Royalty, US and EU officials attend Battle of Bulge ceremony

The Battle of the Bulge which took place on December 16, 1944, was where the Allied forces turned the tide of WW II by turning back the last-ditch effort by Adolf Hitler. Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the most important and bloodiest battles of World War II, and on its anniversary top officials from the United States and the European Union attended the ceremony.

75th Anniversary of the Batte of the Bulge

In addition to US and EU officials, even Royalty visited the cemetery to mark the 75th Anniversary. The battle of the Bulge was also called the  Ardennes Counteroffensive and was the last major offensive made by the German army of World War II. The battle lasted for 1 month, 1 week and 2 days, which began on December 19 in 1944 and ended on January 25 in 1945.

The battle got its name because it took place in the densely forested Ardennes region in eastern Belgium. The German offensive was aimed at encircling and destroying four allied armies. The German offensive achieved surprise at the start of the battle due to a combination of factors, the American forces bore the brunt of the attack and suffered the highest casualty in any operation during World War II.

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The casualty estimates for the battle vary widely but according to the US Department of Defence the American forces suffered 89,500 casualties including 19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded and 23,000 missings. The casualties on the German side range from 81,000 to 1,03,000, some authors have even estimated German casualties to be as high at 1,25,000. The Germans lost 324 tanks during the offensive, 16–20 were Tigers, 191–194 Panthers, 141–158 Panzer IVs, and 179–182 were tank destroyers and assault guns. US losses from the battle were strikingly similar with the allies losing 733 tanks and tank destroyers according to sources.

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