by TIMOTHY J. THOMPSON

Created on: July 11, 2011   Last Updated: July 14, 2011

German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler was a tremendous military gambler. There is no doubt about it. On more than one occasion he had drawn the complete ire of his generals when he dismissed their cautious views and conservative advice and hurled his forces into battle. Early on, these policies gave way to dazzling success, as German ground forces scored a seemingly unending chain of tremendous victories over the other nations of Europe. On top of this, Hitler was also able to pull off an impressive series of "bloodless" conquests as well.

Hitler's dazzling success came to a screeching halt, however, at the Gates of Moscow in December 1941, the ruins of Stalingrad in February 1943, the cauldron of Kursk in July 1943, and the Normandy hedgerows in August 1944. These strategic defeats had severely mauled the German Armed Forces and forced the Third Reich to stare defeat directly in the face by the fall of 1944. 

In the strategic context of things, Nazi Germany faced two tough choices as the end of 1944 approached. They were: remain on the defensive and fight a grinding battle of attrition, or rise up like The Phoenix and strike the Allies' where they least expected it. In terms of the first strategy, it was simply untenable. The Germans were outnumbered in soldiers 3 to 1, 10 to 1 in tanks, 8 to 1 in guns, and 30 to 1 in aircraft. So, even if they were able to conduct a very highly credible battle of attrition, they were still going to be worn down to a frazzle, and eventually be defeated. The numbers were that much in the favor of the Allies' and were inevitably going to become even greater.

So, that presented the Germans with just one strategic alternative, strike; strike with fervor and terror. This is the exact course of action in which Hitler chose. He knew that Germany's situation was serious. She was in grave danger, and he needed to act in order to save her. Laying back onto the defensive was only going to postpone the inevitable. He was going to show the Allies' that Germany would never be conquered.

It is for these reasons that Adolf Hitler chose to use his last remaining reserves in men, tanks, guns, aircraft, food, fuel, and ammunition in one last desperate effort to reverse the tide of war back in Germany's favor. And this is how one must understand the strategic context of the Battle of the Bulge.

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