Battle of the Bulge, Allied Generals Quiz

Answer: Troy Middleton

Middleton's outnumbered VIII Corps was split in half but still managed to delay the Germans east of Bastogne. Using reinforcements sent by SHAEF (Primarily, the 101st Airborne Division and a combat command of the 10th Armored Division), and fragments of units retreating from the initial German attack, a ring was formed around Bastogne that held the city until relieved by Patton's forces on December 26.

Answer: Anthony McAulliffe-Division Artillery commander

Anthony McAuliffe was the division artillery commander and ranking officer In the division at the time the deployment orders were received and, in the absence of the division commander, served as acting commander of the division until the siege of Bastogne was lifted. Shortly after the relief of Bastogne McAuliffe was promoted to Major General and given command of the 103rd Infantry Division.

Answer: Maxwell D.Taylor

Taylor was in Washington for staff conferences after the Market-Garden operation when he heard that the division had been ordered to deploy. He flew back to Europe but, because the division was surrounded, was unable to rejoin the division in Bastogne until Patton's troops opened a corridor to the town. The 101st division was attached to Patton's 3rd Army and, with Taylor in command, attacked out of their positions around Bastogne in an effort to cut off German elements that were still west of Bastogne.

Answer: Alan Jones

The green 106th Infantry Division had recently deployed to Europe and had only been in the front lines for six days when the Germans attacked. The German Fifth Panzer Army used the road net north and south of the 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments to surround them and force their surrender.

In a communications failure, Jones was led to believe that reinforcements were on their way to relieve his besieged units, but they were instead intended to shore up the defenses around St. Vith. General Jones suffered a heart attack days later at his headquarters in St. Vith and was forced to turn the division over to his second in command.

Answer: James Gavin

The 37 year old Gavin moved his division to the area of Werbomont, Belgium, on the north shoulder of the battlefield. There, he deployed his division to face multiple attacks from elements of four SS Panzer Divisions. Gavin had enlisted at age 17 and won an appointment to West Point in a competitive examination within the Army.

He graduated and, after numerous assignments, was tasked with assisting in the conversion of the 82nd Infantry Division to the 82nd Airborne Division. He literally wrote the book on Airborne tactics and was given command of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Gavin assumed command of the entire division on August 8, 1944.

Answer: Matthew Ridgeway

Ridgeway returned to the front from England and directed the XVIII Airborne Corps defense of the northern shoulder of the Bulge. The Corps eventually included Armored, Airborne and Infantry divisions sent as reinforcements as well as remnants of units that had seen heavy losses in the fighting around St. Vith. Ridgeway took command of the XVIII Airborne Corps upon its formation in August, 1944, after commanding the 82nd Airborne Division from its creation through the Italian campaign and the invasion of Normandy.

Answer: Omar Bradley

Eisenhower decided that it would be too difficult for one commander to control the battle on both flanks of the Bulge and transferred the American 1st and 9th Armies to Montgomery's 21st Army Group. Bradley's 12th Army Group was left with only Patton's 3rd Army as it's primary fighting force. On hearing the first reports of the German attack, Bradley considered the German attack at the Bulge a mere "spoiling attack".

He was overruled by Eisenhower who ordered reinforcements into the area. Bradley is credited as being a contributing writer to the movie "Patton" based on his memoirs, "A Soldiers Story".

Answer: Courtney Hodges

Hodges VIII and V Corps were both in the path of the German advance. The V Corps managed to pull back and form a defensive line that became the northern shoulder of the allied position that the Germans were unable to penetrate. The VIII Corps was split with some units retreating north and some to the south. His Army was reassigned to General Bernard Montgomery"s 21st Army Group as it was north of the German penetration and Eisenhower wanted all Armies north of the penetration under Montgomery and those to the south under Bradley.

Answer: George S. Patton

Before the Germans attacked, Patton had his staff draw up contingency plans for an attack northward based on intelligence reports of a German build up in the Ardennes. After meeting with Eisenhower at SHAEF HQ he pivoted his army from an eastward attack to an attack toward the north. As seen in the movie, "Patton" , Eisenhower and his staff thought Patton was being fatuous when he said he could attack quickly. They didn't know that Patton had already made contingency plans to deal with several eventualities.

Answer: Brian Horrocks

Brian Horrocks commanded XXX Corps from August 1944 through the end of WWII. XXX Corps was refitting after the Market Garden operation when the Germans attacked on December 16, 1944. The Corps also participated in halting the German 2nd Panzer Division near Celles before they could capture a bridge over the Meuse River. The XXX Corps then joined the allied counterattack against the Germans westernmost forces when they began the counterattack to reduce the Bulge.

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