Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945) II

What do you know about the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945) II?  Defend with this World War II Quick Quiz.

1. After a brief battle the Americans surrendered. They were disarmed and, with some other Americans captured earlier (approximately 150 men), sent to stand in a field near the crossroads where most were shot. It is not known what caused the shooting and there is no record of an SS officer giving an execution order. What did the event become known as?

• Malmedy massacre
• Peiper's massacre
• Panzer massacre

2. Another, much smaller massacre was committed in Wereth, Belgium, approximately a thousand yards northeast of Saint-Vith, on 17 December 1944. Eleven African-American soldiers, after surrendering, were tortured and then shot by men of 1. SS Panzer Division, belonging to Kampfgruppe Hansen. The identity of the murderers remains unknown, and the perpetrators were never punished for this crime.

• True or False?

3. By December 23, as the Germans shattered their flanks, the defenders’ position became untenable, and U.S. troops were ordered to retreat west of the Salm River. As the German plan called for the capture of St. Vith, the prolonged action in and around it presented a major blow to their timetable. What was the timetable of St. Vith's capture?

• 18:00 on December 17
• 18:00 on December 19
• 18:00 on December 21

4. On December 19, General Dwight Eisenhower asked General George Patton how long it would take to turn his Third Army (located in northeastern France) north to counterattack. He said he could attack with two divisions within 48 hours, to the disbelief of the other generals present. Before he had gone to the meeting, however, Patton had ordered his staff to prepare three contingency plans for a northward turn in at least corps strength. By the time Eisenhower asked him how long it would take, the movement was already underway.

• True or False?

5. The furthest westward penetration made by the German attack was by the 2nd Panzer Division of the Fifth Panzer Army. On December 24, how close did the German attack come to the Meuse River?

• Less than ten miles
• Less than twenty miles
• About thirty miles

6. On December 23, the weather conditions started improving, allowing the Allied air forces to attack. T hey launched devastating bombing raids on the German supply points in their rear, and P-47 Thunderbolts started attacking the German troops on the roads.

• True or False

7. The Germans had outrun their supply lines, and shortages of fuel and ammunition were becoming critical. Up to this point the German losses had been light, notably in armor, which was almost untouched with the exception of Peiper’s losses. What was the day?

• December 24
• December 25
• December 26

8. On January 1, in an attempt to keep the offensive going, the Germans launched two new operations. At 09:15, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Baseplate (Unternehmen Bodenplatte), a major campaign against Allied airfields in the Low Countries. Hundreds of planes attacked Allied airfields. The Luftwaffe lost 277 planes, 62 to Allied fighters and 172 mostly because of an unexpectedly high number of Allied flak guns, set up to protect against German V-1 flying bomb attacks, but also by friendly fire from the German flak guns that were uninformed of the pending large-scale German air operation. While the Allies recovered from their losses in just days, the operation left the Luftwaffe weak and ineffective. How many allied aircraft were destroyed or severely damaged?

• 125 aircraft
• 290 aircraft
• 465 aircraft

9. On January 1, German Army Group G and Army Group Upper Rhine launched a major offensive against the thinly stretched, 70 mile line of the Seventh U.S. Army. This offensive was the last major German offensive of the war on the Western Front. What was the operation known as?

• Operation North Wind
• Operation West Wind
• Operation North Sea

10. When did Hitler agreed to withdraw forces from the Ardennes, including the SS panzer divisions, thus ending all offensive operations?

• January 7, 1945
• January 14, 1945
• January 21, 1945

Battle of the Bulge II Answers

1. Malmedy massacre
2. True
3. 18:00 on December 17
4. True
5. Less than ten miles
6. True
7. December 24
8. 465 aircraft
9. Operation North Wind
10. January 7, 1945

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