Manchus at the Crossroads: Defending the Northern Shoulder of the Bulge.

In seven days of battle, in December 1944, the 1st Battalion, Ninth Infantry suffered over 500 killed, wounded and missing. What began as an attack to penetrate the final defenses of Germany soon became a fierce defensive battle for an obscure crossroads on the German-Belgian border. By standing firm at a critical place and time, and seriously delaying Hitlers last great offensive at a crucial phase, the battalion made a significant contribution to eventual victory in the Ardennes. This paper examines the action of one battalion, as well as its parent regiment and the 2nd infantry Division in securing the northern shoulder of the Bulge. In so doing, it also attempts to illustrate the linkage between successful tactical actions and decisionmaking at the operational level.