Many of the troops had only taken over their positions from U.S. II Corps two days previously and besides the difficulties in the mountains, preparations in the valley had also been held up by difficulties in supplying the newly installed troops with sufficient material for a full-scale assault because of incessantly foul weather, flooding and waterlogged ground.
Mange af tropperne havde først overtaget deres stillinger fra 2. amerikanske korps den 13. februar og udover vanskelighederne i bjergene var forberedelserne i dalen også blevet forsinket af vanskeligheder ved at forsyne de nyligt installerede tropper med tilstrækkelig materiel til et stort angreb på grund af det konstant dårlige vejr, oversvømmelser og vandmættet jordbund.