The Battle of the Bulge: The Allies' Greatest Conflict on the Western Front

by Martin King

"Martin King tells the human side of the story of the Battle of the Bulge better than anyone."
Commander Jeffrey Barta, US Navy (retired)

"I have walked the battlefields with Martin King, who has traversed them countless times with veterans of the Bulge. No one knows this story like Martin, and no one can tell it quite the way he does."
Rick Beyer, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Army of World War II

The vortex of a tornado is a vacuum, and that is where we were, in the centre of a storm of armour and artillery pushing forward into the Ardennes.
- John Hillard Dunn, 106th Division, US Army

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest land engagement of World War II. The German counter-attack, spearheaded by three Panzer armies, found the Allies unprepared and ill-equipped. As the fighting raged across the frosty forests of the Ardennes, it was left to a few untested US Infantry divisions to hold the Allied lines. Written by one of the world's leading experts on the subject, this account provides an essential introduction to the events of winter 1944-5 and to the many soldiers who risked their lives in defence of freedom.

Drawing on personal interviews, extensive research, and an unparalleled knowledge of the region, Martin King explores one of the most important battles of World War II.

• ISBN10: 1789500079
• ISBN13: 9781789500073
• Publish Date: 17 October 2019 (first published 15 June 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Arcturus Editions
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Excellent Look at Famous Battle. Volumes upon volumes upon volumes have been written about the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most famous land battles in American history. And one this reader has a personal connection to, as recently received records show that both of his grandfathers were there (though there is no indication they met each other there, despite originating from neighboring counties). It was because of this personal connection that I wanted to read this book, as I've never really studied the battle in depth. And while the particular event I had hoped to find in the tale - a minor clearing of an apparently booby trapped hotel just as the battle was wrapping up in mid January 1045 - was not covered, the entire main battle sequence and its general mopup are and are covered superbly. I may not know exactly where my grandfathers were from reading this tale, but I absolutely got a very good sense of what the land and the time were like and the horrors and atrocities they saw. Which is more than I had known before reading this book. I suspect that if you already know quite a bit about this battle, there will be little new information here for you - but the author's writing style and specific points rebutting commonly held misconceptions or even offering alternate theories on other events of the battle are great and likely things others may not be aware of. An excellent book, and an important one to note, particularly in going into the 75th anniversary of this battle later this year.