This heavy German offensive that began on December 16, 1944 took the Americans by surprise
It was a German offensive intended to 
drive a wedge between the American and .... Germans arrived with an ultimatum: 
surrender or heavy artillery will begin ... On the enemy side, with Lieutenant 
General George S. Patton below the southern flank of the surprise German thrust, 
the... [DOC] [TLE] Chapter 5: American Military History, Volume II [PAR] May 23, 2006 ...