Luckily, the weather did clear up, and the Allies had a superior Air Force at this point, which allowed a supply drop to arrive in Bastogne. Once Germans surrounded them, they had virtually no hope of being resupplied until reinforcements arrived. The men of the 101st Airborne were already lacking supplies and proper numbers for defense because of the weather and the fighting further to the west and south. Band of Brothers also depicts this aspect accurately, showing how desperate the situation was becoming as the battle raged on. The Battle of the Bulge lasted for several weeks, and by the end of it, the Allied troops were surrounded by German divisions. The men of Easy Company were able to get away with a thin defensive line because the forested terrain was optimal for defending against an oncoming foe. This demonstrates just how confused the Allied lines of defense were, a direct consequence of being undermanned. This aspect of the Battle of the Bulge is best shown in Band of Brothers when a German soldier accidentally wanders straight into Allied territory without being detected. This meant that few troops could be spared to reinforce the men at Bastogne. Much of the Allied focus at the time was on solidifying supply lines and capturing a deep-water port for supplies to be shipped into Europe. The scene in Western Europe was frantic at this point as the Germans made their final advance of the war while the Allies worked desperately to hold them off. Another crucial aspect of the Battle of the Bulge that Band of Brothers depicts accurately is that the Allied troops were spread far too thinly across the frontlines because they did not have enough soldiers to properly man the lines.
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