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Colonel Joachim Peiper is briefed by his commanding officer, who states that Germany had only 50-hour to win the battle because they lacked resources such as men and oil. The reliance of the Germans on their ‘wonder weapons’ is also very well shown in the movie. Hitler believed that the massive Tiger Tanks and the V1 and V2 rockets could turn the tide of the war in Germany’s favor.<ref> Parker, Danny S, The Battle of the Bulge, <i>The German View: Perspectives from Hitler's High Command</i> (London, Pelican, 1999), p. 13</ref> Hitler's confidence was once again misplaced.
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====The Setting of the Battle====
[[File: 1024px-Battle of the Bulge.jpg|200px|thumb|left|American G.I.s fighting in the Ardennes, 1944]]
While the opening scenes may be reasonably accurate not much else of the movie can be called historical. One of the main problems with the movie was that it was filmed in Spain. The terrain and geography of that country are not like the Ardennes region. The battle took place in often densely forested and hilly terrain.<ref> Parker, Danny S, Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's Ardennes Offensive, 1944–1945 (Da Capo Press, NY, 2002), p. 157</ref>
The terrain shown in the movie was not really like the battlefield and this is a major weakness in the movie. At the time, it was noted by many movie critics and this glaring inaccuracy infuriated many veterans of the battle. Then there is the weather in the movie. This was very important in the battle and it directly impacted on its outcome. The initial success of the German advance is shown in the motion picture to be a result of their daring use of tanks. In fact, it was due to the weather. Snow storms Snowstorms kept the American P-45 and other planes grounded and this allowed the German Panzers to advance rapidly. When the weather changed the American air force attacked the German Panther and Tiger tanks and ravaged them.<ref>Shaw, p 119</ref> The weather in the movie does not really reflect the wintry conditions of the battle. There is snow shown but the actual battlefields of the Ardennes were covered deep in snow. Because the movie was shot in Spain, with its Mediterranean climate the wintry battlefields of the Ardennes offensive is not captured.
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