German General Alfred Jodl Describes the Planning and Failure of the Ardennes Counteroffensive (1945)

Date: July 26, 1945

Created By: Major Kenneth W. Hechler

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Advance to the Rhine, The General

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: Walter Bedell Smith Collection of World War II Documents, Box 41, Interviews with High-Ranking German Officers (2); NAID #12130740

This July 26, 1945 interview records German General Alfred Jodl’s detailed account of the planning and execution of Germany’s Ardennes Counteroffensive, better known as the Battle of the Bulge. Questioned after Germany’s surrender, Jodl explains that Adolf Hitler developed the offensive in the fall of 1944 as an attempt to reverse Germany’s deteriorating military position. The plan called for German forces to break through Allied lines, cross the Meuse River, and advance toward Antwerp, potentially separating British and American forces. Jodl discusses disagreements over the operation, including alternative plans proposed by senior commanders and concerns about available troops, fuel, equipment, and weather.

Jodl also describes the December 16 attack, German expectations for a rapid breakthrough, difficulties crossing rivers, shortages of fuel and ammunition, and the failure to reach the operation’s objectives. He acknowledges that German forces lacked sufficient reserves and that the offensive ultimately could not achieve its intended strategic goals. The interview provides a valuable postwar German perspective on one of the final major campaigns on the Western Front, revealing the assumptions, disagreements, logistical problems, and strategic limitations behind Hitler’s last major offensive in the West.