T20
4 January 1945
The airdrops and increased pressure from the Allies forced the Germans to call off the offensive ... The British 1st Airborne Division and the Belgian Para Regiment in the Ahr valley managed to cut off an improtant supply line. A corridor was opened and the road to the Rhine -at Remagen- seemed open... but there was no information about the German defenses there. Eisenhower urged caution. Many US units were badly depleted during the battle in the Ardennes.
Surviving German panzer units -except 1 SS PzK -were seen withdrawing from the western front (PO track 2 must have kicked in)
2 retreating divisions were isolated in Luxembourg as other pockets were being cleaned up.
The British relieve units (from 8 and 12 Corps) started to assemble in Bastogne and would be railed back to their original positions on the Dutch-German border and refitted.
The planned offensive there across the Rhine had suffered a delay.
Allied command was eager for a general offensive to capture the Rhine crossings..
By the 11th the condition of the units which fought in the Ardennes would be evaluated and a date for the offensive set.
The Alsace saw action as well... Units of the 7th US Army aided by French paras established a bridgehead across the Rhine near Strassbourg ...efforts went underway to eradicate the Colmar bulge but the Germans were conducting attacks out of the Saar line. This could hamper a speedy capture of the economical important coalmines in that region.
Heavy fighting around Budapest where the Red Army still was attempting to isolate the city.
The Red Army started to advance in various other sectors.. Warsaw, East Prussia, Southern Poland...
