Who won the Battle of the Bulge?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 6:24 PM Share

I've been reading Morelock's terrific Generals of the Ardennes, which argues, among other things, that Gen. William H. Simpson did more to win the battle than did the far more celebrated Gen. George S. Patton, no matter what Francis Ford Coppola said in his screenplay.. The odd thing is that Simpson is all but forgotten now. I would have used a photo of him above (he looked a bit like a pit bull) but I couldn't find one on Flickr.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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WALKING WOUNDED

8:12 PM ET

July 30, 2009

Seven Roads to Hell

I like the pic, a lot.

For an 'in the dirt' infantryman's account, I recommend this recent publication of a survivor's memoir. It was written soon after demobilization, when the memories were still raw. Decimated from Market Garden combat, the 101st went in without their 'heavy' weapons, and fought on for more weeks after the relief of Bastogne. Something like two months of continuous main-force engagement.

Seven Roads to Hell: A Screaming Eagle at Bastogne
by Donald R. Burgett

JOHNNY RICO

11:20 PM ET

July 30, 2009

Won? You mean who lost it.

At the time, The Battle of the Bulge was the worst American intelligence failure since Pearl Harbor. It still remains one of the worst intelligence failures in the history of warfare.

TYRTAIOS

11:50 PM ET

July 30, 2009

Perhaps one, and only one

Perhaps one, and only one good outcome of this costly battle in American lives was that the Germans committed all their reserves and lost them, which may have shortened the war.

VICTOR

12:21 AM ET

July 31, 2009

Haven't read the book yet but not sure

how Simpson could have had more impact than Patton, considering Simpson's front never included any of the Bulge battlefield. Sure, he probably did a good job covering a much larger sector to the north of the bulge with minimal forces, and even voluntarily gave up additional divisions to First Army to go to the bulge. But I'm interested in the Bulge, so I think I'll check out the book and see what I think once I've read it.

If anything, I would definitely say that Simspon would have been a better fit (for fighting the bulge) than LTG Courntey Hodges of First Army, who by most accounts was a decidedly mediocre Army commander who accomplished relatively little in the Bulge except what his Corps commanders did on their own iniative or what Monty pushed and prodded him to do.

By the way I recently read "Corps Commanders Of The Bulge: Six American Generals And Victory In The Ardennes" by Harold R. Winton and I recommend that once as well for a look at US command and leadership in the battle.

For pictures of General Simpson see

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Supreme/img/USA-E-Supreme-p265.jpg

http://images.google.co.uk/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=general+simpson&aq=f&oq=

LEARNINGCURVE

2:08 AM ET

August 1, 2009

Simpson and 9th Army

I think the case for Simpson's and 9th Army's importance in the Ardennes would have to be based on how quickly the US Army funnelled in a series of divisions from quiet sectors in the north. These quickly delivered forces held the line along the whole northern shoulder of the Bulge. Since the Germans' goal was to turn north, cross the Meuse, and drive on and seize to Antwerp deprive the Allies of their major port, it was the nothern shoulder of the Bulge that mattered the most. The Germans we're interested in turning south, into Patton's 3rd Army.
Both Gen Courtney Hodges, head of the First Army, which was directly engaged in the Ardennes, and Simpson, head of the Ninth Army, which was further North and not directly engaged, steadily pulled divisions out of the line and fed them into that northern shoulder just ahead of the advancing Germans. The Germans were never able to slip around and break through to the north, and that led to their defeat.
Patton's drive from the south was more spectacular because he was relieving the surrounded--and much publicized-- bastion of Bastogne, but the northern divisions including the 1st, 9th, 30th, 7th Armored, 82 Airborne, 3rd Armored, 2nd Armored, etc etc, funnelled in from the north w/o much fanfare--or major traffic jams--and, these divisions, along with the 2nd and 99th, who were already on the scene, stopped the Germans cold. Most of these divisions came from 1st or 9th Army, though I'm not sure which came from which.
I haven't seen 'Generals of the Ardennes,' but I look forward to reading it. And, as I said, the case for Simpson would have to be based on the skill and speed with which he expedited the transfer of those divisions into line against the 6th Panzer Army. Whether Simpson deserves more credit than Hodges, I don't really know. I do know that they were good friends and worked in close cooperation.