Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the
Luftwaffe to cripple
Allied air forces in the
Low Countries during the
Second World War. The goal of
Bodenplatte was to gain
air superiority during the stagnant stage of the
Battle of the Bulge so that the
German Army and
Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year’s Day, the first day that happened to be suitable.