Advance and destroy: Patton as commander in the Bulge

529 Pages·2018·15.001 MB·English

by  Patton, George Smith;Rickard, John Nelson

Advance and Destroy
AmericAn WArriors
Throughout the nation’s history, numerous men and women of all ranks
and branches of the U.S. military have served their country with hon-
or and distinction. During times of war and peace, there are individuals
whose exemplary achievements embody the highest standards of the U.S.
armed forces. The aim of the American Warriors series is to examine the
unique historical contributions of these individuals, whose legacies serve
as enduring examples for soldiers and citizens alike. The series will pro-
mote a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the U.S. armed
forces.
Series editor: Roger Cirillo
An AUSA Book
ADvAnce
AnD
Destroy
Patton as Commander
in the Bulge
J n r
ohn elson ickArd
T U P K
he niversiTy ress of enTUcKy
Also by John Nelson Rickard
Patton at Bay: The Lorraine Campaign, September to December 1944
The Politics of Command: Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton and the Canadian
Army, 1939–1943
Copyright © 2011 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern
Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky
Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray
State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of
Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508–4008
www.kentuckypress.com
15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rickard, John Nelson, 1969-
Advance and destroy : Patton as commander in the Bulge / John Nelson Rickard.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8131-3455-0 (hbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8131-3456-7 (ebook)
1. Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945. 2. Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1885-1945−
Military leadership. 3. World War, 1939-1945—Campaigns—Western Front. I. Title.
II. Title: Patton as commander in the Bulge.
D756.5.A7R55 2011
940.54'219348--dc23 2011023205
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
The only way you can win a war is to attack
and keep on attacking, and after you have done that,
keep attacking some more.
—Patton

Patton was your best.
—Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt

contents
List of Illustrations ix
Key to the Maps xiii
Series Editor’s Foreword xv
Acknowledgments xvii
List of Abbreviations xix
Studying Patton 1
Part I. the road to the Bulge
1. Origin of the Ardennes Counteroffensive 13
2. The Opposing Armies in December 1944 25
Part II. Panzers in the Ardennes
3. Onslaught 55
4. Enter Patton 73
5. The Verdun Conference 94
Part III. Descent on Bastogne
6. The Ninety-Degree Turn 113
7. Third Army Attacks, December 22–23 137
8. A Rendezvous with Eagles, December 24–26 166
Part Iv. the Incomplete victory
9. Patton’s Alternative Lines of Action 181
10. Path to Attrition, December 27–29 200
11. Slugging Match, December 30–31 226
viii Contents
12. Culmination, January 1–4 241
13. The Harlange Pocket, January 5–8 261
14. No Risk, No Reward, January 9–25 275
15. Assessment 303

Appendixes
A. Eisenhower’s Order of Battle, December 16, 1944 325
B. German Order of Battle, December 16, 1944 335
C. German Reinforcements versus Third Army,
December 22, 1944–January 18, 1945 346
D. Selected ULTRA Messages 347
E. Weather Conditions in Third Army’s Area,
December 23, 1944–January 10, 1945 350
F. XIX TAC Daily Fighter and Fighter-Bomber Sorties,
December 22, 1944–January 28, 1945 351
G. Third Army Reinforcements versus Casualties,
December 22, 1944–January 28, 1945 352
H. Patton’s Staff 353
Notes 355
Selected Bibliography 427
Index of Military Units 447
General Index 472
Illustrations
Photographs
Following page 170
Bradley, Eisenhower, and Patton in the ruins of Bastogne
Patton and Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe in Bastogne
Bradley decorates Patton with the Distinguished Service Order,
December 29, 1944
Major General Joseph Lawton Collins and Field Marshal Sir Bernard L.
Montgomery
Lieutenant General Courtney Hicks Hodges
Major General John Millikin
Patton and Major General Manton S. Eddy
Major General Troy H. Middleton
Major General Willard S. Paul
Major General Paul W. Baade
Major General Stafford Leroy “Red” Irwin
Major General Hugh J. Gaffey
Major General Otto P. Weyland
Field Marshal Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt
Field Marshal Walter Model
General Erich Brandenberger
General Hasso von Manteuffel
General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz
Figures
4.1. Third Army’s G-2 Section 79
7.1. Patton’s Tactics for the Advance 143
7.2. Third Army Arrayed for Battle, December 22, 1944 146