EASTERN WALLONIA 231Also known as the Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes
Offensive was a surprise counterattack mounted by
the German army during the bitterly cold winter of
1944–5. Allied forces advancing towards Germany
had liberated Belgium that September. Beginning
on 16 December 1944, German tank divisions led by
General von Rundstedt, attempted to punch through
the Allied lines across the snow-covered Ardennes
in an attempt to reach the Meuse and then advance
north to retake Brussels and Antwerp. They man-
aged to push back US and British forces, creating
a frontline in the shape of a bulge.
The Ardennes Offensive
Dinant and the River Meuse
marked the most westerly point
of the German advance. This
is commemorated by a monu-
ment at the Rocher Bayard,
just south of the town.
At La Roche-en-Ardenne,
the Musée de la Bataille des
Ardennes underlines the
human dimension with
figures of uniformed com-
batants from both sides.The Bastogne
Historical Center
was inaugurated
win 1976. It is built
in a star shape, like
the American
Memorial close by.COUNTER-OFFENSIVE OF JANUARY 1945
When called upon to surrender in Bastogne, US
Brigadier-General McAuliffe defiantly responded,
“Nuts!” General Patton’s army then rescued
Bastogne, and the Allied forces eventually
pushed the Germans back by the
end of January 1945. It had been
the largest land battle of World
War II, involving more than a
million men and 1,000 tanks.
KEY
German army
British armyUS army
Battlefront 16 Dec 1944Battlefront 25 Dec 1944
International borderLOCATOR MAP
Battle of the Bulge0 km0 miles55"%,')5-
&2!.#%'%2-!.9,58%-"/52'.F
VTF(^7) FTESF
0 VS
UI
F
(^4) FNP
JT
.
FV
TF
%JOBOU
#VSF
4U)VCFSU
#BTUPHOF
%JFLJSDI
8JMU[
$MFSWBVY
&DIUFSOBDI
5SPJT
1POUT
)PUUPO 4U7JUI
4UBWFMPU
)PVGGBMJ[F
.POTDIBV
.BMNFEZ
.BSDIF
-B3PDIF
FO"SEFOOF
"%,')5-
&2!.#% ,58
.%4(%2,!.$ 3
#SVTTFMT '%2-!.9
The battlefront of 16 December,
from which the German offen-
sive began, is also called
the Siegfried Line.