The Ardennes Counteroffensive, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge, was a massive military operation undertaken by Nazi Germany in southern Belgium and northern Luxembourg which lasted from 16 December 1944 until 25 January 1945. The intent of the offensive was to split the ground forces of the Western Allies from each other and encourage them to make peace with Germany, leaving all of Germany's military might to fight off the resurgent USSR.
The operation was conceived entirely by German head of state and armed forces chief Adolf Hitler. The plan was vigorously opposed by the two ranking generals who would oversee the assault, who saw only a waste of men and material with little chance of success. The Führer dismissed all objections, convinced that the elite German forces would roll over the war-weary and/or inexperienced American formations in the Ardennes Forest and drive all the way to the English Channel port of Antwerp.
In order to mislead any Allied intelligence personnel who might discover the plan, it was given the defensive sounding name Wacht am Rhein, meaning "watch on the Rhine".
The order of battle presented here reflects a point near the end of the campaign. As with any large army organization in extended combat, forces and their assignments shifted over the course of the battle. For example, when the German attack began on 16 December, the US 7th Armored Division was assigned to XIII Corps, US Ninth Army, 12th Army Group. Later that day, its alignment became VIII Corps, US First Army, 12th Army Group. On 20 December, the alignment switched to XVIII Corps, US First Army, 12th Army Group — and later that day to XVIII Corps, US First Army, 21st Army Group. On 18 January 1945, the alignment changed one last time, to XVIII Corps, US First Army, 12th Army Group — as it is given in the following hierarchy. This OOB — specifically, at a point near the end of the battle, which lasted from 16 December 1944 until 25 January 1945.
See for Allied and German Orders of Battle: December 1944 & January 1945: (Tucker-Jones pp 263–287)
High-level orders of battle
Axis
Oberbefehlshaber West Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt
Heeresgruppe B Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model
Armies deployed North to South:
Sixth Panzer Army (Northern Sector) Oberstgruppenführer der Waffen SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich I SS Panzer Corps (SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Priess) II SS Panzer Corps (SS-Obergruppenführer Willi Bittrich) LXVII Corps (Generalleutnant Otto Hitzfeld) Fifth Panzer Army (Central Sector) General der Panzertruppen Hasso von Manteuffel XXXIX Panzer Corps (General der Panzertruppe Karl Decker) XLVII Panzer Corps (General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz) LVIII Panzer Corps (General der Panzertruppen Walter Krüger) LXVI Corps (General der Artillerie Walter Lucht) Seventh Army (Southern Sector) General der Panzertruppen Erich Brandenberger LIII Corps (General der Kavallerie Edwin von Rothkirch) LXXX Corps (General der Infanterie Franz Beyer) LXXXV Corps (General der Infanterie Baptist Kniess)
Allies
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower
Armies deployed North to South:
21st Army Group Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery UK XXX Corps (Lt-Gen. Brian G. Horrocks) 12th Army Group Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley US First Army (Lieut. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges) V Corps (Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow) VII Corps (Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins) XVIII Airborne Corps (Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway) US Third Army (Lieut. Gen. George S. Patton Jr.) III Corps (Maj. Gen. John Millikin) VIII Corps (Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton) XII Corps (Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy) Allied air forces US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (General Carl Spaatz) US Eighth Air Force (Strategic) (Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle) US Ninth Air Force (Tactical) (Lt. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg) Royal Air Force Bomber Command (Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris) Fighter Command (Air Marshal Sir Roderic Hill) Second Tactical Air Force (Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham)
Axis forces
Sixth Panzer Army (Northern Sector)
Oberstgruppenführer der Waffen SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich Army-level units 683rd Heavy Antitank Battalion 217th Assault Panzer Battalion 394th, 667th, and 902nd Assault Gun Battalions 741st Antitank Battalion 1098th, 1110th, and 1120th Heavy Howitzer Batteries 428th Heavy Mortar Battery 1123rd K-3 Battery 2nd Flak Division (41st and 43rd Regiments) von der Heydte Fallschirmjager Battalion 4th Todt Brigade
LXVII Corps Generalleutnant Otto Hitzfeld ‡ Units involved in the initial assault 16 Dec
Corps-level units 17th Volkswerfer Brigade (88th and 89th Werfer Regiments) 405th Volksartillerie Corps 1001st Heavy Assault Gun Company
3rd Panzergrenadier Division Generalmajor Walter Denkert 8th and 29th Panzergrenadier Regiments 103rd Panzer Battalion 3rd Artillery Regiment 103rd Recon Battalion 3rd Antitank Battalion 3rd Engineer Battalion 3rd Flak Battalion 3rd Signals Battalion
246th Volksgrenadier Division Oberst Peter Körte 352nd, 404th, and 689th VG Regiments 246th Artillery Regiment 246th Antitank Battalion 246th Engineer Battalion 246th Signals Battalion
272nd Volksgrenadier Division Generalmajor Eugen König 980th, 981st, and 982nd Volksgrenadier Regiments 272nd Artillery Regiment 272nd Antitank Battalion 272nd Engineer Battalion 272nd Signals Battalion
326th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Oberst Erwin Kaschner 751st, 752nd, and 753rd Volksgrenadier Regiments 326th Artillery Regiment 326th Antitank Battalion 326th Engineer Battalion 326th Signals Battalion
I SS Panzer Corps
SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Prieß ‡ Units involved in the initial assault 16 Dec
Corps-level units 4th Volkswerfer Brigade (51st and 53rd Werfer Regiments) 9th Volkswerfer Brigade (14th and 54th Werfer Regiments) 388th Volksartillerie Corps 402nd Volksartillerie Corps 501st SS-Artillery Battalion 501st SS-Artillery Observation Battalion
1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler ‡ SS Oberführer Wilhelm Mohnke 1st SS Panzer Regiment 1st and 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiments 1st SS Artillery Regiment 1st SS Recon Battalion 1st SS Antitank Battalion 1st SS Engineer Battalion 1st SS Flak Battalion 1st SS Signals Battalion 501st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion (attached) 84th Luftwaffe Flak Battalion (attached)
3rd Fallschirmjäger Division ‡ Generalmajor Walther Wadehn 5th, 8th, and 9th Parachute Infantry Regiments 3rd Artillery Regiment 3rd Recon Battalion 3rd Antitank Battalion 3rd Engineer Battalion 3rd Signals battalion
12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend ‡ SS Standartenführer Hugo Kraas 12th SS Panzer Regiment 25th and 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiments 12th SS Artillery Regiment 12th SS Recon Battalion 12th SS Antitank Battalion 12th SS Engineer Battalion 12th SS Flak Battalion 560th Heavy Antitank Battalion (attached)
12th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Generalmajor Gerhard Engel 27th Fusilier and 48th and 89th Volksgrenadier Regiments 12th Artillery Regiment 12th Antitank Battalion 12th Fusilier Battalion 12th Engineer Battalion 12th Signals Battalion
277th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Oberst Wilhelm Viebig 989th, 990th, and 991st Volksgrenadier Regiments 277th Artillery Regiment 277th Antitank Battalion 277th Engineer Battalion 277th Signals Battalion
150th Panzer Brigade ‡ Obersturmbannführer der Waffen SS Otto Skorzeny Two Panzer companies Two Panzergrenadier companies Two antitank companies A heavy mortar battalion (two batteries) 600th SS Parachute Battalion Kampfgruppe 200 (Luftwaffe ground unit) An anti-partisan company
II SS Panzer Corps
SS Obergruppenführer Willi Bittrich
Corps-level units 410th Volksartillerie Corps 502nd SS Heavy Artillery Battalion 502nd SS Artillery Observation Battalion
2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich SS Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding 2nd SS Panzer Regiment 3rd and 4th SS Panzergrenadier Regiments 2nd SS Artillery Regiment 2nd SS Recon Battalion 2nd SS Engineer Battalion 2nd SS Flak Battalion 2nd SS Signals Battalion
9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen SS Oberführer Sylvester Stadler 9th SS Panzer Regiment 19th and 20th SS Panzergrenadier Regiments 9th SS Artillery Regiment 9th SS Recon Battalion 9th SS Antitank Battalion 9th SS Engineer Battalion 9th SS Flak Battalion 9th SS Signals Battalion 519th Heavy Antitank Battalion (attached)
Fifth Panzer Army (Central Sector)
General der Panzertruppen Hasso von Manteuffel
Army-level units 19th Flak Brigade 207th and 600th Engineer Battalions 653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion 669th Ost (East) Battalion 638th, 1094th, and 1095th Heavy Artillery Batteries 25th/975th Fortress Artillery Battery 1099th, 1119th, and 1121st Heavy Mortar Batteries 3rd Todt Brigade (paramilitary engineers)
LXVI Corps General der Artillerie Walter Lucht
Corps-level units 16th Volkswerfer Brigade (86th and 87th Werfer Regiments) 244th Assault Gun Brigade 460th Heavy Artillery Battalion
18th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Oberst Günther Hoffmann-Schönborn 293rd, 294th, and 295th Volksgrenadier Regiments 1818th Artillery Regiment 1818th Antitank Battalion 1818th Engineer Battalion 1818th Signals Battalion
62nd Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Oberst Friedrich Kittel 164th, 193rd, and 190th Volksgrenadier Regiments 162nd Artillery Regiment 162nd Antitank Battalion 162nd Engineer Battalion 162nd Signals Battalion
LVIII Panzer Corps
General der Panzertruppen Walter Krüger
Corps-level units 7th Volkswerfer Brigade (84th and 85th Werfer Regiments) 401st Volksartillerie Corps 1st Flak Regiment
116th Panzer Division ‡ Generalmajor Siegfried von Waldenburg 16th Panzer Regiment 60th and 156th Panzergrenadier Regiments 146th Artillery Regiment 116th Armored Recon Battalion 226th Antitank Battalion 675th Engineer Battalion 281st Flak Battalion
560th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Oberst Rudolf Langhauser 1128th, 1129th, and 1130th Volksgrenadier Regiments 1560th Artillery Regiment 1560th Antitank Battalion 1560th Engineer Battalion 1560th Signals Battalion
XLVII Panzer Corps
General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz
Corps-level units 15th Volkswerfer Brigade 182nd Flak Regiment 766th Volksartillerie Corps
2nd Panzer Division ‡ Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert 3rd Panzer Regiment 2nd and 304th Panzergrenadier Regiments 74th Artillery Regiment 2nd Recon Battalion 38th Antitank Battalion 38th Engineer Battalion 273rd Flak Battalion 38th Signals Battalion
9th Panzer Division Generalmajor Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt 33rd Panzer Regiment 10th and 11th Panzergrenadier Regiments 102nd Artillery Regiment 9th Recon Battalion 50th Antitank Battalion 86th Engineer Battalion 287th Flak Battalion 81st Signals Battalion 301st Heavy Panzer Battalion (attached)
Panzer-Lehr-Division ‡ Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein 130th Panzer Regiment 901st and 902nd Panzergrenadier Regiments 130th Artillery Regiment 130th Recon Battalion 130th Antitank Battalion 130th Engineer Battalion 311th Flak Battalion 559th Antitank Battalion (attached) 243rd Assault Gun Brigade (attached)
26th Volksgrenadier Division ‡ Generalmajor Heinz Kokott 39th Fusilier and 77th and 78th Volksgrenadier Regiments 26th Artillery Regiment 26th Recon Battalion 26th Antitank Battalion 26th Engineer Battalion 26th Signals Battalion
Führer Begleit Brigade Oberst Otto Remer 102nd Panzer Battalion 100th Panzergrenadier Regiment 120th Artillery Regiment 120th Recon Battalion 120th Engineer Battalion 828th Grenadier Battalion 673rd Antitank Battalion
XXXIX Panzer Corps
Generalleutnant Karl Decker
167th Volksgrenadier Division Generalleutnant Hanskurt Höcker 331st, 339th, 387th Volksgrenadier Regiments 167th Artillery Regiment 167th Antitank Battalion