<P> Hitler initially promised his generals a total of 18 infantry and 12 armored or mechanized divisions "for planning purposes ." The plan was to pull 13 infantry divisions, two parachute divisions and six panzer - type divisions from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht combined German military strategic reserve . On the Eastern Front, the Soviets' Operation Bagration during the summer had destroyed much of Germany's Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte). The extremely swift operation ended only when the advancing Soviet Red Army forces outran their supplies . By November, it was clear that Soviet forces were preparing for a winter offensive . </P> <P> Meanwhile, the Allied air offensive of early 1944 had effectively grounded the Luftwaffe, leaving the German Army with little battlefield intelligence and no way to interdict Allied supplies . The converse was equally damaging; daytime movement of German forces was rapidly noticed, and interdiction of supplies combined with the bombing of the Romanian oil fields starved Germany of oil and gasoline . This fuel shortage intensified after the Soviets overran those fields in the course of their August 1944 Jassy - Kishinev Offensive . </P> <P> One of the few advantages held by the German forces in November 1944 was that they were no longer defending all of Western Europe . Their front lines in the west had been considerably shortened by the Allied offensive and were much closer to the German heartland . This drastically reduced their supply problems despite Allied control of the air . Additionally, their extensive telephone and telegraph network meant that radios were no longer necessary for communications, which lessened the effectiveness of Allied Ultra intercepts . Nevertheless, some 40--50 messages per day were decrypted by Ultra . They recorded the quadrupling of German fighter forces and a term used in an intercepted Luftwaffe message--Jägeraufmarsch (literally "Hunter Deployment")--implied preparation for an offensive operation . Ultra also picked up communiqués regarding extensive rail and road movements in the region, as well as orders that movements should be made on time . </P> <P> Hitler felt that his mobile reserves allowed him to mount one major offensive . Although he realized nothing significant could be accomplished in the Eastern Front, he still believed an offensive against the Western Allies, whom he considered militarily inferior to the Red Army, would have some chances of success . Hitler believed he could split the Allied forces and compel the Americans and British to settle for a separate peace, independent of the Soviet Union . Success in the west would give the Germans time to design and produce more advanced weapons (such as jet aircraft, new U-boat designs and super-heavy tanks) and permit the concentration of forces in the east . After the war ended, this assessment was generally viewed as unrealistic, given Allied air superiority throughout Europe and their ability to continually disrupt German offensive operations . </P>

Where did the battle of the bulge start