Short description
The Ardennes offensive in December 1944, known to history as the "Battle of the Bulge," was the decisive campaign of the war in North-West Europe. When the attack in the north by 6th Panzer Army failed, Hitler switched the focus of the offensive to General Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army farther south. Overwhelming the green US 106th Division, German Panzers flooded towards the River Meuse. Barring their way was the crossroads town of Bastogne, reinforced at the last minute by the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne, the 'Screaming Eagles." The stage was set for one of the epic struggles of the war - the battle for Bastogne.
Long description
The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and most costly battle fought by the US Army in World War II. The Ardennes fighting was Hitler's last gamble on the Western Front, crippling the Wehrmacht in the West for the remainder of the war. This volume offers a fresh analysis of this crucial battle. Following on from the earlier Campaign series volume on St Vith and the Northern Shoulder, this book examines not only the defence of embattled Bastogne, but also the attempts by the Panzer divisions to break out beyond the Meuse river.