The VT fuze was famous at the Bulge, not first used there

Was the VT fuze first used on land during the Battle of the Bulge?

No; it had been used earlier, but its destructive airbursts in wooded terrain made the Bulge especially famous.

The Battle of the Bulge did not mark the VT fuze's first use against land targets. Its reputation there came from the way shells burst above wooded positions rather than burying themselves in the ground. The explosion turned tree canopy and other material into fragments driven down onto troops below. Battlefield conditions can make one later employment of a weapon more famous than its actual introduction.