x900, 184 KB)Wacht am Rhein -- the German offensive, 16-25 December 1944 Source: US ARMY License: US Government document. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The coat of arms of the Bastogne municipality. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... General Anthony C. McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 - August 11, 1975) was the United States Army general who commanded the force during the Battle of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He was famous for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum. ... Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel (January 14, 1897 — September 24, 1978) was a German soldier and politician of the 20th century. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 10th Armored Division. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... The coat of arms of the Bastogne municipality. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ... The Ardennes (pronounced ar-DEN) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

As Allied command determined that the German army was attacking through the Ardennes into Belgium, they began a series of troop movements to reinforce key points. As part of the troop redeployments to blunt and stop the German attack, the American 101st Airborne Division and Combat Command B of the U.S. 10th Armored Division were deployed to Bastogne. The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 10th Armored Division. ...

The Allied forces were were soon surrounded by elements of the German Fifth Panzer Army, outnumbered and lacking cold-weather gear. Due to some of the worst winter weather in years, the surrounded Allied forces could not be resupplied by air nor was tactical air support available requiring the defenders to rely on their organic arms. However, the Germans attacked different points of the defensive perimeter in sequence, violating the military principle of "mass". This played into the American advantage of interior lines of communication and tended to dissipate the German advantage of superior numbers. Allied control of Bastogne was a major obstacle to the German armored advance and the morale of Allied forces elsewhere on the Western Front was boosted by news of the stubborn defense of the besieged town. Also known as: Panzer Group West Panzer Group Eberbach The Fifth Panzer Army was a German panzer army which saw action in the Western and North African Fronts. ... Men and women wearing suits, an example of one of the many modern forms of clothing (from the 1937 Chicago Woolen Mills catalog) Clothing is defined, in its broadest sense, as coverings for the torso and limbs as well as coverings for the hands (gloves), feet (socks, shoes, sandals, boots...

When the weather improved on December 23, Allied planes resumed flying, delivering much-needed supplies of food and ammunition to the Allied forces defending Bastogne as well as tactical air support through out the area. Elements of Patton's Third Army, the 37th Armor Regiment, succeeded in punching through to Bastogne, augmenting the defenders the day after Christmas. An M1A1 Abrahms Main Battle Tank. ...

The most famous quote of the battle came from the 101st’s acting commander, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. When awakened by an enemy request for his surrender, he replied “Nuts!” (his interpreter translated it as “Go to hell!”). General Anthony C. McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 - August 11, 1975) was the United States Army general who commanded the force during the Battle of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He was famous for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum. ... To surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. ...

Band of Brothers

The legendary Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division was one of the units present at Bastogne. Band of Brothers, an HBO miniseries based on a book of the same name by Stephen Ambrose, dedicates two episodes ("Bastogne" and "The Breaking Point") to its experiences there. Easy Company was a company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division during World War II on the frontlines in the European Theater. ... During World War II, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (506th PIR) was a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part television miniseries set during World War II, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is an American premium cable television network. ... Stephen Ambrose, at the 2001 premiere of Band of Brothers Stephen Edward Ambrose, Ph. ...

"The 101st Airborne still had a complaint. As the story of the Battle of the Bulge is told today, it is one of George Patton and his Third Army coming to the rescue of the encircled 101st, like the cavalry come to save the settlers in their wagon circle. No member of the 101st has ever agreed that the division needed to be rescued!" (Ambrose, 191)

See also

• Battle of the Bulge
• Third United States Army

Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... Distinctive Unit Insignia // The Third United States Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War on November 7, 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff. ...

References

• Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 1992.
• Turow, Scott. Ordinary Heroes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (October 27, 2005)

A movie adaptation of Turows bestselling book Presumed Innocent was made in 1990. ...

External links

• Summary of the battle
• The Battle of the Bulge - Fortunes of War

101st Airborne troops picking up air-dropped supplies during the siege.

Letter from General McAuliffe on Christmas Day to the 101st Airborne troops defending Bastogne.

For a complete U.S. Army report of this battle see: http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_CONT.HTM Image File history File links Bastogne_101_troops. ... Image File history File links Bastogne_101_troops. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 417 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1223 × 1756 pixel, file size: 250 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scanned in image of copy of the letter sent to soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of Bastogne. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 417 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1223 × 1756 pixel, file size: 250 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scanned in image of copy of the letter sent to soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of Bastogne. ...