The Ardennes offensive in Luxembourg

Shortly before December 16th, 1944, a series of uncontrollable rumours circulated near Luxembourg's eastern border, hinting at a possible German counteroffensive. However, the few American troops stationed in Luxembourg did not show the slightest nervousness and, as always, went about their normal business in a rather relaxed manner, so that most of the fellow population could conclude that these rumours were mere fantasies. 

Suddenly, however, in the early morning hours of December 16th, 1944, the distant rumble of artillery, exploding shells and the rattling of machine guns revealed a totally unexpected event. A sudden and unmistakable flurry of activity within the American military left no room for doubt. A German counterattack was underway. 

No one could have imagined that the German military could ever again muster such a mighty effort. The civilian population could not and neither could the American soldiers or their superiors. Christmas was fast approaching and the first thoughts of the end of the war were nourished. But Adolf Hitler, who had lost touch with reality after the assassination attempt on his person, was convinced that he could once again take the reins of power in the West and saw things differently. He had already informed Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel and General (Generaloberst) Alfred Jodl in September 1944 about his thoughts. 

Hitler's utopian plan had both a strategic and a political goal. His troops were to conquer the port of Antwerp (B) and take possession of it. In doing so, his armies were also to throw the British troops into the sea so that he could negotiate a separate peace treaty with the Americans and then, according to his imagination, withdraw his troops in the west so that he could use them against the Soviets in the east. 

For many reasons Hitler’s best generals and strategists would never have launched such an offensive. Politically the so-called Third Reich stood deserted and friendless. The former ally Italy and the once powerful Axis were finished. Japan had politely suggested that Germany should start peace negotiations with the Soviets. Looking back historically, one can achieve conviction that only a leader who had finally lost his mind could believe that his troops were still physically capable of such a blow. 

Nevertheless, the surprise attack in the Ardennes succeeded. The American strongpoints were overrun, fierce American resistance was evaded and later crushed by following Wehrmacht troops, and at the beginning of the offensive the sky was covered in clouds, forcing the Allied air force to remain on the ground. 

The German troops thus managed to drive a violent wedge of attack into the American defense lines. But the American soldiers, outnumbered in many places and contrary to Hitler's predictions, dug in, and made the German advance more and more difficult until it finally came to a standstill. 

On December 22nd, 1944, General George S. Patton Jr. counterattacked with his 3rd US Army. For this purpose, in addition to the 4th US Armored Division, he also deployed the 26th and 80th Infantry Divisions. With full force he drove into the German attack wedge of the 7th German Army. For this purpose, the 104th Infantry Regiment and attached units to the 26th „Yankee-Division“ was deployed in the Bettborn, Pratz, Grosbous and Buschrodt area to clear this place from the enemy. 

It was not until the end of January 1945 that the German troops were thrown back into their original positions, from where they attacked on December 16th, 1944. But German Wehrmacht troops were still on Luxembourg soil. It was not until the liberation of Vianden in February 1945 that Nazi-German rule in Luxembourg finally came to an end. 

The heavy losses in soldiers, tanks, fighter aircraft and fuel noticeably accelerated the downfall of the so called German Reich. After the offensive collapsed, the German military had finally lost their ability to carry out extensive operations on the Western Front. Three months later World War II came to end. 

The death toll 

When German units attacked the American lines in the Ardennes in northern Luxembourg and eastern Belgium on December 16, 1944, it was the prelude to a battle that was going down as one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the Second World War. The battle, in which thousands of American and German soldiers lost their lives, took place in the unforgiving conditions of one of the harshest winters in history. In January 1945, a large part of Luxembourg's Éislek region lay down in ruins as a result of the heavy fighting, and many citizens were killed in open fields or in what remained of their existence. 

The Battle of the Bulge was the costliest battle the U.S. Army had ever fought: 10,733 American soldiers lost their lives and 42,316 were wounded. On the German side, there were 12,652 dead and 38,600 wounded. During the Ardennes’ offensive, around 500 civilians were killed in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Written by Erny T. Kohn - Circle of Studies on the Battle of the Bulge (CEBA)

Sources and bibliography: 

• The Ardennes - Battle of the Bulge, Hugh Cole
• Luxemburg in der Ardennenoffensive, Prof. Joseph Maertz
• Die Ardennenschlacht 1944-1945 in Luxemburg, Jean Milmeister