{"product_id":"the-ardennes-battlefields-december-1944january-1945-then-now-9781612005348","title":"The Ardennes Battlefields: December 1944January 1945 (Then \u0026 Now)","description":"\u003cp\u003eJust after its seventieth anniversary  the Battle of the Bulge has lost none of its impact. The largest battle fought by US troops on the continent of Europe started in a surprise attack on December 16  1944  by four German armies  spearheaded by the cream of the German Panzer forces. Under the cover of bad weather and heavy snow  Hitlers last roll of the dice was intended to retake Antwerp  split the Allies  divide their political leadership  and force peace in the West  thus allowing the German forces to concentrate on defeating the Red Army.  Strategic pipedream or not  the attack was furious and drained the Eastern Front of reinforcements: 12 armored and 29 infantry divisions  some 2 000 tanks and assault gunsmainly PzKpfw IVs (800)  Panthers (750) and Tigers (250 including some of the new King Tigers) spearheaded the assault  which smashed into the American First and Ninth Armies.  Near-complete surprise was achieved thanks to a combination of Allied overconfidence  preoccupation with offensive plans  and poor reconnaissance. The Germans attacked where least expectedthe forested Ardennesa weakly defended section of the Allied line  taking advantage of the weather conditions  which grounded the Allies overwhelmingly superior air forces. The Allied response was magnificent. Initial reverses brought out the best of Eisenhowers armies  which fought with determination and grit against the enemy and the elements. The harsh battles are best summed up by the defense of the northern shoulder around the Elsenborn Ridge  the battle for St. Vith  and in the south the siege of Bastogne  where the towns commander  Gen. McAuliffe  rejected German calls for surrender with the pithy reply: Nuts.  Within ten days  the German attack had been nullified. Patton  at the time planning an attack further south  wheeled his Third Army round in a brilliant maneuver that relieved Bastogne and set up a counterattack which would drive the Germans back behind the Rhine.  The Ardennes Battlefields includes details of what can be seen on the ground todayhardware  memorials  museums  and cemeteriesusing a mixture of media to provide an overview of the campaign: maps old and new highlight what has survived and what hasnt; then and now photography allows fascinating comparisons with the images taken at the time; aerial photos give another angle to the story. The fifth book by Leo Marriott and Simon Forty on the Allied invasion of Europe provides a different perspective to this crucial battlefield.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648175333429,"sku":"ByrdShop_1612005349","price":34.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781612005348.jpg?v=1781711690","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-ardennes-battlefields-december-1944january-1945-then-now-9781612005348","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}