The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944

16th December 1944

The 2nd Panzer Division was Part of the 5th Panzer Army commanded by General Hasso von Manteuffel assigned to the middle sector, its goal was to spearhead the central thrust and break through to the Meuse River to capture Brussels.

16th December 1944

The final major German offensive operation on the Western Front commenced with an artillery bombardment that lasted from 0530 to 0700 hours.
In the early morning hours of December 16, Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 2 stood by for orders to move across the Our River to seize the village of Marnach.

16th December 1944

German Pioneers, along with a battalion of Panzergrenadiers, crossed the Our river in inflatable boats to establish a bridgehead to capture the village of Marnach.
It wasn’t until the evening that the 2nd Panzer Division crossed the Our river, utilising a 60-ton bridge constructed by German Pioneers.
With the arrival of German tanks, the defenders (US 28th Infantry Division) were slowly pushed back.

17th December 1944

An advance guard arrived at the town of Clerf, and encountered resistance from Shermans of the 707th Tank Battalion.
However, by evening, all American Sherman tanks had either been destroyed or compelled to retreat. Ultimately, Clerf was captured.

18th December 1944

The US 9th Armoured Division set up two roadblocks to the east of Bastogne.
In the early hours of December 18th, the forward units of Kampfgruppe Böhm arrived at the northern roadblock, forcing the US troops to retreat
The 2nd Panzer Division then shifted its focus to the northwest, aiming to bypass Bastogne to the north and sustain the momentum of its westward advance.

19th December 1944

The 2nd Panzer Division advanced towards Noville, a small village located north of Bastogne along the route to the west, but faced intense fire from the defending US tanks and troops from the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Meanwhile, Kampfgruppe von Böhm was sent onward and avoided Noville and the ongoing battle with the plan to seize the bridge at Ortheuville.

20th December 1944

On the evening of December 20th, Kampfgruppe von Böhm successfully secured and crossed the West Ourthe River at Ortheville. However, their advance was halted when they ran out of fuel.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Panzer Division, following closely behind, was finally able to move westward and join Kampfgruppe von Böhm after compelling the US defenders at Noville to retreat back towards Bastogne.
The 2nd Panzer Division, like Kampfgruppe von Böhm, was stopped by fuel shortages on the western bank.

21st December 1944

The shortage of fuel forced the 2nd Panzer Division to spend the entire 21st of December sitting on the western bank of the West Ourthe river, waiting for more fuel to arrive.

22nd December 1944

The 2nd Panzer Division was replenished with fuel, and by nightfall, it continued its westward progression towards the Meuse River.
The 2nd Panzer Division was now directly approaching the US 84th Infantry Division, which was in the process of gathering near the town of Marche, located to the north-west of Ortheville.

22nd December 1944

With the US 84th Division putting up stiff resistance at Marche, XLVII Panzer Korps General Lüttwitz ordered the 2nd Panzer Division General Major Lauchert to turn the bulk of the division west towards Dinant and the Meuse, and to leave only a small force to engage the US troops at Marche.
Kampfgruppe von Böhm and the Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 2 were tasked again to push on ahead and take the lead.

23rd December 1944

Kampfgruppe Böhm raced towards Dinant, as the weather had shifted with the early morning fog now dissipated. Under different circumstances, the Germans would have preferred to wait for nightfall to proceed, but this was not feasible during a significant offensive.
The improvement in weather enabled Allied air support to operate over the battlefield. Spotter aircraft were capable of conducting aerial reconnaissance and directing artillery fire.

23rd December 1944

Field Marshal Montgomery rushed British armour to the eastern side of the Meuse river deploying Sherman Firefly tanks, equipped with powerful 17-pounder guns, to defend the Meuse River bridges.
The British establish roadblocks along the eastern side of the Meuse River to block German advance and prevent the 2nd Panzer Division from crossing the Meuse bridges at Dinant.

24th December 1944

On the morning of December 24, Kampfgruppe von Böhm arrived at Foy-Notre-Dame and encountered one of the British roadblocks. A Sherman Firefly struck an ammunition truck further along the column, causing an explosion that ignited a nearby fuel lorry and subsequently disabled a PzKpfw IV.
The 2nd Panzer Division was halted less than 5 kilometres from the Meuse crossings.

25th December 1944

News that Kampfgruppe Böhm was now only 5km from the Meuse River got back to the German high command, prompting Hitler himself to send a message of congratulations 2nd Panzer.
In a final desperate effort, Kampfgruppe Böhm was instructed to abandon their vehicles in a last-ditch attempt to seize the Meuse bridge, now only 5 kilometres away on foot.
This decision proved disastrous, as British artillery opened up, stopping the attack and leading Major van Böhm to abort his assault.

25th December 1944

With the skies clearing, a substantial number of Allied aircraft emerged, effectively engaging all targets on the roads, supported by the formidable US P-38 Lightning fighter-bombers.
Kampfgruppe von Böhm found itself entirely surrounded, with no possibility of rescue.

26th December 1944

The 9th Panzer Division made a last-ditch effort to save the 2nd Panzer but was thwarted by artillery bombardments and assaults from the US 2nd Armoured.
Major von Böhm, along with the remaining 148 men under his command, surrendered.
The 2nd Panzer Division HQ instructed the survivors to destroy their equipment and attempt to break out of the pocket.

27th December 1944

On December 27th, US forces continued their operations in the area surrounding Celles and Foy Notre Dame, successfully capturing an additional 228 enlisted personnel, 22 non-commissioned officers, and 2 officers.
The personnel and vehicles of the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion of the 2nd Panzer Division that were captured at Foy Notre Dame included 125 enlisted men and 5 officers, one of whom was the Battalion Commander.

The Battle of the Bulge December 1944

The Battle of the Bulge was a failure for Germany, primarily due to severe fuel shortages, inadequate logistics, Allied air dominance (once the weather improved), unanticipated American resistance (notably at Bastogne), and the challenging Ardennes terrain that impeded their tanks, ultimately exhausting Germany's final reserves and sealing their fate in the West, despite their initial surprise and territorial gains.