From December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945, the Allies and the Germans battled in a decisive battle known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans launched this assault in the heavily wooded Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg as a last-ditch effort to change the course of the war.

As the name of the action suggests, the goal of the German onslaught was to create a salient in the Allied lines. There was a major “bulge” in the front after the Germans’ initial gains, but they were eventually stopped by the combined efforts of the Allies’ resistance, bad weather, and stretched supply lines.

The combat was one of the largest and bloodiest of the conflict, with deaths on both sides being high. The turning point that weakened German military might and paved the way for Nazi Germany’s eventual collapse was the Allies’ successful defense. The Allied forces’ perseverance and the difficulty of war in difficult terrain and severe conditions are both on display at the Battle of the Bulge.