#16_11: The Northern Flank - PzC 05 Bulge '44

The Losheim Gap, Dec 16th, 1944: The 6th Panzer Army was by far the most powerful of the three forces attacking in the Ardennes. Roads were of course vital to the swift advance of the Panzers, and while none in this vicinity were ideal, planners felt they were adequate. One major route was out of the Losheim Gap, the other through an area referred to by the US forces as the Elsenborn Ridge. The plan called for the Volksgrenadiers to open the road first before the panzers were turned loose, but the carefully laid plans for rapid advance soon went awry. What developed was a confused battle where units boundaries on both sides often overlapped, as both side fought over key ground. In the end, the stubborn defense by the US forces limited the advance of this, the most powerful German force, to a narrow avenue opened by Peiper's Battlegroup. [Size, medium]