The Operational Art as Practiced by General George Patton, Jr. During the Battle of the Bulge
Abstract
This case study analyzes the operational art as practiced by the Commander, Third Army, General George S. Patton, Jr., during the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-January 29, 1945). As part of the Allied Campaign in the European Theater of Operations, the Battle of the Bulge was an Allied counterattack against a major German counteroffensive into the Ardennes. Although best known for individual and tactical unit actions, the Battle of the Bulge was primarily successful because the Allied Commanders, especially Patton, applied operational thinking to the planning and execution of the operation. The operational art as practiced by Patton during this operation has significant implications to the contemporary military since the counterattack planning and execution was completed in a crisis situation. The lessons learned from Patton's planning and execution is still applicable today and in the future for crisis operations. Therefore, this study focuses on Patton's actions. The Battle of the Bulge exemplifies the importance the practice of the operational art plays in linking tactical actions to strategic objectives as an Allied failure would have had strategical implications. The Allied chain of command clearly understood the operational objectives and correctly judged the enemy's center of gravity. Patton was able to achieve those objectives as a result of early planning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 17, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA283522
Entities
People
- R. C. Claflin
Organizations
- Naval War College