Transcript document
Battle of the Ardennes By: Jack DePaul and Amanda Kaufmann The purpose of this presentation is to inform students of the Battle of the Bulge and for them to have a better understanding. The Battle of the Bulge took place in the winter. It started on December 16, 1944 and ended on January 25, 1945 Patton- Allied Hitler- Axis Eisenhower- Allied Model- Axis Montgomery- Allied Rundstedt- Axis • "I speak in the name of the entire German people when I assure the world that we all share the honest wish to eliminate the enmity that brings far more costs than any possible benefits... It would be a wonderful thing for all of humanity if both peoples would renounce force against each other forever. The German people are ready to make such a pledge." Adolf Hitler - 14th October 1933 • "Like so many of our people, we have now had a personal experience of German barbarity which only strengthens the resolution of all of us to fight through to final victory." King George VI - September 1940 • "Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely" General Dwight Eisenhower - 6th June 1944 • 500,000 Germans • 600,000 Americans • 55,000 British • • • • Casualties 100,000 Germans 81,000 Americans 1,400 British • The Ardennes Forrest, in Belgium which is located on the border of France and Germany. • Northern Luxembourg • 106th Infantry Division •Francis S. Currey- Rescued five other people, 2 wounded, and stemmed an attack. •Arthur O. BeyerHe destroyed the enemy and illiminated the German defense line. Leonard A. Funk- He is responsible for the recapture of the superior enemy force. Paul L. BoldenHe reentered the building when wounded and cleared the path for company. • When producer Tom Lennon interviewed Bulge veterans for his American Experience documentary in the mid-1990s, he found many people who carried vivid memories of their wartime experiences. • "Every time it snows or something, I'll think about those days during the Bulge," veteran Bart Hagerman told Lennon. "It brings back memories of the friends that I lost and the desperate feeling that we had in those days... it'll always be with me, I guess." • Veteran Bob Conroy said, "These memories are there a lot more vividly, even after 50 years, than probably what I did yesterday. I can tell you how deep the snow was. I can tell you the color of the snow and the blood the next morning. I know what equipment I had on. I know the words that we said. They stay with you.“ • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bulge/sfeature/sf_stories.html • December 17th 1944 • Men of 1st Panzer Division fired upon 113 US POWs • Worst atrocity in World War II • 43 men of the 1st Panzer Division were charged with murder and sentenced to death. •The Germans thought that they would win this battle. However the Germans were crippled by the loss, and could not hope to mount another offensive. Not only did the Germans fail to achieve victory, some would say this battle ended the war…. • Largest and bloodiest battle fought by the Americans in World War II • The Battle of the Bulge was one factor in termination of the war • Battle of the Bulge included more than a million men • Over a month long