Chapter 207 Volume 6, Chapter 17, Ardennes' Counterattack

Death of Field Marshal Dill America's condolences March on the Rhine to the Ruhr Dam Patton's army blocked by the Siegfried Line November 23rd Strasbourg liberated December 3rd I will inform Smuts of the battle Strategic Setback on the Western Front Dec. 6 My telegram to the President Dec. 10 His optimistic reply Dec. 16 Crisis in the Ardennes German breakthrough Eisenhower moves swiftly Commanded by General Bradley The front is severed and Field Marshal Montgomery is appointed to command the Northern Front December 22 My telegram to Smuts Bitter battle at Marche December 23 Weather improves Bastogne Scramble January 3 Our Army Begins Counterattack from the North January 6th My Telegram to the President American Valor January 6th My Personal Appeal to Stalin January 7th His Touching Telegram January 6th Allied Occupation of Ukraine Falize's threat to Strasbourg Montgomery's tribute to American soldiers My speech in the House of Commons on January 18th.

The death of Field Marshal Sir John Deere, head of our armed forces delegation to Washington in November, was a loss to the Confederate cause.John Deere has been in the army for forty years since the South African War, and in May 1940 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Empire.During his tenure in this important office, his firmness of character and his impartiality of judgment have been a strong pillar in our time of crisis.After Pearl Harbor, he was transferred to Washington to explain our point of view to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.He quickly won the hearts of the people there and forged a strong personal friendship with General Marshall that was invaluable in overcoming the inevitable friction between the Allies.

This is also the pinnacle of his career.If it had not been for his selflessness and devotion to his duties, he would have lived far beyond sixty-three years.Even when he was seriously ill, he still did not give in to the disease.In final recognition of him and all that he devoted his life to, he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where the great Americans rest.The U.S. Army also erected a bronze statue of him in a riding posture to commemorate him. THE PRESIDENT CALLED ME: America mourns, as does Britain, your outstanding soldier, who is admired by many in our country.I am grateful to him, and I say to General Marshall: I read with emotion the obituary that the American Joint Chiefs of Staff sent to their British colleagues regarding the death of our friend John Deere.Thank you for your kindness. He tried his best to do a good job during his lifetime, and he did a good job.

To fill this void, some important adjustments will be required within several of our command structures. Prime Minister to General Wilson (in Italy) November 21, 1944 It was very important that Field Marshal Deal be replaced by someone who was in constant proximity to the President and in a position of constant contact with General Marshall.Needless to say, one must choose an officer who cooperates well with the Americans and has a full understanding of the general direction of the entire war situation.I think only you have these necessary conditions and qualities.I have therefore proposed to the President that you succeed Deal as head of the British military delegation and as my personal official military representative in Washington.The President has graciously agreed to assure you of your welcome in Washington.I would like you to tell me right away that you accept this extremely important appointment.

2. I have proposed to the President that General Alexander succeed you as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean, General McNerney as Deputy Commander, and General Mark Clark take over Army Group on the Italian Front. 3. The President replied that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and himself fully agreed with the above proposal. 4. I want you to come back next week for a day or two for a preliminary discussion.I think you can do it.My York will fetch you at once, and I hope you will bring Macmillan. Prior to this the President called and said: I appreciate your compliments to General Clark and suggested that he succeed General Alexander to take over the Army Group in Italy.

At the same time, many preparations were made on the Western Front for the march on the Rhine.The November rains were the worst in years, and the rivers overflowed, forming swampy areas that made passage extremely difficult for infantry.In the British theater of operations, Dempsey's Second Army drove the enemy across the Meuse from their wide salient positions west of Venlo.Further south our XXX Corps moved into the line between Mazak and Gelenkirchen, where it joined the U.S. Ninth Army.After heavy artillery fire cleared the way, the two forces captured Gellenkirchen on 19 November and marched across the muddy countryside towards the Ruhr.The right flank of the Ninth Army reached the river near Jülich on 3 December, while the First Army on their flank encountered hard fighting in the Shuitgen Forest.Seventeen Allied divisions took part in the battle, and the enemy was almost equally outnumbered, and the fighting was fierce.

It would have been imprudent to cross the river at this time, for the water level was controlled by some gigantic barrage twenty miles south of here.These barrages are still in the hands of the enemy, and when the gates are opened they can cut off our army on the far opposite bank.Heavy bombers tried to blow up the dam to release water, and although they hit a few times, they did not blow a breach.On December 13th the U.S. First Army had to march again to capture the barrages. Meanwhile, south of the Ardennes, Patton's Third Army had crossed the Moselle on either side of Thionville and was advancing eastward to the German frontier.On 20 November they entered Metz, although the Germans still held the surrounding fortresses, and did not abandon the last of them until 13 December.The Third Army turned from Metz and Nancy to the Saar, and taking a broad line along the river, crossed near Saarlaudon on 4 December and quickly established a bridgehead.Here they encountered the strongest part of the Siegfried Line, the forward front along the north bank of the river, and two miles deep behind it with reinforced concrete fortifications supporting each other.The enemy held on to these forts, and the Third Army was unable to advance.

On the right of the front, General Devers's Sixth Army Group forced its way through the Vosges and the Belfort Gap from Lunéville and Epinal.The U.S. Seventh Army fought a tough battle for the hill.But the First French Army, after a week of fighting (which I had wanted to see how it worked out), captured Belfort on 22 November and reached the Rhine north of Basel.From there they turned around and made their way down the river towards Colmar, which outflanked the German flank at the Vosges, and the enemy withdrew.On November 23rd we entered Strasbourg.In the following weeks the Seventh Army cleared all of northern Alsace, and then turned to the right of the Third Army, crossing the German frontier on a broad front, through the Siegfried Line near Wissembourg.But within thirty miles of Colmar in French territory there was a large lone German force which the French had not been able to destroy.After a few weeks it became a scourge.

I wrote Smuts a review of the whole situation: Prime Minister to Field Marshal Smuts December 3, 1944 2. Despite the victories in Metz, Strasbourg and others, our strategy on the Western Front has of course suffered setbacks.Before launching this offensive, our opinion was on the record that it was wrong to attack across the board, and that far superior forces should be concentrated at the points where the breakthrough was planned.Montgomery's prior comments and expectations have been confirmed.I guess some adjustments will be made to give back some of the territory that was drawn from Montgomery after his victory in Normandy.You must remember that our army is only half the size of the United States Army, and soon it will be a little better than a third.In military terms, despite setbacks, everyone is friendly and loyal to each other.We must reorganize and strengthen the army and prepare for a spring offensive.We still have at least one major battle to get to the Rhine in the north, which is the decisive point of our advance, and I am going to clear out the remaining Dutch enemies behind us, but things are not as easy as they used to be.

3. Our troops in Italy were delayed by Operation Anvil and greatly weakened by it.Thus, having cleared the Apennines, we were plunged into a marshy area in the valley of the Po.In this way, no matter on the mountain or on the plain, our strong advantage in armor equipment will not be displayed.This combined with the bad weather in Italy right now, like on the Western Front, greatly reduces our very superior tactical air power.We have so far held back twenty-eight German divisions in Italy, so our actions are beyond reproach.On the contrary, we did so well that General Marshall was amazed.But this was only because the Germans, presumably withdrawing their troops from the Balkan countries, delayed the retreat through Brenner and Ljubljana.At present in northern Italy, although we are still on the offensive, we cannot achieve extremely satisfactory results.

5. In Burma we also had to march from north to south, through the jungle which I wished to avoid.Mountbatten has been doing a great job.Now, however, within China, disaster has befallen Kunming and may soon spread to Chongqing.The Generalissimo was withdrawing his best troops southward in Burma to defend his capital, his airlift terminal, and, I presume, his life and regime.I cannot blame him, but this seriously affected the success of Mountbatten's well-conducted but lost appeal campaign.It seems we are doomed to scrape through this jungle at half speed, and I have not yet been able to win permission to launch a strategically wide-ranging amphibious operation from across the Bay of Bengal.Everything had to be reconsidered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.And safety first considerations override every plan.The Americans are fighting hard in Leyte Gulf, but their progress in the Pacific this year has been admirable.I hope that in 1945 our fleet will join them in increasing strength.As old Fisher said: The Royal Navy is always first class when it comes out!You can imagine the Admiralty gleefully making massive demands for manpower, auxiliary ships, and provisions of one kind or another. 6. The shadow of a general election is approaching again, and it will take less than a few months to unravel the most capable government that Britain has ever formed or may form in the future.Overall, next year will be a happy year.Our financial outlook is not clouded already.Even if we do not stress that there is great danger, I am sure that we will still be able to overcome all difficulties, whether they hit us individually or simultaneously. 7. Loyal and reliable old friend!Of all the congratulatory messages to me on my birthday, your call touched me the most and encouraged me the most. Three days later I called the president. prime minister to president roosevelt December 6, 1944 Since we cannot meet, I feel that it is time to bring to you the disappointingly serious war situation we are facing at the end of this year.Although we won a number of tactical victories on the Western Front, such as Metz and Strasbourg as trophies, in fact we fell short of the strategic goals we set for our army five weeks ago.We have not yet reached the most important theater of the front on the northern Rhine.We had to go on fighting for many weeks before we could hope to reach the Rhine and establish our bridgehead before we could push further into Germany. 2. On our Italian battlefield, the Germans still have twenty-six divisions equivalent to sixteen or more whole divisions.They could retreat at any time via Brenner and Ljubljana, and hold Garda as far as, for example, the mouth of the Adige, thus greatly shortening their front.In this way, they can free up half of the Italian army to defend the German mainland.In the future, they can even retreat to the Alps and save some manpower.I think the reason they stayed in Italy so long was probably to let out a dozen divisions in the Balkans etc., which are now fleeing to Hungary and Austria.There is nothing to stop this move except the air force, guerrillas and a small number of commandos.I think most of them will escape.Roughly half of that will likely be used to reinforce troops vacated from Italy.This would constitute a strong reinforcement for Germany itself, which could be used on both the Eastern and Western fronts as events developed. 3. In the war on the main front we benefit greatly from the operations of the dragoons (landings in the south of France).But the Fifteenth Army Group was unable to deal a decisive blow to Kesselring because the dragoons weakened our strength and missed the opportunity.By the time we passed the Apennines, the Po valley was already muddy.Therefore, we have not been able to take advantage of the armored forces in the mountains and on the plains. 4. Due to German resistance on all fronts, we did not send five British and Indian divisions from Europe to help Mountbatten attack Rangoon in March, and for other reasons, this offensive could not be carried out.Mountbatten, therefore, proceeded satisfactorily with the general advance along the river from the north and west into Burma, as we had agreed upon at Quebec.At present two or more Chinese divisions have to be withdrawn to defend China as the Japanese are advancing within China, threatening Kunming and even Chungking seriously, and threatening the Generalissimo and his government.I have no doubt that it is right and inevitable to do so.But in the case of Mountbatten, the consequences are serious, and he has not yet decided how to deal with this new disaster, which suddenly plunges not only China, but also your shipping terminal and the campaign in northern Burma. Danger.My ideas of crossing the Adriatic or the Bay of Bengal to deal a really heavy blow to the enemy were similarly frustrated. 5. Your large-scale Pacific campaign is currently the only part of our operations that has not suffered setbacks for the time being. 6. Fortunately, we must also take the actions of the Russians into account.Stalin promised to launch a winter campaign, which I estimate begins around January.On most of his broad front, Stalin had been resting and preparing, although only three or four German divisions came up against Eisenhower.It is not convenient for me to measure his recent attack southwest of Budapest.I think, however, that we can expect this campaign and other Russian actions to be of greater help to us than has been of late.The situation in Germany was so exhausted that any heavy troops deep behind the enemy's lines would bring down some, if not all, of them. 7. I have tried to look at the war as a whole in terms of both its scope and its proportions, and it is clear that we may have to face, to varying degrees: (1) We would be greatly delayed in reaching, let alone forcibly crossing, the Rhine on the closest road to Berlin. (2) There would be a clear setback in Italy. (3) A large part of the German army will flee back from the Balkans. (4) Frustrated in Burma. (5) China can no longer be a warring state. The best wishes of our people are far from these realities, and while we work together to keep them from blowing their heads, the question is posed very clearly: what should we do?Hopes for an early meeting between the three of us were dashed.The meeting between you, me, and our staff has also been delayed indefinitely, adding to my anxiety.Our British plans depend on you.Our Anglo-American problems must at least be considered as a whole.Too many telegrams and calls made the situation more confusing, so I wonder if you can't come in person before February, could you send your chiefs of staff to come here as soon as possible.Here they are in close proximity to your main force and General Eisenhower, and we can conduct a calm study of the whole heated battlefield situation, with the aim of seeking a closely coordinated operation, as we did in the 1944 campaigns as it appears. Mr. Roosevelt, though sympathetic, was not as anxious as I was. President Roosevelt to Prime Minister December 10, 1944 Perhaps it is because I am farther from the battlefield, or that six months ago I was not as optimistic about the timing as you are, so I am not as disappointed about the situation of the war as you are. On the European battlefield, I always felt that a tough battle would have to be fought in order to take Germany all the way to the left bank of the Rhine.Having cycled through most of the country in my early years, I was never as optimistic as many commanders were about the ease with which our combined forces could cross the Rhine. However, the general strategy we have developed is progressing as planned.The two of us are in the position of commander-in-chief, and we have formulated a battle plan, issued orders, and sent materials to the battlefield according to these plans and orders.Even though the progress of the battle may not catch up with the original progress for a while, I think how these specific battles will be carried out and the results will be the responsibility of the frontline commanders, and I have complete trust in them.Let us remember that winter is causing us great hardship, but our Army and Air Force are eating up the enemy's depleted manpower and resources day by day.With the opening of the port of Antwerp, our supply movement has been greatly improved.General Eisenhower estimated that the casualties he inflicted on the enemy on the Western Front exceeded the enemy's ability to organize new troops to make up for it.A decisive breakthrough in our favor must come soon, though when I do not yet know. As for the Italian battlefield, Alexander's army was doing its best to keep the German divisions in Italy.Let us remember that if these Germans wished to withdraw to the Alpine front, they could well do so. The same is true of the German armies in the Balkan countries.I never dared to imagine that in the Balkan countries, we could capture a large number of German troops without the help of the Russians. On the Soviet battlefield, we also have to fully anticipate bad weather.It appears that the Russians are currently doing their part.Of course you know more about this than I do. The situation in the Far East is of course somewhat different, and I am not at all optimistic. From a long-term point of view, there is little we can do to get China to put up decent resistance except to take the measures that Wedemeyer is taking now.However, in the Pacific region, Japan has suffered many times greater losses in manpower, material resources, and ships than we have, and they cannot sustain it.Even God is helping us.This spectacular earthquake and tsunami is proof of that. Between now and spring, a lot will happen after the thaw.By then, many things will be much clearer than they are now. My Joint Chiefs of Staff are fully committed to directing their agencies to implement the plans we have developed in support of our military forces around the world.Almost all of these armies were in use at one time.I don't think there is a big strategic decision to make now to guide our field commanders, so my chiefs of staff should not leave their posts A serious blow was imminent.Within six days, a crisis suddenly appeared in front of us.The Allies decided to attack the enemy hard from Aachen in the north and through Alsace in the south, leaving our center very empty.In the Ardennes theater, the U.S. Eighth Army, composed of four divisions, held a single front seventy-five miles long.We knew the danger and we were willing to take it; but the consequences were serious, and could have been worse.The enemy had amassed an astonishing number of some seventy divisions on their western front, fifteen of which were armored divisions, but many of them were understrength and in need of rest and re-equipment.However, the Sixth Armored Army is a well-recognized force with strong morale.While this vanguard potential was still stationed east of Aachen as a reserve, it was already under our close watch.When the fighting on that front fell silent in early December, it also temporarily escaped the surveillance of our intelligence agencies.Bad weather prevented the plane from flying and hindered our reconnaissance of it.Eisenhower suspected that the enemy was mobilizing, but its scale and speed were unexpected. The Germans really have a big plan.Rundstedt assembled the Fifth and Sixth Panzer Armies and the Seventh Army, a total of ten armored divisions and fourteen infantry divisions.This large army, with its armored corps, attempted to break through our Ardennes to the weak center of the Meuse, turn north and northwest, cut the Allied front in two, seize the port of Antwerp, and cut off the lifeline of our northern army. This bold move was planned by Hitler, and although his generals had misgivings, he refused to change.In support of this risky operation, the remnants of the Luftwaffe were gathered and put in a desperate effort, paratroopers, saboteurs, and agents in Allied uniforms were dispatched. The attack began on December 16 under heavy artillery fire.As the 6th Panzer Army advanced towards the Ruhr Dam, the northern flank rushed into the right of the 1st U.S. Army.After repeated fierce fighting, the enemy was stopped.Farther south the Germans broke through a narrow front, but the U.S. 7th Armored Division fought exceptionally well, defending St. Vitus firmly and withstood their attacks for a few critical days.The German Sixth Panzer Army extended another spearhead westward, then northward toward a stretch of the Meuse above Liege.Simultaneously the German Fifth Army charged through the center of the U.S. Eighth Army line, skirted Saint-Vitus and Bastogne, plunged deep into Marche, and approached a stretch of the Meuse on the edge of Dinan. Although the timing and magnitude of the attack came as a surprise to High Command, they quickly realized its importance and purpose.They decided to strengthen the shoulders of the defensive breakthrough, guard the Meuse River crossing to the east and south of Namur, concentrate mobile forces to attack from north to south, and annihilate the intruding enemy.Eisenhower moved quickly.He halted all Allied offensives, brought up four American reserve divisions, and brought in six more divisions from the south.Two airborne divisions were transferred from the United Kingdom, one of which was the British Sixth Division.To the north of the enemy's prominent position, the British XXX Corps, consisting of four divisions, had just emerged from the Ruhr front and concentrated between Liege and Louvain behind the American First and Ninth Armies.These two armies later brought in all their reserves to form a flank line west of Malmedy. The Germans cut off General Bradley's Twelfth Army Group, preventing him from effectively commanding his two armies north of the salient from the Luxembourg headquarters.General Eisenhower therefore very wisely ordered Montgomery to temporarily command all Allied forces in the north, while Bradley remained in command of the U.S. Third Army, responsible for blocking and counterattacking the enemy from the south.Corresponding arrangements have also been made for tactical air units. I telegraphed Smuts. Prime Minister to Field Marshal Smuts December 22, 1944 You know that Montgomery and those of us in England have been emphasizing for months an attack north of the Ruhr, repeatedly pointing out that our strength does not permit two major offensives, one against Cologne and the other across Saar the river. Despite the bad weather conditions, our friend pushed forward confidently.When the enemy began to counterattack, they were scattered from north to south.On the afternoon of the 20th I called Eisenhower and suggested that he put Montgomery in command of the forces north of the breakthrough zone and Omar Bradley in command of the forces south of the breakthrough zone, with him in charge of the coordination between the two.He replied that he had issued exactly the same order in the morning.Montgomery now commanded effectively eighteen American divisions, plus about sixteen from his Twenty-First Army Group.He is forming a strong reserve force and is undertaking all combat missions in the areas under his command.He should be able to hold off enemies with impenetrable momentum.So far there is no sign that the Germans have the strength to launch a large-scale attack on the frontal positions of the 21st Army Group. 2. The situation south of the breach is not so clear.The Americans are resisting doggedly, but the state of confusion is severe.Of course an army led by Patton had assembled from the Metz area and was marching north.I think the situation of the enemy is not good either.I am optimistic as usual.This turtle has stretched its head out too far. The three divisions we had come to reinforce were defending south of Namur along the Meuse. Bradley concentrated a corps at Arlon and sent the US 101st Airborne Division to guard the important intersection at Bastogne.The German armor turned north of Bastogne in an attempt to break through to the northwest, leaving the infantry behind to take Bastogne.The 101st Airborne Division and some armored units were separated, and they repelled all attacks during the week of isolation. The swirling movements of the German 5th and 6th Panzer Armies gave rise to a fierce battle between the enemy and us around Marche, which lasted until the 26th of December.Although the Germans were at one point only four miles from the Meuse and had penetrated more than sixty miles, by this time they were exhausted.Bad weather and low fog on the ground kept our Air Forces out of action for the first week, but when flying conditions improved on December 23rd, they took part in action to great effect.Heavy bombers strike railroads and operations centers behind enemy lines, and tactical air units wreak havoc on enemy forward areas, starving them of reinforcements, fuel, food, and ammunition.Strategic air raids on German refineries starved them of gasoline, slowing their advance. After the enemy armored forces attacked their main target, the Meuse River, they frantically rushed towards Bastogne.On December 26 part of the US 4th Armored Division reinforced the US 101st Division.They held Bastogne for another week, although the enemy was greatly outnumbered.By the end of December, the German High Command must have realized, however unwillingly, that the war was lost, because Patton's counterattack from Arlon on the 22nd was advancing slowly but steadily across the frozen ground. the countryside to Houffalize.The enemy made one last struggle, this time an air strike.On January 1st the enemy unexpectedly and violently attacked all our forward airfields at low altitude.Our losses were heavy, though the recovery was rapid, while the Luftwaffe suffered irreparable losses in their last concentrated attack of the war. On January 3, Montgomery cooperated with Patton from the north to launch a counterattack against Houffalize from the south.At this time, I went to the front line to inspect and telegraphed to the President. prime minister to president roosevelt January 6, 1945 The Chief of the Imperial General Staff and I have been with Eisenhower and Montgomery these two days. They feel that the war is very tight, but they believe that they will win.The press can cause trouble and I want you to understand that the British Government has complete confidence in General Eisenhower and any attack on him makes us very sensitive. 2. Eisenhower and Montgomery worked well together, as did Bradley and Patton.To dismantle this joint operation would be disastrous.In 1944, it was this joint operation that enabled us to obtain the greatest military achievements that we could not have dreamed of.Today Montgomery told me that thanks to the unity of the British and American troops, otherwise this breakthrough by the enemy would have had extremely serious consequences on the entire front. 3. Although I regret that we only have seventeen and two-thirds divisions, all of these divisions are absolutely full.In addition we have seven or eight thousand reinforcements in France ready for deployment.We have moved another quarter of a million troops to or near the front, and this measure gives me great confidence that we will at least maintain our present strength in the severe battle ahead. 4. I feel deeply the need to support the infantry, who suffer two-thirds of the losses and are often the last to be replenished.It was even more important to maintain the infantry strength of the divisions already in action than to send new large troops.We are therefore preparing a considerable number of infantry brigades, including those drawn from the Navy's 80,000 marines.These infantry brigades would free several mobile divisions from semi-stationary theaters while they did the specific work that was required of them.As far as Army Group Twenty-First was concerned, Montgomery welcomed the idea with great enthusiasm.I understand from General Eisenhower that he felt the same way, and that he desired more detachments of infantry, riflemen and bayonets, to maintain the proper organization of American divisions. 5. My warmest congratulations to you.Your troops have been very heroic in this battle, especially at two places on the Bastogne and Montgomery lines (this is what he told me). Here the Ninth Division fought successively, and won only after suffering very heavy losses; the other, in connection with the American Seventh Armored Division, seemed to display the supreme devotion of its soldiers.And many units of the First Army held out to the end, held the crossroads in the area of ​​​​the enemy's invasion, and saved the entire army in the north from serious danger by their own great sacrifices. 6. I read that American newspapers criticized our troops for not participating in this battle. I take this opportunity to assure you here that our troops are fully prepared to be deployed at the command of General Eisenhower.I believe he and his subordinate, Field Marshal Montgomery, deployed their troops in accordance with strictly military necessity in the use of troops for counterattacks and flanking movements against the criss-crossing lines of communication.I saw no sign of discord in the Anglo-American Command.But Mr. President, the hard truth is that we need more combat troops to keep the fight going. 7. I feel the need for a new and strong drive for friendship and all-out effort from the heart.Anything you think we can do, please let us know immediately. At this point Eisenhower and his staff were of course very anxious to see if there was anything the Russians could do to ease the pressure on us in the West.Despite all the efforts of our liaison officers in Moscow, they were unable to obtain any answer from their counterparts.In order to bring this issue to the Soviet General Staff in the most effective manner, Eisenhower sent his deputy commander, Air Force Admiral Ted, to lead a special mission to the Soviet Union.They were delayed for a long time because of the weather.As soon as I heard about this situation, I immediately said to Eisenhower: It may take a long time at the level of the staff. I think if I ask Stalin, he may tell me.Do you want me to try it?He asked me to try, so I sent the following telegram: Prime Minister to Marshal Stalin January 6, 1945 The fighting on the Western Front was fierce, and the Supreme Command had to make a large number of decisions at any time.You also know from your own experience how anxious it is to be in the position of having to defend a long front after the initiative has been temporarily lost.Eisenhower would very much like and very much need to know your general plan of action, because it obviously affects all his major decisions and ours.We received reports last night that our special envoy, Air Force Admiral Ted, was stuck in Cairo due to the weather.It's not your fault that his trip has been delayed for a long time.If he hasn't reached you yet, tell me: can we expect a major Soviet offensive in January on the Vistula front or elsewhere?Thank you very much for sharing the above information with any other details you would like to explain.I will not share this top-secret information with anyone but Field Marshal Brooke and General Eisenhower, and to both of them only in the utmost secrecy.I think this matter is urgent. People thought at the time how big the decision we were asking him was, and how many people were involved, and yet the reply was received the next day, which was a marvelous thing. Marshal Stalin to Prime Minister January 7, 1945 I received your call of January 6, 1945 on the evening of January 7. Unfortunately, Air Force Admiral Ted had not yet arrived in Moscow. It is important to take advantage of our superiority over the Germans in artillery and air.This required clear weather suitable for flying and no fog on the ground that hindered the aiming of artillery fire.We are preparing for an offensive, but the weather is currently unfavorable.However, taking into account the situation of our Allied forces on the western front, High Command decided to expedite the completion of preparations and decided, regardless of the weather, to attack the Germans along the entire central front at the latest in the second half of January. Massive attack.You can rest assured that we will do everything possible to help the honorable troops of our allies. Prime Minister to Marshal Stalin January 9, 1945 Thank you very much for your touching telegram.I have passed it on to General Eisenhower alone.Good luck with your noble march! 2. The war on the Western Front did not go too badly.It was quite possible to crush the Germans from prominent positions and inflict heavy losses on them.The battle was mainly fought by the Americans, whose troops fought well and suffered heavy losses.Both of us put as much energy as we could into it.What you have told me will be a great encouragement to General Eisenhower, because it will reassure him that German reinforcements will have to be divided between two heavily fought fronts.According to reports from the generals in command of the battle, the fighting on the Western Front would continue. 我引用這樣的電文來往是為說明盟國首腦之間解決問題迅速的好例子，也是為了說明俄國人和他們的領袖顯然不顧重大犧牲提早發動大攻勢的義舉。艾森豪威爾看到我轉給他的消息當然很高興。但他要求給他調去一些可能抽調出來的援軍。三星期前我們向英國全國宣佈說政府還要徵募二十五萬人員來做供應給養的工作支援在前線同敵人對陣的部隊，並且在我們長期的戰鬥中，英國政府第一次援引它的職權去強迫我們各戰鬥軍種中的婦女到海外服務。其實不需要什麼強迫，到處一片熱情。不過這種非常措施需要時間才能成熟。 我們雖能彌補秋天在戰場上的損失，並維持充足的物資供應，但我們手頭所剩無幾了。美國人方面除六萬步兵增援部隊以外，準備從美國再調九個新師上來。 兩個美國軍團，連同西側的英國第三十軍從北面向敵人進逼。一月七日他們切斷拉羅什維爾薩爾姆公路，這是德國人準備逃跑的重要道路。這兩翼的盟軍進攻部隊一面和暴風雪搏鬥，一面徐徐地推進，於一月十六日在烏法利茲會師。 德國人被迫節節東退，沿途受到我方空軍的不斷襲擊。到月底，他們退到他們的邊界之後，他們雖盡了最大的努力，所得到的除了毀滅性的物資損失和十二萬人的傷亡之外，什麼也沒有。 這場戰役中發生了一個難以處理的情況，雖然幸而沒有影響大局，但必須提一下。艾森豪威爾為了從第三集團軍裡抽出幾個師，命令德弗斯的第六集團軍群接替巴頓的一部分戰線，並批准如果必要的話，可以從萊茵河撤至孚日山脈。這樣就等於敞開斯特拉斯堡的門戶讓敵人可以自由進入，在法國政界和軍界裡引起一片可以理解的驚慌。敵人將會怎樣對這些熱烈擁護他們的解救者的斯特拉斯堡人民進行報復啊！ 這當兒，我碰巧在艾森豪威爾設在聖日耳曼的總部裡。他和比德爾‧史密斯傾聽了我的呼籲。敵人的確在這個集團軍群的正面突然活躍起來，特別是在科耳馬爾孤立據點，但總算被擊退了。艾森豪威爾取消了他的命令，而急切要求放棄斯特拉斯堡的軍事形勢也沒有發生。戴高樂對此表示感激。 這是敵人在這次戰爭中最後的一次攻勢。在當時曾使我們很擔心。我們的進攻不得不推遲了，但最後還是對我們有利。德軍無法補償他們的損失，而接下去我們在萊茵河的各個戰役，儘管還很激烈，但毫無疑問變得輕鬆得多了。德國最高司令部，甚至希特勒的幻想一定已告破滅了。艾森豪威爾和他部下的指揮官們曾一時措手不及，但馬上採取了對策，然而他們會同意主要應歸功於別的方面。用蒙哥馬利的話來說：阿登戰役的大捷主要是因為美國士兵具有忠實堅定的戰鬥素質。【１】至於我的看法，則可摘引一月十八日我在下院講話中的一段話： 【１】蒙哥馬利陸軍元帥著：《從諾曼底到波羅的海》，第一百八十一頁。 我以為十二月十六日以來在美軍戰線上展開的激烈的戰役是英美聯合的戰役。雖然幾乎全部是美國軍隊在作戰，並承受了幾乎所有的損失，但如果我們的士兵的成績受到冷淡的對待、忽視或抹殺（這種情況有時是存在的），我毫不遲疑地起來為他們辯護。不過我們不要忘記上個月有關個人傷亡和引人焦慮的電報是送往一家一家的美國家庭的。從我掌握的軍事材料來看，對付馮‧龍德施泰特的反攻措施是堅決的、明智的、軍事上正確的。在一條幾百哩長的戰線上，總可以打開一個缺口，缺口一打開，艾森豪威爾將軍馬上命令蒙哥馬利元帥指揮缺口以北，命令奧馬爾‧佈雷德利將軍指揮缺口以南。戰爭的結局證明，這兩位雄才大略的司令員對於他們手下的百萬大軍指揮若定，我可以毫不誇張地說，他們的調度方略堪稱後代兵家的楷模。