Part 4/8:
On the morning of December 16, 1944, in thick fog that grounded Allied air power, German forces—over 400,000 strong—surged forward towards ill-prepared American positions. Initial successes filled many with hope: the encirclement of significant portions of American divisions raised morale and brought a sense of potential victory.
However, the chaos of war quickly set in. Many German units faced their biggest adversary—not the Americans, but time. Complications in communication and the terrain hindered their advances, leading to frustrating delays. The early gains began to unravel as reinforcements struggled to move forward, causing traffic jams and logistical disasters.