The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day,
Stalingrad, and The Battle of Arnhem reconstructs the Battle of the
Bulge in this riveting new account
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his 'last gamble' in the
snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he
could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the
Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were
doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe
that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army
approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of
striking back.
The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer
armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of
German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American
soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered,
others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German
advance.
The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became
comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western
Front's counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both
sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of
combat were breached. The Ardennes--involving more than a million
men--would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the
Wehrmacht.
In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major
players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of
the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World
War II.
