--- title: "Battle of the Bulge" description: "Study the maps of the largest battles of WW2 in detail. Get a good perspective of these history changing clashes." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/home/maps/battle-of-the-bulge" date: "2026-07-26T15:09:16+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # Battle of the Bulge [![Map of the Battle of the Bulge](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/maps/belgium/D-Day-normandy-beyond-map-bulge-initial-attack-1944.jpg)](#js-0) ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/maps/belgium/D-Day-normandy-beyond-map-bulge-initial-attack-1944.jpg) --- **Note: Click on the map for an enlargement!** - Battle location: Ardennes - Country affected: Belgium, Luxembourg - Duration: December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945 --- [This map provides an overview of the battlefield. Visit the full battle page to explore the complete history, key events, commanders and historical photographs. Explore the full battle ](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/battles/battle-of-the-ardennes) ### Total Allied casualties - Killed: 19.200 - Wounded: 48.200 - Captured: 23.240 - Total: 89.500 ### Total Axis casualties - Killed: ± 75.000 - Wounded: not known - Total: ± 75.000 --- Please keep in mind that 100% accurate figures about the number of casualties cannot be given with complete certainty. ##### “The present situation is to be regarded as one of opportunity for us and not of disaster…" Dwight D. Eisenhower ## History and facts about Battle of the Bulge **The Battle of the Bulge**, also known as the **Ardennes Offensive**, was the **last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II**. The offensive was carried out **from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945**, towards the end of the war in Europe. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg. The **primary military objectives** were to deny further use of the **Belgian port of Antwerp to the Allies and to split the Allied lines**, which potentially could have allowed the Germans to encircle and destroy the four Allied forces. [**Adolf Hitler**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-adolf-hitler), who by this time had assumed direct command of the German armed forces, believed that achieving these objectives would compel the Western Allies to accept a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor. By this time, it was palpable to virtually the entire German leadership including Hitler himself that they had no realistic hope of repelling the imminent Soviet invasion of Germany unless the Wehrmacht was able to concentrate the entirety of its remaining forces on the Eastern Front, which in turn obviously required that hostilities on the Western and Italian Fronts be terminated. > The Battle of the Bulge remains among the most important battles of the war, as it marked the last major offensive attempted by the Axis Powers on the Western front. After their defeat, Germany would retreat for the remainder of the war. ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/74/SHAEF-Allied-US-746d7625.png?src=images/patches/SHAEF-Allied-US.png&thumbnail=196,270,&hash=6b77b543)#### Battle outcome: Allied Victory [](#) [](#) --- ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/German-Wehrmacht-eagle-cloth.png)#### Insignia of the defeated forces [](#) [](#) ### Discover other epic battles of the Second World War ![Battle of Midway](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/battles/midway/Battle-of-Midway-June-3-1942.jpg) ### Battle of Midway 3 June 1942 What was the Battle of Midway? The Battle of Midway, fought between 4 and 7 June 1942, was one of the most decisive naval battles of the Second World War. Taking place aroun… ![Operation Barbarossa](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/cities/stalingrad/d-day-normandy-beyond-stalingrad-slider.jpg) ### Operation Barbarossa 22 June 1941 What was Operation Barbarossa? 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The Attack on Pearl Harbor took place on the morning of 7 December 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military st… [](#) [](#) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.normandy1944.info/home/maps/battle-of-the-bulge" }, "headline": "Battle of the Bulge", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/images/maps/belgium/D-Day-normandy-beyond-map-bulge-initial-attack-1944.jpg" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Normandy1944.info – D-Day, Normandy and Beyond", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/images/logo/D-Day-Normandy-1944-WW2-logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank C. Everards", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/how-it-started" }, "datePublished": "2022-06-10T10:18:53+02:00", "dateCreated": "2022-06-10T09:18:53+02:00", "dateModified": "2026-07-10T14:01:24+02:00" } ```