“The present situation is to be regarded as one of opportunity for us and not of disaster…”
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was a five-week-long campaign on the Western Front in the Second World War. Contested between 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, it marked the final major German offensive of the war. The offensive was designed to break through and encircle the Allied forces in Western Europe and secure a favourable peace treaty to focus all remaining Axis energy toward the impending Soviet invasion in the East. ‘The Bulge’ was the biggest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in the war, the third-costliest in US military history, and one of the most decisive and pivotal moments in WW2.
Join us at What We Reading as we delve into this historic battle, presenting the most informative and compelling Battle of the Bulge books!
A Time For Trumpets: The Untold Story Of The Battle Of The Bulge – Charles B. MacDonald
Charles B. MacDonald was Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army and authored a number of the official histories of World War II. In A Time for Trumpets, he blends firsthand experiences with historical insights to give the Bulge the scope it deserves.
Having commanded a rifle company during the battle, MacDonald recounts how abysmal military intelligence left a force of 600,000 men staring down Adolf Hitler’s final gamble for victory. This visual account is backed up by extensive historical research to provide the most authentic portrait of the bloody hand-to-hand combat that ensued, finally concluding with an Axis defeat and the most triumphant American victory forged from strategic ingenuity and unbelievable bravery.
The Battle Of The Bulge: Hitler’s Final Gamble – Patrick Delaforce
Throughout the campaign, more than one million men would fight at the Battle of the Bulge: 500,000 Americans, 600,000 Germans and 55,000 British. Each side lost over 800 tanks, with the German Luftwaffe also losing a further 1,000 aircraft. The scale and significance of the Bulge are masterfully put into perspective by Patrick Delaforce in The Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s Final Gamble.
As well as curating personal stories from American, German and British combatants, Delaforce’s book also features high-quality images and detailed battle plans. Highlighting the key events and decisions made by both sides far the offensive, Delaforce’s overview is concise and accessible.
Voices Of The Bulge: Untold Stories From Veterans Of The Battle Of The Bulge – Michael Collins And Martin King
Michael Collins and Martin King immortalise the accounts of the brave men who faced down the powerful German counteroffensive operation code-named “Wacht am Rhein” (Watch on the Rhine) in Voices of the Bulge.
Designed to provide a unique perspective on this defining moment in WW2, Voices of the Bulge maps out the story of the battle with first-person stories taken from interviews held with the American troops on the ground, ranging from the officers in command to the privates enlisted. Also included are several insights from German veterans of the battle, including SS soldiers, combined to give a completely rounded overview of how this huge Axis onslaught was successfully repelled.
The Battle Of The Bulge: The German View: Perspectives From Hitler’s High Command – Danny S. Parker
Whilst the Battle of the Bulge has gone down in history as one of the most significant moments in American military history, Danny S. Parker provides a broader, nuanced perspective on the campaign in The Battle of the Bulge: The German View.
Parker brings together a wealth of primary source material – including debriefs of German commanders and documentation from high command – to chronicle the story of the Bulge from the Axis perspective. Shedding light on this crucial moment from an entirely new angle, this comprehensive examination gives readers insight into the strategies, challenges, and experiences of those on the other side of the Ardennes.
The Damned Engineers – Janice Holt Giles
Another one of the best Battle of the Bulge books for seeing the campaign from a new perspective comes from Janice Holt Giles in The Damned Engineers. The book follows the battle through the collective eyes and experiences of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion during the Ardennes Offensive.
Through the personal histories of the 291st, Holt Giles demonstrates the incredible contributions of these unsung heroes in stalling the Axis’ advance during the battle. The book delves into the challenges they faced in building and repairing crucial infrastructure such as roads, rails and bridges amid the freezing conditions around them. The 291st would become the most decorated combat engineering unit of WW2, building over 70 bridges – 19 whilst under fire. The efforts of this one battalion are given the recognition they deserve for supporting the movement of both equipment and manpower throughout the campaign.
No Silent Night: The Christmas Battle For Bastogne – Leo Barron And Don Cygan
Authors Leo Barron and Don Cygan examine the crucial events of the Battle of the Bulge during the period of Christmas 1944 in No Silent Night. Taking readers to the heart of Bastogne during the holiday season, the book recounts the surprise German attack on Christmas Eve that was designed to take the holdout point and centre of Allied resistance against Wacht am Rhein.
The Bastogne Siege would quickly descend into a rapid-fire and desperate assault by German armour, and a potentially bloody last stand for the American GIs defending this crossroad. Masterfully bringing to life the objectives, stories and experiences of the hundreds of men on both sides of the siege, No Silent Night details how Christmas 1944 would decimate any remaining sense of holiness and goodwill.
The Bitter Woods: The Battle Of The Bulge – John S.D. Eisenhower
John Eisenhower was the son of Supreme Commander and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a West Point graduate, a retired Army brigadier general, and a military historian. As narrators go, he is undoubtedly one of the best-placed for a book on the Battle of the Bulge.
In The Bitter Woods, Eisenhower chronicles how Allied generals were forced to rally their dispirited and defeated troops in the wake of an attack few had imagined possible. Taking the stories and accounts from top-ranking officials, many of whom he knew personally, the book tells the story of how these men rose to the challenge of facing down Hitler’s assault in the Ardennes, eventually paving the way for arguably the United States’ most significant military victory.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
