The Longest Winter : The Epic Story of World War Ii's Most Decorated Platoon

About this book

On a cold morning in December 1944 deep in the Ardennes forest a platoon of eighteen men under the command of twenty-year-old lieutenant Lyle Bouck were huddled in their foxholes trying desperately to keep warm. Suddenly the early morning silence was broken by the roar of a huge artillery bombardment and the dreadful sound of approaching tanks. Hitler had launched his bold and risky offensive against the Allies-his "last gamble"-and the small American platoon was facing the main thrust of the entire German assault. Vastly outnumbered they repulsed three German assaults in a fierce day-long battle killing over five hundred German soldiers and defending a strategically vital hill. Only when Boucks men had run out of ammunition did they surrender to the enemy. As POWs Boucks platoon began an ordeal far worse than combat-survive in captivity under trigger-happy German guards Allied bombing raids and a daily ration of only thin soup. In German POW camps hundreds of captured Americans were either killed or died of disease and most lost all hope. But the men of Boucks platoon survived-miraculously all of them. Once again in vivid dramatic prose Alex Kershaw brings to life the story of some of Americas little-known heroes-the story of Americas most decorated small unit an epic story of courage and survival in World War II and one of the most inspiring stories in American history.