11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 [Hardcover]

Stanley Weintraub (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2006

In 11 Days In December, master historian and biographer Stanley Weintraub tells the remarkable story of the Battle of the Bulge as it has never been told before, from frozen foxholes to barn shelters to boxcars packed with wretched prisoners of war.

In late December 1944, as the Battle of the Bulge neared its climax, a German loudspeaker challenge was blared across GI lines in the Ardennes: "How would you like to die for Christmas?" In the inhospitable forest straddling Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, only the dense, snow-laden evergreens recalled the season. Most troops hardly knew the calendar day they were trying to live through, or that it was Hitler's last, desperate effort to alter the war's outcome.

Yet the final Christmas season of World War II matched desperation with inspiration. When he was offered an ultimatum to surrender the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe defied the Germans with the memorable one-word response, "Nuts!" And as General Patton prayed for clear skies to allow vital airborne reinforcements to reach his trapped men, he stood in a medieval chapel in Luxembourg and spoke to God as if to a commanding general: "Sir, whose side are you on?" His prayer was answered. The skies cleared, the tide of battle turned, and Allied victory in World War II was assured.

Christmas 1944 proved to be one of the most fateful days in world history. Many men did extraordinary things, and extraordinary things happened to ordinary men. "A clear cold Christmas," Patton told his diary, "lovely weather for killing Germans, which seems a bit queer, seeing whose birthday it is." Peace on earth and good will toward men would have to wait.

11 Days in December is unforgettable.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Battle of the Bulge doesn't quite fit the epic mold it's often cast in—bloody, yes, but lacking in strategic consequence, with no one but Hitler doubting the Allied victory. That the carnage spoiled Christmas time is the slender irony anchoring this aimless retelling by military historian Weintraub (Silent Night: The Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce). Noting American complacency about the German buildup, and strategic and personal squabbles among the Allied commanders, he trumps up Patton's prayer for good killing weather into a dramatic turning point. Mainly, though, the book is a kaleidoscope of anecdotes, combat scenes alternating incoherently with foxhole doldrums and frontline picaresque. There's pluck and defiance—" 'They've got us surrounded, the poor bastards,' " quips a jaunty GI—and death and despair. There are celebrity cameos: correspondent Ernest Hemingway drinks and growls and shoots a few Germans; Marlene Dietrich, on a USO tour, allows a soldier to dust her body with delousing powder. And there are many Christmas celebrations, everywhere from POW camps and Belgian orphanages to Hitler's headquarters. Unfortunately, the reader gleans neither a clear battle narrative nor a sense of pathos—only a period-authentic impatience to get the war over with. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. (Nov. 28)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

By December 1944, Nazi Germany seemed on the brink of disintegration. The Russians were rapidly advancing in the east, while the Americans and British, after a brief pause, were primed to thrust into Germany from the west. So the German counterattack through the Ardennes was a complete surprise and, initially, a great success. Ultimately, however, the Germans failed to split the Allied armies and drive to the sea. Still, Weintraub has written a compact, fast-moving account of those critical days that largely glosses over the military technicalities to focus upon the individual experiences of ordinary soldiers. At the center of the narrative is George Patton, hardly an ordinary soldier. As one would expect, Weintraub shows Patton as brash, brilliant, and profane. Patton's part prayer, part challenge to God to provide clear weather for Allied air attacks is recounted memorably here. But Weintraub's use of the letters and diaries of "lesser" soldiers enlivens his account and makes this a particularly poignant saga of men in war. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074328710X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743287104
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From one who was there, January 20, 2007

By 

George Balch (Cape Cod Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 (Hardcover)

As an infantryman in the 423rd Regt of the 106th Div and a POW caught in the Bulge, I was very interested in reading this book.His description of the Allied bombing of rail cars in which US GIs were herded is extremely realistic.. I was in one of these cars at the time, in the rail yards at Coblenz! My problem is its lack of organization, that it jumps from location to location without any chronological sequence. There certainly was much confusion in the ranks and we did wander aimlessly due to lack of leadership. However, I know of no incident when anyone turned and ran. Also,he refers on Pg. 140 to the "442nd Regiment" of the 106th Division in error. The Regiments of the 106th were the 422nd, 423rd and 424th.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "Bulge" Revisited, December 21, 2006

By 

Jerry S (Milford, DE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 (Hardcover)

Another great book on the single most significant battle, involving American forces, of WW2 in Europe. As the title says, it focuses on the first 11 days of probably the most confusing and involved battle of the whole war. That our troops, most of them ill prepared at that time, did as well as they did under horrendous conditions is a great testament to America's citizen soldier. That their leadership did as poorly as it did in a lot of cases, and as magnificantly as it did in other cases, really sheds some light on the US Army at the time. This book spells it all out in great detail, how it was for the individual soldier trying to stay alive, as well as the decision making from Gen. Marshall on down.
Certainly the most difficult battle American soldiers fought in WW2, Normandy was terrible but for the most part it was only a day or so, and with far fewer casualties, the author really make you feel for the 18-19-20 year olds who were suffering as much from the weather and hunger as from a desperate enemy who knew this was really his last shot. The book is somewhat similar to " Company Commander" and the more recently published "The Longest Winter", both equally good reading. This book is important to those wanting to gain more insight in to the day to day life of American soldiers in the Battle of The Bulge. It also touches a little on the German side of the battle, particularly on the importance of the American uniformed German soldiers who spread confusion, terror, and death.
The only downside to this book is the same one I have found in the many other books I have read on the battle. The reader is still left with confusion about the overall conduct of the battle. Apparently the battle was so large, so involved, that no single book can put it together so that the reader feels he knows what happened pretty much every step of the way. This one will not do that for you either.It will tell you though, how it was, in great detail, for a few of the many thousands of soldiers who took part. And in all fairness it didn't claim to be the definitive work on the battle.
But I will still recommend it very highly to anyone interested in the Bulge, or in the war in general, particularly in Europe. Great book, you will love it, I know I did. You will want to do a lot more reading in the subject, though.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and Personal, January 14, 2007

By 

The Lifelong Learner (Santa Monica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 (Hardcover)

This gritty account of the Battle of the Bulge doesn't pretend to tell a comprehensive story. You feel the cold, the fear, the anxiety of the attackers and rescuers alike, the cold, the deprivations of the prisoners, the confusion, the endless jockeying for power between the American and British high command and, again, the cold. But it's the personal stories of the young grunts that make the book a page turner. Even if you already know the details of this campaign, you won't want to put the book down until you finish.


The author cuts through a slice of war that is personal and compelling, and he offers several insights that may be new to many readers. My only criticism: the military maps are atrocious for the untrained public. A few good, clear maps to orient all the activity going on would have been a great help.