Who was the Allied Commander of the Third Army and a key figure in the Battle of the Bulge?

• A. Douglas MacArthur
• B. Omar Bradley
• C. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• D. George Patton

Answer: (D)

George Patton led the U.S. Army’s Third Army and became a central figure in the Battle of the Bulge. When Germany launched its surprise Ardennes offensive in December 1944, Patton’s forces moved rapidly from France into Belgium, driving north to relieve the besieged town of Bastogne and to blunt the German advance. That swift, decisive armored counteroffensive helped stabilize the front, thwart a deeper German breakthrough, and hastened the push that eventually pushed German forces back.

Douglas MacArthur was a Pacific theater commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the overall Allied commander in Europe, and Omar Bradley commanded other formations in Europe rather than the Third Army during this battle.