A rather poorly executed attack performed by the Germans. For only haveing 8 days to plan and prepare, Freiherr von der Heydte did a decent enough job. Unable to bring his most experienced paratroopers (though about one hundred fifty defied orders and joined him anyway), he was given eight hundred misfits, troublemakers and under-trained men. The Ju-52 pilots chosen for this night drop were barely trained as well, leading to a MASSIVE miss-drop across the Ardennes.
While they were supposed to attack and take a crossroads behind the American lines, eventually meeting up with the 12th SS Panzer after breaking through, the paratroopers were so dispersed, von der Heydte only managed to collect roughly three hundred of the eight hundred men.
The attack failed, the 12th SS Panzer not being able to break through American lines, and von der Heydte only having half his men and enough ammunition for a single attack.
Not all bad news for the Germans, though, as with such a wide-spread drop, they had convinced US command that a large-scale attack was taking place. This prevented the 18th Infantry Regiment, three thousand men, and an entire armored command of 300 tanks and another 2000 men, from reinforcing the American lines for nearly a week as they combed the Ardennes for German paratroopers.
Eventually, von der Heydte was forced to surrender his remaining forces.
Here I am standing, darkness all around. Thinking of past, taken my last breath, the air is cold as ice No one close to hear my voice Did not leave me with a choice Heaven will you wait for me?