Product Description

'The perspective of 15 years, painstaking research, thousands of interviews, extensive analysis and evaluation, and the creative talent of John Toland [paint] the epic struggle on an immense canvas...Toland writes with the authority of a man who was there...He tastes the bitterness of defeat of those who surrendered and writes as if he had the benefit of the eyes and ears of soldiers and generals on the other side of the line...If you could read only one book to understand generals and GIs and what their different wars were like this is the book' - "Chicago Sunday Tribune". 'The author has devoted years to studying memoirs, interviewing veterans and consulting military documents, both German and American. He also has revisited the old battlefields in Belgium and Luxembourg...Toland has told the whole story with dramatic realism...It is a story of panic, terror and of high-hearted courage' - "New York Times Book Review". 'For the first time in the growing literature of World War II, the inspiring story of the stubborn, lonely, dogged battle of the Americans locked in this tragic salient is told...gripping ...You cannot put it down once you start it' - "San Francisco Chronicle". John Toland has written numerous books on World War II, including "Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath". Carlo D'Este is the author of "Patton: A Genius for War" and other works.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14426 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
"... an exceptionally vivid account of the battle from the American perspective. Based almost entirely upon interviews with participants, Toland paints a remarkable picture of war 'at the sharp end' which has rarely been matched, and which officer cadets should find informative as well as highly readable. Without doubt, this is a recommended purchase." -- The Wish Stream, Summer 1999

Customer Reviews

Freezing around Bastogne.
My first contact with Mr. Toland's writings was "Gods of War" and found it a great WWII novel. At that time I wasn't aware Mr. Toland was a professional historian on war themes. Researching in Amazon, for bibliography on the Bulge subject, I was gratefully surprised to find this non-fiction book.
Mr. Toland collects hundreds of testimonies from the actors of this war drama, ranging from generals to privates; medics, nurses, peasants, priests. Blend all of them in an overwhelming and coherent picture. His prose is entertaining and informative. The reader has the sensation of "being there". He gets in touch with the suffering of the confronting soldiers, their acts of desperate bravery and gallantry, but at the same time having a look into the planning of higher levels of command.
Both sides in conflict are researched, their actions scrutinized and compared.
This edition contains very helpful maps, allowing the reader to follow up the progress of the actions.
Even if this book was written in 1959 and many documents were not available for investigators at that time, it stands as milestone on the subject.
A great stuff to read for historians, students or casual readers. Enjoy!!!.

Readable research
The book is well researched.It is also a gripping account and hard to put down even though it is written in a scholarly style - reporting the facts only. The author saves his opinions and thoughts on the battle for the Epilogue which is very refreshing as you get to read the story of the battle as it really was - history - not explanations, ideas and conjecture. I have a couple of problems with the book and one is a major disappointment considering the research material that must have been available - the maps are too few, poorly illustrated and are poorly placed - they don't flow with developing battle. The second issue - for those who may need some guidance with military terms and units - a small glossary would have helped or a table of units. For instance, how many men are in a task force and what comprises a combat command brigade? It is relevant when you read that after a particular battle only a few dozen or so men were left from a particular task force. If you have no idea how many men there were to begin with the impact is lost on you. Some interesting side issues are mentioned.The author states that Eisenhower knew that German scientists had almost completed an atomic bomb and felt that maybe the Ardennes offensive was an attempt to gain time for it's completion. Another interesting case was the story of Baron Von Der Heyde - a famous German paratroop commander. He was given a special mission behind American lines in the north. What is interesting is not the mission itself but the fact that Hitler trusted Von der Heyde at all - after all he was one of the earliest members in the conspiracy against the Fuhrer and he was a cousin of Baron Von Stauffenberg - the captured leader of the plot. Hitler must have known about the Von Der Heydes connection.

Dramatic and spectacular telling
Toland wrote a masterpiece, and while not as detailed as some texts, and certainly not as complete due to the fact that many official records were still locked up tight, it delivers the flow of this massive battle and delivers all the cold and terror associated with Wacht am Rhein.

This book is a quick and easy read and general enough for unfamiliar readers. It captures the human side of the story from both sides of the front. My only complaint about this book is that it could have been much longer! Toland also avoids long lists of unit designations but does deliver the relevant facts when necessary (for example, when dealing with the ill-fated 106th Division).

Usually the politics of the generals are written in an uninteresting and dry fashion, but Toland captures the dynamics of Bradley, Ike, Patton, and Monty very well. It is hard to decide who has the biggest personality disorder among this crowd, but Bradley and Patton seem to come out as the most matter of fact and concerned with strategies and combat rather than politics. Monty comes across as a pompous blowhard, even when he makes a feeble attempt to praise his Allied counterparts. There is a little less about the German High Command, Model, Rundstedt, and Hitler, but a large part of that information was not available at the time of Toland's writing. It is telling of human nature that while thousands bleed and froze those at the top are issuing statements to clarify their political positions.

Overall, a fabulous book, well written and captivating to read.