Battle of Elsenborn Ridge

Battle of Elsenborn Ridge
Part of the Battle of the Bulge
Discarded artillery shell casings litter a U.S. artillery position on Elsenborn Ridge.
Date 16–26 December 1944 Location The Ardennes 50°26′47″N 6°15′51″E / 50.44639°N 6.26417°E / 50.44639; 6.26417 Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Omar N. Bradley Walter E. Lauer Walter M. Robertson	Sepp Dietrich Hugo Kraas
Units involved
1st Infantry Division 2nd Infantry Division 9th Infantry Division 99th Infantry Division 7th Armored Division 102nd Cavalry Group Tank Destroyer Battalions   741st Tank Battalion   612th TDB   644th TDB   820th TDB   613th TDB 405th Field Artillery Group 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion 460th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion	12th SS Panzer Division 3rd Panzergrenadier Division 277th Volksgrenadier Division 12th Volksgrenadier Division 246th Volksgrenadier Division 272nd Volksgrenadier 326th Volksgrenadier Divisions 753rd Volksgrenadier Regiment
Strength
38,000 men initially, increasing to >80,000	56,000 men initially
Casualties and losses
~5,000 men killed or missing Unknown wounded	114 tanks lost[1][2] Unknown total casualties[3][4][5]: 113
class=notpageimage| Location within Belgium

The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge refers to the northernmost German attacks during the Battle of the Bulge. The area from Elsenborn Ridge itself to Monschau was the only sector of the American front line attacked during the Battle of the Bulge in which the Germans failed to advance.^[6]: 33 The battle centred on the boomerang-shaped Elsenborn Ridge east of Elsenborn, Belgium. In this region, Elsenborn Ridge marks the westernmost ridge of the Ardennes, rising more than 2,000 feet (600 m) above sea level; unlike the uplands further north, east and south, it has been extensively logged. West of Elsenborn Ridge, where the land descends in gentle hills to the cities of Liège and Spa, was a network of Allied supply bases and a well-developed road network. The Germans planned on using two key routes through the area to seize Antwerp and force a separate peace with the United States and Britain.^{[7]: 259–271} Capturing Monschau, the nearby village of Höfen, and the twin villages of Rocherath-Krinkelt just east of Elsenborn Ridge, were key to the success of the German plans, and Hitler committed his best armored units to the area.

The untested troops of the US 99th Infantry Division had been placed in the sector during mid-November because the Allies thought that the area was unlikely to see battle. The division was stretched thin over a 22-mile (35 km) front, and all three regiments were in the line with no reserve. In early December, the 2nd Infantry Division was assigned to capture a road junction named Wahlerscheid, at the southern tip of the Hurtgen Forest. German forces counterattacked in what the Americans initially thought was a localized spoiling action, but was actually a leading element of the Battle of the Bulge. The 2nd Division consolidated its lines, pulling back into Hünningen, then Rocherath-Krinkelt, and finally to the dug-in positions held by the 99th Division at Elsenborn Ridge.

In a fierce battle lasting ten days, the American and German lines were often confused. During the first three days, the battle raged in and around Rocherath-Krinkelt. Attacking Elsenborn Ridge itself, the Germans employed effective combined arms tactics and penetrated the American lines several times, but their attacks were not well coordinated and were frustrated by the rugged terrain and the built-up area. To push the Germans back, the U.S. Army called in indirect fire on their own positions, and at one point rushed clerks and headquarters personnel to reinforce their lines. The Americans had positioned considerable artillery behind Elsenborn Ridge and these artillery batteries repeatedly pounded the German advance. The Germans, although possessing superior armor and numbers, were held in check by the Americans' well-prepared defensive positions, new proximity fuses for artillery shells, and innovative tactics, which included coordinated time on target artillery strikes.

The Sixth Panzer Army was unable to take its immediate objectives on the Meuse River. The stubborn American resistance forced Kampfgruppe Peiper to choose an alternative route well south of Monschau and Elsenborn Ridge. Peiper was able to advance about 46 kilometres (29 mi) west to Stoumont before his column was stopped by the 2nd Infantry Division, 30th Infantry Division, and the 82nd Airborne. In the end he ran out of fuel and ammunition. On 24 December, Peiper abandoned his vehicles and retreated with the remaining 800 men. German wounded and American prisoners were also left behind.^{[8]: 118–119} According to Peiper, 717 men returned to the German lines out of about 3,000 at the beginning of the operation.^{[3][9]: 113}

During the battle the Americans lost about 5,000 men killed, and many more wounded; exact German losses are not known, but they included significant amounts of armor. While the Americans had considerable supplies and enough troops to replace their losses, German losses could not be replaced.