Osprey Order of Battle 9 : The Ardennes Offensive : US VII and VIII Corps and British XXX Corps : Central Sector

At 5.30am on 16 December 1944, Gen Courteney Hodges' VII and VIII Corps faced the gravest crisis to confront the Allies since D-Day. US First Army bore the brunt of it, as Von Manteuffel's V Panzer Armee pushed the 'bulge' deeper into Allied territory. 106th Infantry Division, defending the frontline in the Schnee Eiffel, suffered terribly. Miraculously, 28th Infantry Division stalled the German drive, just in time for reinforcements, in the shape of 101st Airborne, to be rushed to the key road junction of Bastogne. The surrounded defenders now faced a formidable siege. 'First Army is making a terrible mistake in leaving the VII Corps static, as it is highly probable that the Germans are building up east of them.'. The entry of 24 November in the diary of Gen George Patton, commander of US Third Army, expressed a justified concern - yet SHAEF failed to heed the warnings. At 5.30am on 16 December 1944, Gen Courteney Hodges' VII and VIII Corps faced the gravest crisis to confront the Allies since D-Day - and the 'quiet' sector became a bloody arena of all-out fighting. US First Army bore the brunt of it, as Von Manteuffel's V Panzer Armee pushed the 'bulge' deeper into Allied territory. 106th Infantry Division, defending the frontline in the Schnee Eiffel, suffered terribly. Miraculously, 28th Infantry Division stalled the German drive, just in time for reinforcements, in the shape of 101st Airborne, to be rushed to the key road junction of Bastogne. The surrounded defenders now faced a formidable siege but further reinforcements were essential if the town was to be held. Text by Bruce Quarrie.