Strategical changes you'd like

Actually, each regiment of the division was pushed around by a whole army of Germans. The 112th in the North caught the blows of the northernmost parts of 5th Tank Army at first, retreated to St. Vith and henceforth was assaulted by both the units it faced before and those of 6th SS Tank Army. The 109th at Clervaux took the full assault of 47th Tank Corps from day one and kept on taking it throughout the offensive, retreating to Bastonge and finally being withdrawn to the area of St. Hubert to be reformed with the other two regiments. The 110th at Diekirch meanwhile was beaten back by 7th Army.

Not so. After nothing but a few days of fighting, the Germans occupied a line largely formed by the river Sure in Luxembourg; this formed a formidable barrier, which became apparent when at the end of the offensive the 4th and 5th Infantry divisions finally started Patton's initial plan for assault at the base of the salient. They were met and cut up badly by German divisions of 7th Army.

 

Roel,

Thanks for adding the details and clarifing my point. The 28th division was being pushed around by all three German armies involved in the Ardennes offensive, the Fifth Panzer, the Sixth Panzer, and the Seventh.

The attack along Skyline ridge was not the main thrust for Third Army. Would it have made a difference, or even been possible to make it the main attack? It's fun to speculate.

 

If the units with which 3rd army was reinforced (10th Armoured at first, and later 4th armoured, 26th, 5th and 82nd infantry) were used to attack along Skyline Drive, that would have meant the end for the 101st Airborne. No secondary attack would have broken the encirclement, and even with the air drops of december 23rd the division wouldn't have been able to hold out for long against the combined assaults of 47th Panzer Corps, 5th FJ division and SS divisions moved in later.

Arguably the attack along the Drive would have been effective, since 7th Army was largely made up of secondary infantry; however, since it was closer to the Siegfried line, it would have considerably sped up the arrival of German reinforcements at the point of emergency (because it was closer to them). The difference could have been counted in days, given the immobility of the German follow-up forces.

It's all a qestion of what you'd be willing to risk. If it goes bad, it could go really bad: 101st could be lost entirely, your assaulting infantry could be torn up at the Sure, and your tanks could be flanked by reinforcing Germans. Even if successful, this attack could still cause 3rd Army to vanish, which would be exactly what the germans needed.

 

Attacking Pearl

Tihs may take some time

http://p069.ezboard.com/falltheworldsba ... =750.topic

http://p069.ezboard.com/falltheworldsba ... 1131.topic

 

For the allies, leaving the French 7th Army as a strategic reserve rather than commiting it to advancing into Belgium. For Gamelin not to have any kind of reserve to counter attack was beyond belief.

 

War tends to have many such examples of "What were they thinking?" blunders.