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18 Dec, 5 tweets, 2 min read
1 of 5: In studying command & control during the Battle of the Bulge, one observation becomes clear: the corps structure (at the time, a flexible command with units plugging in & out as needed) served us well.
2 of 5: This modular "plug and play" construct allowed Patton, Hodges, and Monty greater flexibility to effectively design and redesign each corps to meet specific mission requirements.
3 of 5: For example, this corps (the 18th under Ridgway) went from controlling a single airborne division (the 82nd) to an enormous 5-division command with armor formation in a single day.

III Corps added 2 divisions and went from rear area support to counterattack in ~ 40 hours
4 of 5: The corps structure also allowed the senior commanders to choose the specific corps commanders they wanted for specific roles. This was critical in a time when the corps commanders had varied sets of experience.
5 of 5: This is vastly different from the way we think of an Army corps today: a fixed structure with identified divisions and separate brigades.

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More from @18airbornecorps

XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
20 Dec
1 of 11:

DECEMBER 20, 1944

BATTLE OF THE BULGE, DAY 5

At this point, the reserve forces (the 82nd and the 101st and the headquarters of the XVIII Airborne) are in sector and in their fighting positions. For the first time ever, the XVIII Airborne Corps is operating in combat. Image
2 of 11:

On this day 76 years ago, the 82nd Airborne establishes a defense against the 6th SS Panzer Army in the small Belgian town of Werbemont. This was the northern shoulder of the German bulge. Image
3 of 11:

It was freezing cold in Werbemont, as temperatures dropped to around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Light snow covered most of the ground. Image
Read 11 tweets
XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
19 Dec
THE WERETH 11: A THREAD IN 10 TWEETS

A tragically under-examined tragedy of the Battle of the Bulge is that of the all-black 333rd Field Artillery Battalion. Image
2 of 10: In 1943, the men of the 333rd formed on Camp Gruber, Oklahoma to the European theater. During their training, the men faced segregation on and off-post. These American Soldiers were forced to sit in the back of the troop buses & were denied access the post movie theater Image
3 of 10: The 333rd entered the war in 1944 and landed in Normandy shortly after D Day. Image
Read 10 tweets
XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
19 Dec
1 of 44

Let’s take a moment and catch up with this Battle of the Bulge series, shall we?
2 of 44

Planning for the German attack that would launch the Battle of the Bulge “officially” began in September 1944, and it’s a little interesting because Germany was not in a good place. They were losing friends left and right.
3 of 44

Japan had recently suggested to Hitler that he begin peace talks with the Soviets.
Read 44 tweets
XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
19 Dec
1 OF XVIII: THE DAMNED ENGINEERS

DECEMBER 18, 1944, BATTLE OF THE BULGE, DAY 3

#BoTB

The desperate German gamble was working. Image
2 of XVIII: For months he doubted this would work. Now, 59 hours into the daring German Ardennes Counteroffensive, Joachim Peiper, leading a group of SS stormtroopers at the front edge of the German advance, looked down from his cupola & realized the US resistance had melted away Image
3 of XVIII: As the sun went down over Neucy, Belgium on Dec 18, 1944, Peiper realized he was really going to push into Habiemont and secure the bridges allowing the follow-on-forces westward advance. If the Panzer forces could reach fuel, Antwerp (100+ miles away) was in play. Image
Read 18 tweets
XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
18 Dec
1 OF 15:

BATTLE OF THE BULGE DAY 3: DECEMBER 18, 1944

Battling Bastards of Bastogne

~2:15 AM, Major General Matthew Ridgway, unaware of the fighting in Ardennes, and sleeping in his HQ, is awakened by a call from Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges, commander of First Army.
2 of 15:

Hodges, calling from the town of Spa in Belgium, tells Ridgway that the Germans are smashing through the Ardennes & the XVIII Airborne Corps had been released from theater reserve and assigned to First Army to help push back the offensive.
3 of 15:

Until just recently, with the creation of the 18th Airborne Corps, there was no traditional "reserve" in the European Theater. Now, the 18th was the reserve.
Read 15 tweets
XVIII Airborne Corps🐉 Profile picture
17 Dec
1 of 7: BAD INTEL

76 years ago the Battle of the Bulge began as a massive failure of U.S. intelligence. The Americans believed that the Germans were by this time a spent force, incapable of mounting an offense.

#BoTB
2 of 7:

For more than a month, the Allies failed to recognize the massing of the Sixth SS Panzer Army near Ardennes as a sign of an impending attack.
3 of 7:

The Americans were also fooled by a smart German tactic: the Panzer forces employed deceptive radio messages discussing their defensive preparations.
Read 7 tweets

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