Question

Where did the Allies halt the German advance at the Battle of the Bulge?

Answer 1

Hitler's Ardennes Offensive was condemned to failure within a day of it being launched; largely due to the conduct of small groups of GIs from the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions.

Explanation:

Hitler's Ardennes Offensive was intended to split 12th US Army Group from 21st British Army Group, and allow the Germans to recapture the port of Antwerp -- which had just started handling 60,000 tons of cargo every day for the Allied Armies in Europe.

The attack also would rely on captured fuel stocks, and some German commanders noticed that the roads for the offensive would be very congested. Moreover, mid-December has the fewest hours of daylight per day, which would represent another severe constraint on German operations.

While Americans thrill to the saga of the siege of Bastogne, the Ardennes offensive was handicapped at the very start. Of particular note was the action of thousands of GIs from the 2nd and 99th US Infantry on the northern edge of the German attack. As their defences were overcome, many of them rallied on to Eisenborn Ridge and held. This deflected 6th SS Panzer Army to the West and denied the easiest route to Antwerp. This compounded German congestion problems.

Some American narratives hold that Eisenhower and SHAEF were slow to react to the German offensive... again, the evidence does not bear this up. Among other things, 6 million litres of fuel were railed out of German reach within the first couple of days and another fuel dump of 250,000 litres went up in flames at the last moment, This argues to American logistical ability and solid staff work.

As 6th SS Panzer Army lurched west, every other route to the Antwerp was blocked by American forces, back-stopped by British XXX Corps -- who also had the chance to savage the SS spearhead at Dinant; the furthest west the Germans reached. Otherwise, all combat was undertaken by American forces.

The offensive began on December 16th 1944. By the 22nd of December 1944, Model, Rundstedt and Guderian all appeal to Hitler, declaring that the offensive had failed. It takes Hitler another six days to reluctantly agree.