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Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 First Edition

by Peter Caddick-Adams (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 871 ratings
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Between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945, American forces found themselves entrenched in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg defending against an advancing German army amid freezing temperatures, deep snow, and dense fog. Operation Herbstnebel--Autumn Mist--was a massive German counter-offensive that stunned the Allies in its scope and intensity. In the end, the 40-day long Battle of the Bulge, as it has come to be called, was the bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and indeed the largest land battle in American history. Before effectively halting the German advance, some 89,000 of the 610,000 American servicemen committed to the campaign had become casualties, including 19,000 killed.

The engagement saw the taking of thousands of Americans as prisoners of war, some of whom were massacred by the SS--but it also witnessed the storied stand by U.S. forces at Bastogne as German forces besieged the region and culminated in a decisive if costly American victory. Ordered and directed by Hitler himself--against the advice of his generals--the Ardennes offensive was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment. Its last reserve squandered, these irreplaceable losses would hasten the end of the war.

In Snow and Steel, Peter Caddick-Adams draws on interviews with over 100 participants of the campaign, as well as archival material from both German and US sources, to offer an engagingly written and thorough reassessment of the historic battle. Exploring the failings of intelligence that were rife on both sides, the effects of weather, and the influence of terrain on the battle's outcome, Caddick-Adams deftly details the differences in weaponry and doctrine between the US and German forces, while offering new insights into the origins of the battle; the characters of those involved on both the American and German sides, from the general staff to the foot soldiers; the preparedness of troops; and the decisions and tactics that precipitated the German retreat and the American victory. Re-examining the SS and German infantry units in the Bulge, he shows that far from being deadly military units, they were nearly all under-strength, short on equipment, and poorly trained; kept in the dark about the attack until the last minute, they fought in total ignorance of their opponents or the terrain. Ultimately, Caddick-Adams concludes that the German assault was doomed to failure from the start.

Aided by an intimate knowledge of the battlefield itself and over twenty years of personal battlefield experience, Caddick-Adams has produced the most compelling and complete account of the Bulge yet written.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199335141
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199335145
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 28, 2014
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.3 x 2.3 x 9.3 inches
  8. Print length
    928 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Caddick-Adams knows more about the Bulge than any other historian I have read... I admire his originality... Snow and Steel offers an authoritative narrative of the drama." --Max Hastings, The Sunday Times (UK)

"[Peter Caddick-Adams] has woven the threads together skillfully and written a book which analysis and narrative combine to provide a brilliant anatomy of a modern battle. Above all, and this is what makes the book enjoyable for the general reader as well as the military buff, Caddick-Adams explains the context of the battle and examines the strengths or weaknesses of the antagonists, their leaders, equipment, ideologies, economic resources, and intelligence systems." --The Times (UK)

"The Battle of the Bulge was the last gasp of Hitler's armed forces before inevitable defeat and one of the few pitched battles fought in the West. Caddick-Adams has marshalled a wealth of fascinating detail to show that Hitler's last gamble was a military fantasy while Eisenhower emerges from this account as one of the great strategists of the war. This will surely become the standard history of this climactic confrontation in the West." --Richard Overy

"Peter Caddick-Adams is fast emerging as one of our most authoritative and exciting military historians... Combining deft analysis with anecdote, he never loses sight of the immense human drama, and his empathy for the many combatants and civilians caught up in this brutal battle is profoundly moving. This is a rich, thought-provoking and surely definitive account of one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War." --James Holland, author of The Battle of Britain and Dam Busters

"Peter Caddick-Adams's Snow and Steel offers readers, at long last, the entirety of the German Ardennes offensive of 1944-5, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge. Until now the story of the Bulge has been recounted unevenly, in bits and pieces and with emphasis upon pockets of heroism and horror. This book's singular achievement is to offer a balanced view of the strategy and tactics of both sides. Writing with authority yet wearing his scholarship lightly, Caddick-Adams offers an encyclopedic and immersive narrative of the battle that was, in Churchill's words, 'an ever-famous American victory.'" --Andrew Roberts, author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, and Napoleon: A Life

"Snow and Steel tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge from foxhole to the Fuhrer's Command Headquarters, leaving the reader with a new appreciation for the largest battle America fought in the Second World War. With a soldier's insight into the flow and fog of battle, Snow and Steel demonstrates why Peter Caddick-Adams rates highly among the new generation of battlefield historians. A must-have and must-read for students of the European War." --LTC (Ret) Roger Cirillo, Association of the US Army Institute of Land Warfare

"Caddick-Adams is probably the best military historian of his generation, and Snow and Steel is the definitive account of one of the key punctuation marks in history, when the western Allies thwarted Germany's last attempt to turn the tide of the Second World War." --Chris Bellamy, University of Greenwich

"Snow and Steel is a fresh re-telling of a widely known story. Throughout the narrative Peter Caddick-Adams transitions smoothly back and forth between the highest strategic and operational echelons, down to the level of the frontline GI and Landser. The result is a rich tapestry of the single largest battle in American history." --Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, U.S. Army (Ret'd)

"Like its predecessor (Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell), Snow and Steel brings a fresh and innovative approach to military history-so long restricted to the dry study of generals and operations. By exploring the cultures and motivations of the participant armies, as well as by excavating veterans' accounts of surviving the sharp end, Caddick-Adams suffuses life, spark, and dynamism into his new narrative of the incredible story of the Battle of the Bulge." --Alexander Rose, author of Washington's Spies (now an AMC series)

"A gripping account of one of the most important campaigns of the last year of World War Two, Snow and Steel deserves attention from anyone interested in the war." --Jeremy Black, author of War and Technology

"Caddick-Adams is a master at integrating narrative and analysis, and at balancing personal experiences with descriptions of operations. Broadly conceived, comprehensively researched, clearly written, Snow and Steel stands at the forefront among accounts of the Battle of the Bulge." --Dennis Showalter, Colorado College

"Snow and Steel highlights very effectively a chapter in American military history that has real resonance today. We all have something to learn from reflecting on it." --General Sir Nick Parker, former Commander, UK Land Forces

"Caddick-Adams knows the battlefield well and tells a gripping tale based on the first hand experiences of those who fought across its snowy landscape, pricking a few myths along the way and re-assessing the fighting reputation of some of the commanders involved." --Tim Newark, author of The Mafia at War

"Most military historians write about command and control, but very few have such powerful command and control themselves to drive such a comprehensive and excellent narrative. This is a complex tale, told in an utterly compelling fashion." --Paul Moorcraft, Director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, London

"Packed with fascinating first hand accounts, authoritative analysis and compelling personal vignettes, Snow and Steel is hard to put down. Peter Caddick-Adams, a leading Bulge scholar, has walked the battlefields of the Ardennes and studied the campaign for decades. Only an author of his vast experience could produce such a work of importance and excellence. Even if you have read many books on the Bulge, you will learn more from this one." --John C. McManus, author of Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible

"Superb: an impeccably researched, finely judged reappraisal of a pivotal World War Two battle that still resonates today." --Saul David, author of All the King's Men: The British Soldier from the Restoration to Waterloo

"Peter Caddick-Adam's depth and level of analysis of Adolf Hitler's last great offensive, in a desperate gamble to alter the course of World War II is impressive. Packed with fascinating detail, Snow and Steel captures the perspectives of both sides in the epic Battle of the Bulge in a manner that hooks the reader into the unfolding drama. A riveting account, his book spans the generalship of the opposing armies and their grand sweeps of strategy down to the experiences of the frontline soldier at the sharp end. The 1944 German Ardennes offensive has been covered many times before, but this is a classic and gripping examination that stands out." --Colonel Stuart Tootal

"Caddick-Adams casts a wide net, delving deep into the background, conduct, consequences and even historiography of this iconic battle, so even experienced military buffs will find plenty to ponder." --Kirkus Reviews

"The World War II battle pantheon mostly reads like the index to an atlas: Anzio, Iwo Jima, Stalingrad, Tobruk, etc. One exception in the name game traces to a flinty European forest, which we speak of today, thanks to an imaginative newshawk, by employing the subtitle to Peter Caddick-Adams's masterful new book. In this tank-size volume, the gifted Briton, a major in the British Territorial Army who lectures at the U.K. Defence Academy and who most recently wrote with élan of another conflict (Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell), illuminates the Battle of the Bulge until he has run out of facets. He layers context and connections with an inclusive style. Both the reader who knows nothing or little of this battle and the maven steeped in Bulgeiana will come away from Snow and Steel educated and sated…. Snow and Steel is a treasure." --Michael Dolan, Senior Editor, World War II Magazine

"Caddick-Adams leaves nothing out, and the details can be overwhelming. But the book's comprehensiveness and rigor will make it hard to supersede as the most authoritative history of the battle." --Foreign Affairs

Book Description

An encyclopedic and gripping new account of one of the most storied battles in American military history

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (November 28, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 928 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199335141
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199335145
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 2.3 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 871 ratings

About the author

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Peter Caddick-Adams

Peter Caddick-Adams

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Peter Caddick–Adams was born in London in 1960 and educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained First Class Honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. He worked in the House of Commons, then taught at Oxford and Birmingham Universities before being appointed Lecturer in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy in 1998, and Lecturer in Air Power Studies at RAF Halton since 2012. Concurrently, he pursued a second career in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, was commissioned in 1979 and joined the Reserves in 1985. He has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. During 1996–7 he was the official NATO Historian in Bosnia, based in Sarajevo, and was also the UK Historian during the Iraq War of 2003, based in Qatar and Iraq, and has written extensively on the campaigns he witnessed, including Afghanistan. The author of six books, his latest, a new history of D-Day 1944 - Sand and Steel (Preface and Oxford University Press) - will be released in May 2019, in time for the 75th anniversary. His three previous works, Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45 (Preface & Oxford University Press, 2014), Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell (Preface and Oxford University Press, 2012) & Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives (Preface, 2011) were best sellers and Monte Cassino is now the basis for a movie for which he is the historical consultant.

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be the most complete account of the Battle of the Bulge, with extensive research and detailed coverage of the action. They praise its readability, with one customer noting how it weaves a compelling narrative from strategic perspectives. The book receives positive feedback for its visual elements, with one review highlighting how it spotlights sights visitors can see on their tour, and for its portrayal of personalities, with one noting how it focuses on individual soldiers. While the pacing is thorough, customers express disappointment with the map quality, noting there are too few good maps included.

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109 customers mention "Detail"99 positive10 negative

Customers praise the book's detailed coverage of the Battle of the Bulge, with one customer noting how it weaves a compelling narrative from both strategic and tactical perspectives.

"...The author has married operational, personal and ancillary material into an informed story that has both breadth and depth and will give the reader..." Read more

"...The author's account of the battle itself is brilliant, focusing on 5 Panzer Army and largely ignoring the bloody but pointless fighting to north..." Read more

"The best book written about The Bulge thus far. Caddick-Adams handles descriptive narrative with style, erudition, and truthful grace...." Read more

"...bring great experience, personal knowledge and a fine, overarching set of perspectives combined with many new eyewitness accounts of the various..." Read more

81 customers mention "Readability"76 positive5 negative

Customers find the book to be an exciting and brilliant account that is worth their time.

"...coverage of the operational and ancillary details makes this book an awesome competitor...." Read more

"This is a very good book, although a bit odd...." Read more

"...The author bring great experience, personal knowledge and a fine, overarching set of perspectives combined with many new eyewitness accounts of the..." Read more

"...All in all, an excellent book...." Read more

67 customers mention "Research quality"67 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's extensive research, noting it is among the most detailed published works on the subject, with one customer highlighting its profound explanations of the foundations.

"...The Notes Section, Bibliography and Glossary are exemplary. The abbreviated Order of Battle is also helpful as is the Officer Rank table if needed...." Read more

"...Caddick-Adams handles descriptive narrative with style, erudition, and truthful grace. Highly recommended." Read more

"...The author bring great experience, personal knowledge and a fine, overarching set of perspectives combined with many new eyewitness accounts of the..." Read more

"...of all the units, a list of weapons and ranks, and an interesting discussion of the many books, movies, and TV series about the Bulge...." Read more

63 customers mention "Readable"45 positive18 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting its detailed yet accessible style.

"...Caddick-Adams handles descriptive narrative with style, erudition, and truthful grace. Highly recommended." Read more

"...The author bring great experience, personal knowledge and a fine, overarching set of perspectives combined with many new eyewitness accounts of the..." Read more

"...Additionally, while Caddick-Adams is generally a fine writer, some of his sentences are the size of a Tiger Tank, with clauses piled upon commas..." Read more

"...Battle coverage is ample for most readers but its not exhaustive; there are several books on the market that have greater coverage but overall the..." Read more

12 customers mention "Visual quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the visual quality of the book, describing it as a very good detailed look that serves as an eye-opener, with one customer noting it includes a worthy photo gallery for study.

"...are also a number of good large scale, gray maps and a worthy photo gallery to study...." Read more

"...at the most relevant parts of the text – to the excellent museums in the Ardennes region, as well as the present day locations of tanks and..." Read more

"...This is also a new look at the battle. He does a great job of painting a picture of the Germans. He also doesn't exclusively focus on Bastogne...." Read more

"...Their little museum is very well done, and another section contains many vehicles from the battle, from both sides...." Read more

7 customers mention "Personality"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's portrayal of personalities, with one review highlighting how it focuses on individual soldiers and another noting its detailed sketches of leaders.

"...phase of the book is equally intriguing, with the author drawing an inspired parallel (as good as John Keegan on form) between the Battle of the..." Read more

"...It is filled with personalities and anecdotes that bring the events to life...." Read more

"...in the foundations being clearly explained, the players on both sides carefully personalized and the movements, contacts and results examined from..." Read more

"...All the national leaders and all the generals are there. But the stories of many of the “grunts” on both sides are included as well...." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book thorough, with one customer describing it as riveting.

"...read one book on the Battle of the Bulge or dozens, you will enjoy Snow and Steel...." Read more

"...narrative offers a variety of perspectives, written in a clear, compelling manner...." Read more

"Caddick-Adams's Snow and Steel is a jewel. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle in American history...." Read more

"...officers and enlisted men on both sides of the battle, I find this book riveting and enlightening." Read more

5 customers mention "Map quality"0 positive5 negative

Customers express dissatisfaction with the maps in the book, noting there are too few good ones.

"...Last, the maps are terrible, better just left out. A good investment for any student of the Bulge: any one of several good games on the subject...." Read more

"...My only complaint about the writing and editing is that there are too few maps to follow the complex action...." Read more

"...But it has many flaws. -1 It needs more maps. Very difficult to follow battles unless you really know the area geography very well...." Read more

"...My only complaint is that there are far too few good maps, and the photographs are not printed well...." Read more

Great book, in great shape, but....
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Dave Schranck
    5.0 out of 5 stars A well rounded, highly researched story that will be well received.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    You can easily see the diligent research and years of hard work and study that has gone into this book. Congratulations to Mr Caddick-Adams for a book that will probably be discussed alongside books by MacDonald, Cole and Parker.

    With over 900 pages the book is deliberate, never hurrying to move on to the next topic. (Readers should be prepared for this deliberateness.) To conceptualize, the book is broken down into four parts. The first part begins with prehistory which consumes 260 pages. It not only covers the war situation like Operation Market-Garden and the Hurtgen Forest of the prior few months before the offensive but also briefly mentions Normandy, North Africa and Italy in an ancillary way. The importance of secrecy for the Germans in their preparations, the dislike of the offensive by many German commanders, the lack of trained grenadiers, transport trucks and fuel are just a few examples explained in this introduction. On the American side the risk of manning a thin defense along the German border and the intelligence failure are just two examples. The problems that arose for the Allies by not understanding Hitler's psyche is also included. The importance of weather, terrain, logistics and the physical conditions of both sides are also included. This is just a capsule summary; expect much more to this first section. The second and third parts houses the actual battle events of the offensive as well as the profiles of key officers and men that are expanded from the introduction. This section has 400 pages. The battle coverage is driven from the American perspective though there is plenty of German material. Battle coverage is ample for most readers but its not exhaustive; there are several books on the market that have greater coverage but overall the combined coverage of the operational and ancillary details makes this book an awesome competitor. The fourth part entails the post campaign thoughts of the author and uses about 60 pages. The rest of the book includes the Notes Section, Bibliography, Index and Appendix. From my perspective I enjoyed the first and last parts of the book the best for it added dimension to the middle of the book. The Notes Section, Bibliography and Glossary are exemplary. The abbreviated Order of Battle is also helpful as is the Officer Rank table if needed. There are also a number of good large scale, gray maps and a worthy photo gallery to study.

    Part 2 begins the initial German attack along the entire line. Coverage starts in the south in 4th ID sector, moves north to the 28th ID sector then further north to the 106th ID sector. The 99th ID defending Elsenborn and the twin villages are then covered. Returning to the southern sector, Patton and his two corps driving north and a well rounded Bastogne story is revealed. On the German side, there is more relative material covered for 7th Army and especially 5th PzA than 6th SS PzA. I felt General Dietrich's Army could have been more fully covered. The affairs concerning Peiper, Heydte, Skorzeny are also included. I could give a day by day summary but I'll stop here as the end of the week is reached. Suffice it to say, the battlefield coverage is very good though not exhaustive and includes many first hand and ancillary accounts.

    I was impressed with this battle coverage; it was an overall excellent effort by Mr Caddick-Adams. The author has married operational, personal and ancillary material into an informed story that has both breadth and depth and will give the reader a good overall understanding of this pivotal battle. It is highly recommended.
    88 people found this helpful
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  • Louis S. Barnes II
    4.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good book, although a bit odd
    Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very good book, although a bit odd. I was charmed by Toland's "Battle" fifty years ago, and have read most books on the Bulge since. Snow & Steel is the only one I've found to rival MacDonald's "Trumpets." The center section of this one has the best discussion of the German order of battle that I've ever seen, including the splendid wonks at wargame manufacturers, in particular the weakness of recently re-assembled units. The author's account of the battle itself is brilliant, focusing on 5 Panzer Army and largely ignoring the bloody but pointless fighting to north and south. Caddick-Adams gets to the heart of the matter: the battle was never in doubt (in no small part because of Ike's speed of reaction), and although stripped of the phony close-run-thing in so many other volumes describes the extreme violence of the affair including mini-Malmedys on the Allied side.
    All of that work is five-star. However, at the 100-page mark I nearly threw away the book: the preamble including late-Hitler politics is as awful as the meat is good. The Bulge was NOT the result of Hitler trying to maintain control of Germany. Skip the first one hundred pages without missing any useful insight. The same is true for the epilogue. I am interested to know of the post-war connection of Skorzeny to Arafat (I think), but the author's thoughts on the big sweep of history are better unswept. Last, the maps are terrible, better just left out. A good investment for any student of the Bulge: any one of several good games on the subject. The maps, orders of battle, and rules are instructive even if never played. Battles for the Ardennes, and very best, Wave of Terror.
    46 people found this helpful
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  • Jan R Folse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenally penned. A masterpiece of fact married to writing talent.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The best book written about The Bulge thus far. Caddick-Adams handles descriptive narrative with style, erudition, and truthful grace. Highly recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Massimiliano Torniai
    5.0 out of 5 stars Opera da avere !
    Reviewed in Italy on December 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Fosse in italiano si meriterebbe 10 stelle.
    Comunque si legge bene, scorre e appassiona.
    Analisi molto dettagliata della battaglia delle Ardenne.
    Report
  • GOPAL MEWARA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in India on June 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent research and compiled every miner historical and war related data of the Battle of the Bulge and very precisely describe about the units (from Army group to battalion level) fought in the battle. In short cover the every major and minor details from both allied and German front.
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  • Claude Lacroix
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tres bon auteurJe ne
    Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Une des meilleur description de la bataille des Aedennes que j`ai lu a date.
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  • Polarlicht
    5.0 out of 5 stars Snow & Steel: The battle of the bulge 1944 - 45 Liest sich sehr flüssig
    Reviewed in Germany on December 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Grandioses schriftstellerisches Diorama der Ardennen-Schlacht, sehr detailliert beschrieben,
    mit Einschränkung nur für den Historisch-Interessierten wirklich eine Fundgrube: Von der Divisions- zur
    Battallionsebene, vom General bis zum kleinen Landser beider Armeen, auch abwägend in den Nachbetrachtungen von militärischen Aktionen beider Seiten, Amerikanisch und Deutsch.
    Auch die Schicksale von Zivilisten werden beleuchtet. Das Buch zeichnet sich aus in der atmosphärischen
    Beschreibung von den Aktionen beider Armeen in der Endphase des 2ten Weltkrieges, wo sich die
    Niederlage Deutschlands abzeichnete.
    Aber nur für Leser geeignet, die gute Englisch-Kenntnisse haben.
    Kaufempfehlung: 5 Sterne.
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  • Andy W
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Page Lingerer
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Some authors let you gallop on through the narrative, turning page after page in a heady chase to the conclusion of the book. Peter's books are not like that. Each page is crammed with nuggets that ensure you linger a while, taking care not to miss a gem.

    this was the first of Peter's books I had read, having heard him on podcasts and on various documentaries. I was not disappointed. He is like a barrister, laying out his case, step by step, until he totally convinces you of the general argument of the book. In this, that the US Army of later 1944 had come a long way in a few years to being the best equipped, best led and best performing outfit in the world at that time. They had learnt their lessons and were quick to positively respond to setbacks, such as the German Ardennes offensive of December '44, later called the Battle of the Bulge.

    This book is jam packed with detail. Peter knows his subject and writes with an authority that comes with being familiar with the ground over which the battle was fought. From the opening chapter set in the Belgian village of Hotton, you get sucked into a world of snow, of desperate fighting and of bravery and bravado. It's a big book - but that should not put you off. Your understanding of the Ardennes Offensive will be much richer after reading this volume. Superb.
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