Editing Battle of the Bulge (section)

==Initial German assault==
[[File:The Battleground 15 Dec 1944.svg|thumb|Situation on the Western Front as of 15 December 1944]]

On 16 December 1944 at 05:30, the Germans began the assault with a massive, 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces{{sfn|Quarrie|1999|p=}} across a {{convert|80|mi|adj=on|order=flip|sp=us}} front on the Allied troops facing the 6th Panzer Army. The Americans' initial impression was that this was the anticipated, localized counterattack resulting from the Allies' [[Battle of Elsenborn Ridge#Battle of Heartbreak Crossroads|recent attack in the Wahlerscheid sector]] to the north, where the 2nd Division had knocked a sizable dent in the Siegfried Line. Heavy snowstorms engulfed parts of the Ardennes area. While having the effect of keeping the Allied aircraft grounded, the weather also proved troublesome for the Germans because poor road conditions hampered their advance. Poor traffic control led to massive traffic jams and fuel shortages in forward units. Nearly 10 hours into the assault, one of the German [[V-2 rocket]]s [[Cinema Rex bombing|destroyed the ''Cine Rex'']] cinema in [[Antwerp]], killing 567 people, the highest death toll from a single rocket attack during the war.{{sfn|King|Kutta|1998|p=281}}

In the center, von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards [[Bastogne]] and [[St. Vith]], both road junctions of great strategic importance. In the south, Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards [[Luxembourg]] in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks.

===Units involved in initial assault===
''Forces deployed North to South''

'''Northern Sector: Monschau to Krewinkel'''

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|United States|1912}} '''U.S. Forces'''
* [[102nd Cavalry Regiment|102nd Cavalry Group]], Mechanized
* [[9th Infantry Regiment (United States)|9th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:2nd Infantry Division SSI (full color).svg|14px]] [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]]
* [[395th Infantry Regiment (United States)|395th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:US 99th Infantry Division.svg|14px]] [[99th Infantry Division (United States)|99th Infantry Division]]
* [[23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|23rd Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:2nd Infantry Division SSI (full color).svg|14px]] [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]]
* [[38th Infantry Regiment (United States)|38th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:2nd Infantry Division SSI (full color).svg|14px]] [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]]
* 393rd Infantry Regiment / [[File:US 99th Infantry Division.svg|14px]] [[99th Infantry Division (United States)|99th Infantry Division]]
* Combat Command B / [[File:9th US Armored Division SSI.svg|14px]] [[9th Armored Division (United States)|9th Armored Division]]
* 394th Infantry Regiment / [[File:US 99th Infantry Division.svg|14px]] [[99th Infantry Division (United States)|99th Infantry Division]]
* [[14th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|14th Cavalry Group]], Mechanized

{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|Nazi Germany|1935}} '''German Forces'''
* [[6th Panzer Army|'''Sixth Panzer Army''']] (Dietrich)
** '''LXVII Corps''' (Hitzfeld)
*** [[326th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|326th Volksgrenadier Division]]{{efn|Only two battalions}}
** '''[[I SS Panzer Corps]]''' (Prieß)
*** [[277th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|277th Volksgrenadier Division]]
*** [[12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend|12th SS Panzer Division]]{{efn|''Hitler Jugend''}}
*** [[12th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|12th Volksgrenadier Division]]
*** [[1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler|1st SS Panzer Division]]{{efn|''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler''}} (Including ''Kampfgruppe Peiper'')
*** [[3rd Parachute Division (Germany)|3rd Fallschirmjäger Division]]
*** [[Panzer Brigade 150|150th Panzer Brigade]] (Skorzeny)

{{col-end}}

'''Central Sector: Roth to Gemünd'''

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|United States|1912}} '''U.S. Forces'''
* Surrounded and captured on the [[Schnee Eifel]]:
** 422nd Infantry Regiment / [[File:106th infantry Division.jpg|14px]] [[106th Infantry Division (United States)|106th Infantry Division]]
** 423rd Infantry Regiment{{efn|Private [[Kurt Vonnegut]], later a noted author, was captured while serving in this unit.{{sfn|Beevor|2015|p=186}}}} / [[File:106th infantry Division.jpg|14px]] [[106th Infantry Division (United States)|106th Infantry Division]]
* 392nd Engineer General Service Regiment
* 424th Infantry Regiment / [[File:106th infantry Division.jpg|14px]] [[106th Infantry Division (United States)|106th Infantry Division]]
* [[112th Infantry Regiment (United States)|112th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:28th Infantry Division SSI (1918-2015).svg|14px]] [[28th Infantry Division (United States)|28th Infantry Division]]
* Combat Command R / [[File:9th US Armored Division SSI.svg|14px]] [[9th Armored Division (United States)|9th Armored Division]]
* 110th Infantry Regiment / [[File:28th Infantry Division SSI (1918-2015).svg|14px]] [[28th Infantry Division (United States)|28th Infantry Division]]

{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|Nazi Germany|1935}} '''German Forces'''
* [[5th Panzer Army|'''Fifth Panzer Army''']] (von Manteuffel)
** '''LXVI Corps''' (Lucht)
*** [[18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|18th Volksgrenadier Division]]
*** [[62nd Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|62nd Volksgrenadier Division]]
** '''LVIII Panzer Corps''' (Kruger)
*** [[116th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|116th Panzer Division]]
*** [[560th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|560th Volksgrenadier Division]]
** '''XLVII Panzer Corps''' (Lüttwitz)
*** [[2nd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|2nd Panzer Division]]
*** [[26th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|26th Volksgrenadier Division]]
*** [[Panzer Lehr Division|''Panzer Lehr'' Division]]

{{col-end}}

'''Southern Sector: Hochscheid to Mompach'''

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|United States|1916}} '''U.S. Forces'''
* 109th Infantry Regiment / [[File:28th Infantry Division SSI (1918-2015).svg|14px]] [[28th Infantry Division (United States)|28th Infantry Division]]
* Combat Command A / [[File:9th US Armored Division SSI.svg|14px]] [[9th Armored Division (United States)|9th Armored Division]]
* [[12th Infantry Regiment (United States)|12th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:4th Infantry Division SSI.svg|14px]] [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Infantry Division]]
* [[8th Infantry Regiment (United States)|8th Infantry Regiment]] / [[File:4th Infantry Division SSI.svg|14px]] [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Infantry Division]]

{{col-break}}

{{flagicon|Nazi Germany|1935}} '''German Forces'''
* [[7th Army (Wehrmacht)|'''Seventh Army''']] (Brandenberger)
** '''LXXXV Corps''' (Kniess)
*** [[5th Parachute Division (Germany)|5th Fallschirmjäger Division]]
*** [[352nd Volksgrenadier Division (Germany)|352nd Volksgrenadier Division]]
** '''LXXX Corps''' (Beyer)
*** [[276th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|276th Volksgrenadier Division]]
*** [[212th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|212th Volksgrenadier Division]]

{{col-end}}