The Battle of the Bulge Battlebook: U.S. and German Army in World War II, Equipment, Defense of Bastogne

This is a recently published senior leader staff ride battlebook describing key elements of the famous Battle of the Bulge in World War Two.

Contents: World War II & Battle of the Bulge Chronologies * World War II Allied Conferences * Allied Command Architecture & Order of Battle * The U.S. Army in December 1944 * Biographical Sketches - Senior Allied Commanders * German Command Architecture & Order of Battle * The German Army in December 1944 * Biographical Sketches - Senior German Commanders * Comparative Military Officers' Ranks * Equipment * The Defense of Bastogne * Casualties, Medical Statistics & Battle Losses * Suggestions for Further Reading * Glossary * Code Names

The United States Army in December 1944 - The Army of the Battle of the Bulge was the mightiest force the United States had ever raised. In his 12th U.S. Army Group, General Omar N. Bradley commanded more soldiers than any American general had ever led before. Bradley's three field armies were arrayed across the front lines along the German borders: the Ninth Army, under Lt. Gen. William Simpson in the extreme north (not directly involved in the Ardennes battle), the First Army, under Lt. Gen. Courtney Hodges in the center, and the Third Army, under Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., in the south. Arriving from the invasion of Southern France, the 6th U.S. Army Group, under command of Lt. Gen. Jacob Devers, had also fallen into line with its Seventh Army, under Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch, and a French army. By the fall of 1944, the Army had grown to a strength of almost eight million soldiers, a staggering number considering that the service had counted only about 180,000 on its rolls in 1939.