In December 1944, just as World War II appeared to be winding down, Hitler shocked the world with a powerful German counteroffensive that cracked the center of the American front. The attack came through the Ardennes, the hilly and forested area in eastern Belgium and Luxembourg that the Allies had considered a “quiet” sector. Instead, for the second time in the war, the Germans used it as a stealthy avenue of approach for their panzers.

Much of U.S. First Army was overrun, and thousands of prisoners were taken as the Germans forged a 50-mile “bulge” into the Allied front. But in one small town, Bastogne, American paratroopers, together with remnants of tank units, offered dogged resistance. Meanwhile the rest of Eisenhower’s “broad front” strategy came to a halt as Patton, from the south, and Hodges, from the north, converged on the enemy incursion. Yet it would take an epic, six-week-long winter battle, the bloodiest in the history of the U.S. Army, before the Germans were finally pushed back.

Christer Bergström has interviewed veterans, gone through huge amounts of archive material, and performed on-the-spot research in the area. The result is a large amount of previously unpublished material and new findings, including reevaluations of tank and personnel casualties and the most accurate picture yet of what really transpired.

The Ardennes Offensive has often been described from the American point of view; however, this balanced book devotes equal attention to the perspectives of both sides. With nearly 400 photos (many of them never previously published), numerous maps, and 32 superb color profiles of combat vehicles and aircraft, it provides perhaps the most comprehensive look at the battle yet published.

Among new facts presented in this book

* The “forgotten” tank battles during the Battle of the Bulge are described.

* The true extent of the hidden losses during the Battle of the Bulge are exposed.

Reviews

The book has received tremendously good reviews. "The Bulge as never seen before!" wrote Andy Nunez, Editor of Against the Odds Magazine, November 2014: "If you can afford only one book on the Ardennes offensive, get this book!"

U.S. veteran from the Battle of the Bulge Colonel John M. Nolan, 30th Infantry Division, wrote: "The book is a tremendously accurate portrayal!"

A Swedish reviewer wrote: "If one should only talk about ONE book about World War II this year, it would be The Ardennes 1944-1945 by Christer Bergstrom." "Christer Bergstrom's book is a brilliant, well-written and thorough account of one of the most decisive battles of World War II." "'A mammoth work of Mr. Bergstrom. If you like Cornelius Ryan, Antony Beevor and others ... This book is a notch better!"

About the Author

Christer Bergstrom has published 25 books on World War II. He specialises on World War Two and in the past has focussed on the Eastern Front. The Swedish language book on the Ardennes sold over 3,000 copies in Swedish within six months.

 

The Swedish edition of this amazing new book was published in August 2013
and sold in around 3,000 copies in just six months.

9 x 12, 508 pages, illustrated throughout, 9781612002774

Click here to see the front and back cover.

Read reviews on the book here

About the author Christer Bergström

 

NEW! Book launch in the Ardennes 11-14 December 2014 - click here for more information!

 

The book is dedicated to all the Allied soldiers who liberated Belgium and Luxembourg a second time during the winter of 1944/1945.