TODAY IT WAS COLD

Today in 1944, The Ardennes was being covered by the coldest winter in a hundred years. The firs were draped in overwhelming quantities of snow.?An ice fog hung over the landscape and civilians huddled in their houses-Christmas was anticipated but without much joy.

The German Army, for the first time since the plan was devised by Hitler, was finally authorized to begin moving its designated assault forces to their jump off points. Two entire panzer armies and an Infantry army had been accumulated along the entire front in the deep wooded recesses of the land.?

The highly pressurized eastern front would be stripped of its best units to support this endeavor. Hitler thought it audacious and decisive, his generals, dictated to rather than asked, thought less so. Several attempts by them had been abruptly rebuffed. This would happen.

Bridging material was brought forward and advanced command posts established connected by wire.?No radio transmissions would be allowed.?The highly efficient German railway system began a complex exhaustive schedule of unloading tanks, artillery and other transport under the cover of dark. This system would work entirely at night and when cloud cover obscured the land from prying Allied air-which was virtually the entire deployment period. The vehicles, using an intricate and highly regulated route march system, would quickly disappear under the covering woods.

Infantry, primarily the newly formed Volks Grenadier divisions, would foot march to advanced assembly areas.?Vast quantities of artillery ammunition had been scraped from all over German and were now residing in dumps just behind the initial jump off points-artillery that would fire far more than the forces had previously enjoyed.

Searchlight elements were brought up for the first time and emplaced just to the rear of the Line of Departure.?This would be an illuminated attack-a novel feature.?

The respective Army commanders, Sepp Dietrich of the SS Panzer Army, Baron General Hasso Manteuffel and Gen Erich Brandenberger, began briefing their previously ignorant subordinates. Ground recons were conducted only at night and with very strict controls.?

Civilians were cleared from the various farms and villages along the Line of Departure-partly for Opsec and partly to take advantage of unoccupied buildings.

To the West, the Allied forces were hunkered down along a very and intentionally stretched line.?Two divisions, the 29th and the 106th were occupying ground doctrinally reserved for four.?The reasoning being that the Germans would mount no threat as it was too close terrain to mount a meaningful assault.?Two other divisions were spread across equally distant fronts. This was a rest area and managed accordingly.

The 29th was bloodied and at barely half strength after the horrible bloodletting of the Hurtgen Forest. The CG, Norm Cota, the hero of Omaha was experiencing heart issues and resting.?It was stretched well East of Bastogne and in a series of outposts with significant gaps and little patrolling.?It was very cold.

The 106th had just arrived and was completely untested. The CG, using standard practice, had pushed two regiments across to the high ground overlooking St Vith, a key road net leading to the Meuse River-the ultimate German objective.

They would be protected on the northern flank by two squadrons of the 14th Cavalry who were equally spread.?To the rear and across the entire front, various Engineer elements were sheltered at key bridge and road net sites.?This was not due to judicious defense planning but to the needs of the engineers. Road repair, bridge reinforcement and timber milling dictated locations.

On the German side, there was a constant hum of movements and activity, providentially hidden by the low cloud and fog and muffled by the deep snow.

Lead recon elements, led by SS LTC Joachim Peiper would make the first penetration in the early hours of 16 December. He assembled his robust Panzer elements just east of the Salm River, slightly west of Prum. It had been made very clear to him by Gen Dietrich that the entire operation depended upon him. This was a challenge that Peiper willingly accepted and felt properly assigned.?