george s patton tank battle of the bulge

Patton saw tanks as upgraded cavalry, infinitely more powerful, whose deep penetrations could collapse enemy lines. His favored approach was the oblique one: Hold them by the nose and kick them in the rear, which in more polite textbook terms translates into pinning the enemy while the tanks attack his flanks. To Patton, war meant destroying the enemy’s main force, not clinging to territory. This he did by sending out his staff officers to the front line units. In PATTON AT THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, Army veteran and historian Leo Barron explores one of the most famous yet little-told clashes of the war, a vitally important chapter in one of history’s most legendary battles.Like Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, Germany’s most skillful World War II commander, Patton would also carefully monitor performance. And failure to reach Bastogne in time could result in the overrunning of the 101st and turn the tide of the war against the Allies. But blazing a trail into Belgium meant going up against some of the best infantry and tank units in the German Army. Tapped to spearhead the counterstrike was the 4th Armored Division, a hard-fighting unit that had slogged its way across France. Patton was putting in motion the most crucial charge of his career. More than a hundred miles away, General George S.

soldiers had managed to repel repeated attacks, but as their ammunition dwindled, the weary paratroopers of the 101st Airborne could only hope for a miracle. Hitler’s forces had pressed in on the small Belgian town in a desperate offensive designed to push back the Allies. For the besieged American defenders of Bastogne, time was running out.

George s patton tank battle of the bulge