Evening star., 1945-01-16
Bulge BoIunce Sheet

one month after Won Rundstedts
elite infantry and his carefully hus-
banded armored divisions surged out
of their fixed defenSes to do battle
in the fog and snow -shrouded will
derneSs of the Ardennes. On the
basis of the figures which Mr.. Stim-
son has made public it is feasible
to strike a partial balance sheet,
and, for the rest, to hazard a guess
as to whether the German COM
mander has gained or lost as re-
suit of his spectacular smash into
Belgium and Luxembourg.
Mr.. Stimson's report covers the
period from December Is to January
7. Our losses in killed, wounded and
missing were slightly under 10000
men. Approximately 10000 Germans
were taken prisoner. In addition,
an estimated $4,000 enemy soldiers
were killed or wounded Those fig
ures cover the time in which Won
Rundstedt was enjoying his greatest
Success-the period of rapid advance
and the slow and costly process of
stopping his onrushing armies and
turning them back. In all prob
ability, our relative losses were
heavier then than they have been
since January 7, when our armies
have been on the offensive and when
the retreating Germans, weather
permitting, have been hammered
numerically by Allied planes.
So far as these casualty figuses go,
Won Rundstedts offensive has been,
for him, disastrous failure. His
losses have been more than twice
as great as ours and, in contrast to
the Allies, he lacks the means of
finding requirements. Even if Ger
man and American losses in men
had been approximately equal, it is
doubtful that Won Rundstedt would
have felt that his gamble was
profitable one. And when he loses
two men to our one it is virtually
certain that he has paid much too
high a price for his spectacular but
short-lived advance
There remains the question of
relative losses in materiel and the
extent to which the German often
siye has dislocated General Eisen-
hower's plans for the advance into
Germany.
AS yet, we do not know whether
our losses in equipment have been
smaller or greater than Won Rund-
stedt's. If they have been equal or
smaller the advantage is definitely
ours. And even if they have been
greater, unless excessively so, the
fact remains that we are in a far
better position to sustain losses in
materiel than are the Germans. We
can make good our losses. Their
ability to do so is doubtful, and it
should be remembered that Won
Rundstedts' losses in equipment may
rise sharply in the hasty retreat to
the Siegfried Line that is now under
way.
There are those who believe that
the German offensive has seriously
disrupted Allied plans for the inva-
sion of Germany, and that may be
correct. But in that connection it
is not unreasonable to ask what Won
Rundstedt's plans were. If he aimed
to destroy the American First Army,
to cross the Meuse, or to occupy
Liege or Antwerp he has failed mis-
erably. If he hoped for nothing
more than a break through and a,
consequent shot in the arm for Ger
man morale-which seems most un-
likely-he has achieved a measure
of success. But from the German
viewpoint, was the adventure worth
the cost? If Won Rundstedt had
remained behind the Siegfried Line
he could certainly have inflicted
greater losses on the advancing
Allies at less cost to himself. And
will not the day come when he will
long for the thousands of German
soldiers and the guns and the tanks
and the planes which he has left
behind him beneath the snow that
is settling over the battle of the
bulge?