Editing Battle of the Bulge (section)

==Result==
Although the Germans managed to begin their offensive with complete surprise and enjoyed some initial successes, they were not able to seize the initiative on the Western Front. While the German command did not reach its goals, the Ardennes operation inflicted heavy losses and set back the Allied invasion of Germany by several weeks. The High Command of the Allied forces had planned to resume the offensive by early January 1945, after the wet season rains and severe frosts, but those plans had to be postponed until 29 January 1945 in connection with the unexpected changes in the front.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of the Bulge {{!}} Summary, Commanders, & Significance {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Allies pressed their advantage following the battle. By the beginning of February 1945, the lines were roughly where they had been in December 1944. In early February, the Allies launched an attack all along the Western front: in the north under Montgomery, they fought [[Operation Veritable]] (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald); east of Aachen they fought [[Battle of Hürtgen Forest#Second phase|the second phase of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest]]; in the center, under Hodges; and in the south, under Patton.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

The German losses in the battle were especially critical: their last reserves were now gone, the Luftwaffe had been shattered, and remaining forces throughout the West were being pushed back to defend the [[Siegfried Line]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-20 |title=70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge |url=https://www.dday.org/2015/01/20/70th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-the-bulge/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=National D-Day Memorial |language=en-US |archive-date=21 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021190735/https://www.dday.org/2015/01/20/70th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-the-bulge/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 March 2020 |title=Final Campaigns, the Allies enter Germany |url=https://bletchleypark.org.uk/our-story/final-campaigns-the-allies-enter-germany/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Bletchley Park |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In response to the early success of the offensive, on 6 January Churchill contacted Stalin to request that the Soviets put pressure on the Germans on the Eastern Front.{{sfn|Sandler|2002|p=101}} On 12 January, the Soviets began the massive Vistula–Oder Offensive, originally planned for 20 January.{{sfn|de Senarclens|1988|p=39}} It had been brought forward from 20 January to 12 January because meteorological reports warned of a thaw later in the month, and the tanks needed hard ground for the offensive (and the advance of the Red Army was assisted by two Panzer Armies (5th and 6th) being redeployed for the Ardennes attack).{{sfn|Beevor|2015|p=331}}

Churchill was elated at Stalin's offer of help,{{sfn|Holroyd-Doveton|2013|p=367}} thanking Stalin for the thrilling news.{{sfn|Churchill|1953|p=244}}

During World War II, most U.S. black soldiers still served only in maintenance or service positions, or in segregated units. Because of troop shortages during the Battle of the Bulge, Eisenhower decided to integrate the service for the first time.{{sfn|Blumenson|1972|p=127}} This was an important step toward a desegregated United States military. More than 2,000 black soldiers had volunteered to go to the front.{{sfn|Young|Young|2010|p=534}} A total of 708 black Americans were killed in combat during World War II.{{sfn|Clodfelter|2008|p=561}}

The Germans officially referred to the offensive by the codename {{lang|de|Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein}} 'Operation Watch on the Rhine', while the Allies designated it the Ardennes Counteroffensive. The phrase "Battle of the Bulge" was coined by contemporary press to describe the [[Salient (military)|bulge]] in German front lines on wartime news maps,{{sfnm|1a1=Cirillo|1y=1995|1p=4|2a1=Stanton|2y=2006}}{{efn|David Eggenberger cites the official name as Ardennes-Alsace campaign, and describes this battle as the "Second Battle of the Ardennes".{{sfn|Eggenberger|1985}}{{page needed|date=July 2021}}}} and it became the most widely used name for the battle. The offensive was planned by the German forces with utmost secrecy, with minimal radio traffic and movements of troops and equipment under cover of darkness. Intercepted German communications indicating a substantial German offensive preparation were not acted upon by the Allies.{{sfn|Calvocoressi|1980|p=48}}{{sfn|Briggs|2011|pp=122–123}}