
Ardennes 1944
The Battle of the Bulge
by Antony Beevor
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Pub Date Nov 03 2015 | Archive Date Dec 31 2015
PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Viking
Description
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.
Advance Praise
‘As impeccably researched, insightfully observed and superbly written as its bestselling predecessors’
--Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express
‘Beevor’s day-by-day account is rich in
detail and drama. This enthralling but gruesome narrative has some
unexpected pleasures, such as glimpses of celebrities at war’
--Francis Wheen, Mail on Sunday
If there’s one thing that sets Beevor apart
from other historians – beyond his gifts as a storyteller – it’s that he is not
afraid to look at the most uncomfortable, even frightening subjects, but
does so in a way that doesn’t threaten the reader. It’s like having Virgil
there to lead you through the underworld: he doesn’t leave you stranded amid
the horror but leads you back again, a wiser person for having undergone the
journey’
--Keith Lowe, Daily Telegraph
‘An indispensable book. It is a great
strength of Beevor’s writing that he takes time to explain how small pieces of
knowledge – the kind of thing passed on by battle-hardened soldiers themselves
– could make the difference between survival and a futile death’
--David
Aaronovitch, The Times
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9780670025312 |
PRICE | $35.00 (USD) |
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