The Battle of the BulgeThe post-D-Day Allied assault that swept through France was halted by Hitler's unexpected counterattack through the Ardennes, resulting in a confrontation named the Battle of the Ardennes. The Allied battlefront in the fall of 1944 made it likely that the war would end by Christmas. They had liberated most of France in a matter of months and were now marching towards the Ruhr, which was the gateway to the heart of Germany. However, the Allies had gone so far that their supply lines had not caught up with them. The nearest dock was the one where they had landed on D-Day, and the need for a closer port became more persistent with each day. During the Overlord campaign, which consisted of the landings in France, the Allies had massively bombed the railways to weaken the German defenses. Without a railroad, roads and trucks were the only way to transport supplies. This supply problem led General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, to conclude that a closer coastal port should be opened. He chose Antwerp, the largest port in Europe, located along the Scheldt estuary (Keegan 436-437). Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, commander of the Northern Front, wanted a quick victory. He proposed continuing into Germany, through the Ruhr, and destroying Hitler's means of war by demobilizing the region's many factories. Reluctantly, Eisenhower agreed, and Operation Market Garden began on September 17, 1944. The plan called for Allied paratroopers to secure key bridges and establish a stronghold in the area so that armed divisions could move there safely. security. The Allied First Airborne Army, consisting of the American 82nd and 101st Divisions and the British 1st Division, was to be used in the operation. The Americans' task was to capture the bridges at the towns of Eindhower and Nirmegan. They achieved this very quickly, with minimal losses. The British, however, encountered more difficulties. Their task was to secure the bridges furthest from Arnhem, but their armored support, which was supposed to relieve them, was delayed. The Germans, consisting of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions, trapped the British soldiers, killing a thousand and capturing six thousand (Keegan 437). The failure of Market Garden proved to Eisenhower that the supply problem needed to be solved.... .. middle of paper ......y On Christmas Day 1944, Operation Autumn Mist was coming to an end . Reinforcements sent from Belgium blocked what remained of Dietrich's 6th Army Group, and divisions sent by Patton's 3rd Army helped revive the 101st at Bastogne. The weather cleared for a short period, allowing Allied air support to be effective for the first time in the battle. Therefore, on January 8, Hitler ordered the withdrawal of the remaining forces. In one month, the Allies lost 34,000 men, killed or captured. Germany, on the other hand, lost 100,000 men and 800 tanks. Hitler failed to recognize the human resources of the American military and misinterpreted the effect that Autumn Mist would have on the front lines. In reality, this only delayed the imminent breakthrough in Germany by a few months. With Russia moving closer to Berlin day by day and the Rhine the only obstacle in Montgomery's path, Hitler's time was coming to an end. The Battle of the Bulge is best concluded by Sir Winston Churchill, who said: "It was without doubt the greatest American battle of World War II and will, I believe, always be regarded as a great American victory."..”