In response to the German attack, Eisenhower quickly transferred the Allied 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions to the Bastogne-Saint-Vitus line reinforcements that the Germans had not yet conquered. After that, he quickly adopted a policy of attacking in the south and defending in the north: one of the most important orders was that the US 3rd Army should move north to attack the German bulge. "This turtle has stretched its head too far."

Churchill wrote in a letter to Field Marshal Smoats. When the German offensive began a week later, the weather improved. U.S. 8th Air Force fighters re-engage German planes in the skies of Western Europe.

The two sides did not want to bomb each other, forcing the German armored forces to be unable to move during the day. Sandwiched between the 3rd Army and Hodges' 1st Army, the Germans captured Bastogne on 5 January.

The Allies were still unable to use Nancy, and their attempts to quickly break through the Western Wall defense line failed; So, Li Mo now began to make detailed plans for the Western Front offensive that he had always dreamed of.

First of all, he was right in his estimation, the Allies had seventy divisions, and it was impossible to hold on to a front nearly five hundred miles long; Second, Limer was counting on the November weather to put an end to the absolute air superiority enjoyed by the enemy, or at least to greatly diminish it in the event of a German offensive.

Therefore, Li Mo was anxious to start the autumn when the weather cleared and stop this endless war of attrition of the air force, because the German army on the Soviet front was already very tight, and the air force was too important for the German army.

Since the offensive must be launched in a position where the existing forces are confident of a breakthrough, it is necessary to choose a position where the enemy's ground forces, whether front-line or reserve, are weak. After the breakthrough, we will continue to expand the results. Until the situation on the entire Western Front turned in favor of Germany.

After a thorough inspection of the troops on the Western Front and careful preparations, Limer's plan for launching a large-scale attack from the position of the Western Wall Line to the weak part of the enemy's line was very clear, and finally chose Eiffel as the breakthrough section and Nancy as the final target. In this way, the hundreds of thousands of Allied troops will be completely divided and annihilated.

In issuing instructions to Field Marshal Moder and Army Groups A and B and the Fifth Panzer Army, Limer explained that the offensive had to be launched in a position where the existing forces were sure to be able to make a breakthrough. He went on to tell them that the Munchaux-Echternach (Eifre) area had been selected as the most suitable location for the attack, since the enemy forces there had already suffered heavy losses in the previous frontal assault and were relatively weak.

Moreover, the enemy reserves in this section have been moved to the vicinity of the first line. The supply situation is also precarious. Because the enemy's defensive forces in this area were relatively weak. In addition, the enemy would not have expected the Germans to attack here (and even if they did, they would not have thought so), so as long as the attack was completely unexpected, and the weather was not conducive to air operations, the Germans could break through quickly.

The breakthrough would allow the German armored forces to gain the initiative. Then. These forces quickly moved forward. Build a bridgehead between Liège and Namur on the Maas River. Then through Brussels, it will advance quickly to Nancy to the west. It is conceivable that as soon as the German armored forces cross the Maas River, they will be able to cut off the rear lines of communication of the US First Army passing through the Maas River valley. As soon as the German armored forces arrived in the Brussels-Nancy area. The rear lines of communication of the British 21st Army Group would also be threatened, and would also be cut off if Nancy were to be lost.

The enemy army had not yet completely put this Nancy in order, and the defense of Nancy was not very perfect, it was indispensable for the Allies. Allied supplies throughout the Ardennes were transported, transited and stored from Nancy.

The timing of the offensive depended on Limer's concern that the Allies might soon restore order in the port of Amsterdam and thus make full use of their superiority in men and materials. It was precisely because of this concern that Li Mo set the start of the offensive in early November.

If the direct target of the offensive had been seized, the Germans would have cut off the supply sources of the US First Army and the British 21st Army Group and would have been in an excellent position in the operation. If the attack is successful, it will destroy 35 to 50 enemy divisions, and will capture or destroy large quantities of various supplies and equipment. These supplies and equipment had been piled up in the area in preparation for the Allied attack on the Western Wall and the proposed advance on the Rhine.

The breakthrough of the Germans in the entire direction of the offensive was to be carried out by ordinary first-line divisions. When breaking through, progress must be rapid, and conditions must be created for the rapid surrender of armored forces into battle. Taking advantage of the enemy's panic and confusion, the German armored forces were to immediately advance westward. The fundamental problem was that the Panzer Division must not allow itself to be restrained when advancing towards the Maas River. They had to bypass well-defended areas and positions that they couldn't take right away, and they couldn't let themselves be hindered by exposed flanks. In short, these were the tactics that were successfully used in the Eastern Front campaign in 1940.

In his instructions to the three commanders, Li Mo mentioned November 25 as the day when the offensive was launched, and said that the moon phase was the most favorable on this day. At that time, there will be a new moon, and the darkness of the night will provide further cover for the troops' operations, especially in preparation for aerial reconnaissance. From the very beginning, Li Mo pointed out unequivocally: "I have made up my mind that I will not give up the far-reaching goal of the offensive, will not change the arrangements I have made, and will not give up the use of the existing troops." ”

Li Mo went on to outline the tasks of the group army, and the division of labor was as follows;

The 6th SS Panzer Army (SS Zepp?) General Dietrich) will break through to the crossings on both sides of Liège on the banks of the Maas and the crossings of its tributary, the Vesare. Build a strong line of defense over the fortifications east of Liège and advance to the area between Maastricht and Nancy on the banks of the Albert Canal before reaching the area north of Nancy. There will be nine divisions, including four armored divisions, to achieve this goal.

The 5th Panzer Army (von?) General Mandolfer) was to cross the Maas River between Ame and Namur, west of Liège, to prevent enemy reserves from the west from attacking the flanks and rear of the Sixth Panzer Army along the line of Nancy-Brussels-Dinant. To carry out this task, the army group will have seven divisions, including four armored ones.

The Seventh Army (General Brandenberger), consisting of roughly seven divisions (including one motorized division), would resist attacks from the south and southwest, protecting the flanks of the two Panzer armies acting as assaults. Its immediate objective was to reach the Maas and its tributary, the Semois, and then to make contact with the Moselle Line in the Luxembourg region. In order to build a strong line of defense in the further afield, the army group also had to erect obstacles. (To be continued......)