Legacy of Liberation: Commonwealth troops at the Battle of the Bulge

Did you know 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers fought at the Battle of the Bulge? 

Discover their story and how the fallen are commemorated in this latest instalment of our Liberation of Legacy series.

The Battle of the Bulge

Hotton War Cemetery: War graves in the Ardennes’ shadow

Image: Hotton War Cemetery where Commonwealth casualties of the Battle of the Bulge are commemorated

The small town of Hotton lies in the dense woodland of the mighty Ardennes Forest. 

Famed for its caves and annual hot air balloon festival, today Hotton is a place of peace and serenity and a popular tourist hotspot.

But in the Second World War, Hotton's peace was shattered twice by bloody battles representing two distinct phases of this world-changing conflict.

The first came in May 1940 when the Nazi war machine swept through the Ardennes on its way to France, precipitating the great strategic earthquake that was the Fall of France and the occupation of mainland Europe. 

The early phase of World War II was marked by German dominance. The Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe were the terrors of Europe, launching blitzkrieg to defeat the scrambling French and British armies, leaving Nazi Germany masters of the continent.

The second time Hotton endured combat in the Second World War the situation was very different. Rather than sweeping through Allied defences with ease, this time the German Ardennes Offensive of December-January 1944 was its final roll of the dice on the Western Front.

Massive armed forces clashed beneath the boughs of the Ardennes, in its towns and villages, and Hitler and his generals made one last desperate gamble to stem the Allied advance in the West.

Hotton and the Ardennes’ wartime experience can be seen in the over 660 war graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Hotton War Cemetery.

While many date from the British Expeditionary Force’s attempt to stem the tide in May 1940, the majority date from December 1944 to January 1945 at the height of the infamous Battle of the Bulge.

What was the Battle of the Bulge?

Image: Map of German movements during the Battle of the Bulge (Wikimedia Commons)

The Battle of the Bulge is one of the most storied episodes of the Second World War.

In the winter of 1944, a blanket of thick snow and ice fell across northwest Europe, limiting Allied operations. 

The autumn had been a busy period for the Allied forces in Northwest Europe.

Following the successes of D-Day, British, Canadian, and US armies, alongside allies from across Europe, had begun the liberation of Europe from Nazi liberation.

Operation Market Garden had failed to bring an early end to the war in Europe in September 1944. However, the Allies had made major successes in the southern Netherlands and western Belgium. 

The Canadians were victorious at the bloody Battle of Scheldt, while Antwerp had been liberated by British forces. With these two important victories, the supply situation that had built up in the wake of D-Day was eased.

The winters of the 1940s were particularly harsh and 1944 was no different. With Europe suffering freezing conditions, the Allies put offensive plans on hold and began to build up for the spring.

German High Command had other ideas. Building up their forces, including huge numbers of armour, the German armed forces under direct orders from dictator Adolf Hitler were told to go on the attack.

The German plan was to drive a wedge between the Allied forces in northwest Europe, retake Antwerp, and halt the Allied advance before they could break into Germany. 

On 16 December 1944, the stillness of the snow-cloaked Ardennes was rent asunder by the thunder of artillery, the rumble of tank engines, and the cries of advancing infantry as the Wehrmacht began its attack, supported by the sweeping planes of the Luftwaffe.

American troops, thinking they were occupying a quiet part of the line, stretched thin, and lacking tank support were caught completely by surprise. 

The Battle of the Bulge had begun. 

In the coming days, German forces pushed back the US units in the Ardennes, forming a nose-shaped salient in Allied lines, which gave this battle its iconic name.

Who fought at the Battle of the Bulge?

Image: A British Sherman Firefly tank at Namur, Belgium, guards the River Meuse (Wikimedia Commons)

For the Ardennes Offensive, codenamed Operation Autumn Mist, Germany assembled a force of some 400,000 men, later rising to 450,000, over 2,500 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, and more than 4,000 artillery pieces.

Initially facing the German onslaught was around 200,000 US infantry, including lightly armed paratroopers, around 400 tanks, and some 1,900 artillery guns.

They were reinforced as Allied commanders rushed troops into the area as the battle raged into January.

By the end of the battle, some 700,000 Allied soldiers were in the Ardennes battlefield, backed by 10,000 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, and more than 3,000 artillery pieces. 

This demonstrates the incredible preponderance of materiel available to the Western Allies but make no mistake: the fighting in the Bulge was desperate, bloody and difficult.

In the public imagination, the Battle of the Bulge was fought purely by American troops against the German Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe. 

Indeed, the US experience has been detailed in TV shows, movies, video games, and books, rightly lauding the incredible effort undertaken to stem the German advance.

But what many people do not know is that around 55,000 Commonwealth troops also fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Why were Commonwealth troops at the Battle of the Bulge?

As touched on earlier, the Commonwealth was represented in not insignificant numbers at the Battle of the Bulge. 

The 21st Army Group, commanded by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, had advanced steadily into France and the Netherlands post-D-Day.

Beginning to probe into Northern Germany, the Commonwealth soldiers were in the vicinity of the German attack zones once the Ardennes Offensive was launched, and so were moved to the region as the situation worsened for the Allies.

One of the German objectives of the Ardennes Offensive was to cross the River Meuse, get out into open tank country, and head for Antwerp. 

As the Americans held on, particularly at the important crossroads town of Bastogne, a battlegroup from the German 5th Panzer Armee broke away and headed straight for the Meuse crossing at Dinant. 

Montgomery ordered General Brian Horrock’s XXX Corps to move from its positions in the Netherlands to take up defensive lines in the northwest of the Allied lines in and around the Ardennes.

The Commonwealth forces that took part in the Battle of the Bulge include:

• 6th Airborne Division
• 51st (Highland) Division
• 53rd (Welsh) Division
• 29th Armoured Brigade
• 33rd Armoured Brigade
• 34th Tank Brigade

Canadian units also began to appear on the Bulge battlefield as the battle progressed. Men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Brigade were brought up in January as part of the wider 6th Parachute Division.

Weather permitting, British and Canadian pilots of the Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force counterparts clashed with Luftwaffe opponents above the Ardennes.

The British units took up positions on the northern flank of the Bulge salient. Among them were some of the best troops in the British army, such as the paratroopers of 6th Airborne Division, veterans of Normandy and highly experienced and motivated soldiers.

First contact at the Bulge

Image: Wehrmacht troops crossing a road in the Ardennes pass knocked-out American artillery and vehicles (Wikimedia Commons)

The first British clash with German forces at the Battle of Bulge came on Christmas Eve 1944. Tanks of the Royal Tank Regiment joined US Shermans in crossing the Meuse to engage with elements of the 2nd Panzer Division heading their way.

2nd Panzer Division, part of the 5th Panzer Armee, had been split into two kampfgruppe or battlegroups. Their mission was to protect the German’s west flank while crossing the Meuse and heading for Antwerp as per the wider German offensive aim.

Kampfgruppe Cochenhausen, named for its commander, was coming into the path of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and its American support tanks when its lead Panther tank struck a mine and was destroyed. 

The remaining panzers reported the area was heavily mined, so the wider battlegroup retreated into the dense Ardennes woodland in response. Despite this, Belgian resistance fighters reported that Kampfgruppe Cochenhausen was just 7 kilometres from Dinant and its all-important river crossing.

Meanwhile, Kampfgruppe Böhm, again named for its commander Major von Böhm, was making its way to Dinant when it made contact with British armour outside the village of Foy-Notre-Dames. 

A British Sherman Firefly tank, with its powerful 76 mm gun, was lying in ambush. Spotting German tanks rumbling its way, the Firefly opened fire. It missed the lead German tank but instead struck a support lorry packed with explosives, resulting in a terrific explosion.

The British tank managed to take out a further German one and four Panthers were dispatched to take out the errant British unit. The Firefly managed to slip away and report contact to British headquarters. 

Meanwhile, a lack of fuel stopped the tanks of Kampfgruppe Böhm. Elements of the 9th Panzer Division were due to reinforce the 2nd, but again fuel constraints stopped German armour from linking up.

Instead, the men Kampfgruppe Böhm’s reconnaissance battalion were ordered to leave their vehicles and take the bridge at Dinant on foot. 
The Germans were now in range of British artillery. The big guns opened fire and, outside the limited protection of their vehicles, the Germans were cut to pieces.

On Christmas Day, the British counterattacked alongside US infantry support. British artillery bombarded the forward elements of Kampgrupper Böhm while American soldiers harassed them on the ground, causing Major van Böhm to call off his attack. 

Nearly 148 Wehrmacht soldiers had been captured and Kampgrupper Böhm had been effectively destroyed.

As for Kampgrupper Cochenhausen, it was forced to abandon its vehicles and equipment and retreated in deep snow to German lines deeper in the Ardennes.

From Defence to Attack

So far, the Commonwealth units at the Bulge had done their job expertly, stopping any German attack from crossing the Meuse in their sector and protecting the bridge at Dinant.

With support from their American allies, the British units along the Meuse had stopped dead and effectively destroyed the 2nd Panzer Division.

Now, the emphasis shifted from defence to attack.

The weather over the Ardennes improved as December turned to January. With clear skies, the Allies were able to bring to bear the considerable air power that had seen them dominate the aerial war over Europe so far. 

Vital supplies for the beleaguered American units fighting in the east and south were also air-dropped in, providing much-needed relief.

While the armoured and artillery elements of XXX Corps were engaged in the north, the 6th Parachute Division had dug in along the Meuse between Dinan and Namur.

Come the new year, the order was given for the paras to advance.

The Battle of Bure

Among the key engagements of the British advance during the Bulge counterattack began in deep snow on January 3, 1945.

The previous day, the men of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion, part of the 5th Parachute Brigade, were ordered to attack the German-held village of Bure. The aim was to defeat the German forces there and break through their line to nearby Grupont.

Image: A British sniper of 6th Airborne in winter camouflage (National Army Museum)

To take Bure, the lightly-armed paratroopers were supported by the Sherman tanks of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry.

The 13th Lancs launched their attack in the early afternoon of January 3rd. They didn’t just have the Wehrmacht to contend with. In some places, the snow reached two feet deep; less than ideal conditions for an infantry advance.

The paras were met with a fusillade of heavy mortar and machine gun fire, as well as supporting fire from German tanks, leading to heavy casualties.

In the face of such heavy resistance, the 13th Lancs still fought their way into Bure proper. ‘A’ Company began brutal house-to-house fighting while ‘B’ Company secured high ground around Bure.

By 17:00, the paratroopers had gained a foothold in Bure, but only just. ‘C’ Company was ordered to reinforce the attack. Tank and artillery support also covered the attacking paratroopers.

Close-quarters combat. British paratroopers fought tooth and nail in cellars, bedrooms, and buildings to turn them into secure strongpoints and throw off inevitable German counterattacks.

Starting on 4 January, German artillery bombarded Bure. To make matters worse, fearsome Tiger tanks prowled the area, making mopping and fully securing the area a difficult proposition, even for the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry’s tanks. The regiment lost around 16 vehicles in the Battle of Bure.

The following day, the paratroopers were joined by a company from the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry from the 6th Parachute Brigade. With reinforcements, the paras made one strong concerted push, driving the bulk of the Wehrmacht out of Bure.

By 21:00, the last enemy outpost had been overwhelmed by ‘A’ Company, 13th Lancs, securing Bure. German resistance had been broken.

The capture of Bure was followed by the news that the 7th (light Infantry) Parachute Battalion had broken through and taken Grupont with little resistance.

With their objectives secured, the battered and bruised 13th Battalion was sent back to the reserves to rest and recuperate.

The 6th Airborne Division remianed in action until the end of the Battle of the Bulge, going on to liberate numerous villages including Wavreille, Jemelle, On, Hargimont, Nassogne, Forrieres, Masbourg, Lesterny, Amberloup, Marloie, Waha and Roy.

Commonwealth Casualties of the Battle of the Bulge

Total Commonwealth casualties at the Battle of Bulge are variously given at between 1,400-1,460, killed, missing, or wounded.
Of the British divisions at the bulge, 6th Airbourne suffered the highest casualty rate, mainly due to the fighting to take Bure and advance into the Ardennes.

Over 120 Commonwealth paratroopers were killed in the Battle of Bulge. In total, some 360 men of XXX Corps were killed in action. 

Discover the Legacy of Liberation

The Legacy of Liberation continues this year.

2025 marks the 80th Anniversary of VE and VJ-Day and the end of the Second World War.

Join us for events, blogs, and virtual tours that help tell the story of the final months of this world-changing conflict, and how the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission hasn’t stopped since then.