Which battle in December 1944 was the last major German offensive on the Western Front?

The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. Also called the Ardennes Offensive, it began on 16 December 1944 in Belgium and Luxembourg, when German forces attacked through the densely forested Ardennes.

Adolf Hitler hoped the offensive would split the Allied armies, capture the Belgian port of Antwerp, and force Britain and the United States to negotiate. Bad weather initially grounded Allied aircraft and helped the Germans achieve surprise. The attack created a large westward bulge in the Allied front, giving the battle its English name.

American units slowed the advance at places such as Elsenborn Ridge and Bastogne. When the weather cleared, Allied air power struck German troops and supply lines. General George S. Patton’s Third Army reached Bastogne on 26 December, helping break the siege. The battle ended on 25 January 1945 with the front restored and Germany’s remaining offensive strength badly reduced.

Operation Market Garden was an Allied operation in September 1944, while the Battle of Berlin occurred in 1945 and the Battle of Kursk in 1943.