Over View
The Battle of the Bulge was key engagement of world war II which lasted from December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945.
Aided by stormy weather which grounded Allied planes and restricted observation, the Germane achieved surprise and made rapid gains at first, but firm resistance by various isolated units provided time for the U.S. First and Ninth Armies to shift against the northern flank of the penetration, for the British to send reserves to secure the line to the Meuse, and for Patton's Third Army to hit the salient from the south.
Objective of Germany
The final objective of this attack would be the capture of Antwerp which would split the American and British armies in the area and would deprive the Allies of a badly needed seaport. Selecting this option, Hitler entrusted its execution to Field Marshals Walter Model and Gerd von Rundstedt. In preparing for the offensive, both felt that the capture of Antwerp was too ambitious and lobbied, without success, to halt the attack at the Meuse River. To carry out the operation, General Sepp Deitrich's 6th SS Panzer Army would attack in the north with the goal of taking Antwerp.
Casualties
During the Battle of the Bulge, 20,876 Allied soldiers were killed, while another 42,893 were wounded and 23,554 captured/missing. German losses numbered 15,652 killed, 41,600 wounded, and 27,582 captured/missing. Defeated in the campaign, German offensive capability in the West was destroyed and by early February the lines returned to their December 16 location