Today’s post is by Rachael Salyer, Subject Matter Expert for Modern Military Records at the National Archives in College Park, MD.
This winter marks the 80th anniversary of the German attack that began the Ardennes Offensive, or the Battle of the Bulge, during World War II. In the early morning of December 16, 1944, Allied forces in the Ardennes Forest were surprised by the German assault. According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, several of the isolated American and other Allied units were able to defend their positions long enough for additional troops to mount a counterattack and secure the line, which prevented the German forces from accessing roads that would have been vital for further advancement. The Allied response was initially hindered by poor weather, but clearing skies eventually let the Allies defend their positions by air, and “the German attack resulted only in a large bulge in the Allied lines[.]” The battle lasted for over a month, but by January 25, 1945 the Allies were able to restore their line to its previous position. Ultimately, the Battle of the Bulge became the last major German offensive campaign in the West before the end of the war, since the estimated 80,000-100,000 German casualties had irreparably weakened their forces (see image 2).
Allied losses were also incredibly high. The Americans suffered roughly 80,000 casualties, and nearly 20,000 American service members were killed over the course of the battle. The National World War II Museum notes that, “[i]t is a sobering reality and testament to the scale of the struggle to realize that the Battle of the Bulge accounts for approximately 10 percent of all American combat casualties in World War II.” Additionally, more than 23,000 American soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war (POWs/PWs) (see image 3).
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has custody of numerous records documenting the Battle of the Bulge, including the series Records Relating to the History of the Ardennes Campaign, 1944–1945 (entry UD 584) and the series Records Pertaining to Battle Participation Awards for the Ardennes Campaign, 1945–1946 (entry UD 420) in Record Group 498: Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II). Despite the fact that these series are relatively small, they contain a wealth of information related to the Battle of the Bulge. For example, although it primarily contains textual documents, the series “Records Relating to the History of the Ardennes Campaign” also includes numerous maps that outline the positions and movements of Allied and German troops over the course of the campaign (see images 4 and 5).
This series also includes drawings and photographs that illustrate the harsh winter conditions and difficult terrain that the American forces faced when defending their positions against the Germans. Some of the pictures even capture the solemn mood as the battle continued through the holiday season (see images 6 and 7).
Researchers can use the National Archives Catalog to review a list of files included in the series (see Catalog link above), which contains Order of Battle (OB) notes, terrain studies, plans of attack and penetration, statements from German POWs, intelligence reports, details of atrocities and war crimes, and more (see image 8). The records were compiled by the Historical Division for the U.S. Forces, European Theater.
The series Records Pertaining to Battle Participation Awards for the Ardennes Campaign, 1945–1946 in Record Group 498 contains further details about some of the American military units that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. These records include correspondence, memorandums, reports, and other documents that outline numerous awards that were requested for and/or granted to units that participated in the campaign. Since this series is not arranged or indexed by unit number, researchers may need to review multiple files to find information about a specific unit of interest (see image 9).
The two Ardennes Campaign series from Record Group 498 described above are in the custody of the Textual Reference Branch at The National Archives at College Park (Archives II). They also have custody of additional U.S. Army unit records and operations reports that document the activities of many units that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Researchers may email archives2reference@nara.gov for assistance with these and similar records. Plus, many records related to the “Battle of the Bulge”, the “Ardennes Campaign”, and the “Ardennes Offensive” are also described and–in some cases–digitized in the National Archives Catalog.
To learn more about an individual soldier or airman who served in the Ardennes Campaign, please review the NARA web page Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests. We also recommend that researchers search the Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 12/7/1941 – 11/19/1946 database on NARA’s Access to Archival Databases (AAD) website to find information about American service members who were captured as POWs during the Battle of the Bulge.
Beyond this, the Hospital Admission Card Files in Record Group 112: Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army) have been digitized and are available online as the Ancestry.com collection U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954 | Ancestry® and as the Fold3.com collection US, WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954 – Fold3. Researchers may be able to locate listings for individual service members who were killed or injured during the Battle of the Bulge among these records.
Finally, to learn more about an American soldier or airman who died during the Ardennes Campaign, we recommend that researchers review the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for that person. IDPFs were not affected by the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Some of these records have been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog link provided above. For more information about any non-digitized IDPFs from World War II, please email the National Archives at St. Louis at stl.archives@nara.gov.
Remembering those who served and honoring their sacrifices on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge helps preserve the impact of their legacy for generations to come.
*From the series Records Relating to the History of the Ardennes Campaign, 1944–1945. War Department. U.S. Forces, European Theater. Historical Division. Record Group 498: Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II). National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
**From the series Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918–ca. 1981. Department of Defense. Defense Audiovisual Agency. Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. National Archives at College Park, MD.
***From the series Records Pertaining to Battle Participation Awards for the Ardennes Campaign, 1945–1946 War Department. U.S. Forces, European Theater. Adjutant General Section. Record Group 498: Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II). National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
As a soldier in the U.S. Army, I spent a memorable Christmas in Bastogne in 1974, staying in the same hotel used as headquarters by General McAuliffe and his staff.