6. PANZER-ARMEE
When ‘Wacht am Rhein” began early on 16 December 1944 there were eight hours and six minutes of daylight ahead, from sunrise at 8.29 a.m. to sunset at 4.35 p.m. CET (taking Bastogne as reference point) with just another thirty-eight minutes of twilight at both dawn and dusk: a short winters day.
For the Americans, caught off guard, the shock of the opening phase of the offensive was to turn into a defeat for a number of front-line units, whilst for the Germans, striking such a stunning blow brought about the resurgence in moral that possessed undertone of the blitzkrieg of former years.
At 12.45 p.m. CET a report from Heeresgruppe B savoured some of the American radio messages it quoted: ‘We have been bypassed. What should we do?’
‘The guns are useless now. What should we do.’ Reply: ‘Blow up the guns’ , and We are withdrawing six miles to build up a new front line.”
Hitler once more sensed the excitement of victory. Placing a call to Heeresgruppe G, south of the offensive, he spoke with its commander, General der Panzertruppen Hermann Balck. His voice taut with emotion, Hitler rasped, ‘Balck, Balck, everything has changed in the West! Success-complete success-it’s now in our grasp!’
For the planners of ‘Wacht am Rhein’, however, indications had started to come in after only a few hours that things were not going according to plan.