Before dawn on December 16, 1944, German forces rolled through the icy Ardennes in their last major offensive on the Western Front. Catching the Allies--predominantly Americans, in what they believed was a quiet sector--by surprise, the Germans made early gains, but Allied counterattacks combined with German fuel shortages and mounting casualties to force the German Army into a retreat from which it never recovered.
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"Very readable account" -- George Murdoch, Armchair Auctions 2008
Book Description
This book offers unique coverage from the German perspective of the greatest military disaster that the United States suffered in the European Theater in World War II during the Ardennes Offensive when most of the U.S. 106th Infantry Division was destroyed in the Snow Mountains (Schnee Eifel).
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hitler's Last Christmas Wish,
By
This review is from: Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)
Hundreds of books have been penned about Hitler's Ardennes Offensive, most featuring the 101st Airborne Division's heroic stand at Bastogne over the Christmas of 1944. Now, from a fresh perspective, veteran World War II author Samuel W. Mitcham Jr., author of Panzers in Normandy: General Hans Eberbach and the German Defense of France, 1944 (Stackpole Military History Series), sheds new light to a critical moment of the great campaign -- the Battle in the Schnee Eifel -- in greater detail than previous books.
As a student of World War II, the author knows the 106th Infantry Division's defeat in the Battle in the Schnee Eifel was the greatest U.S. Army disaster suffered in the European Theater of Operations. Yet this early, important victory for the German advance was not accomplished by elite SS units, but by Hoffman's mundane 18th Volksgrenadier Division -- composed largely of ex-Luftwaffe, former Navy personnel and drafted industrial workers. In Chapter IV, Mr. Mitcham focuses on the achievements of Major General Guenther Hoffman-Schoenborn and his "peoples infantry unit." Mr. Mitcham, also author of The Siegfried Line: The German Defense of the West Wall, September-December 1944 (Stackpole Military History Series). has certainly done his homework. He meticulously researched unpublished German after-action reports and manuscripts -- especially those of Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich Moll, the chief of operations of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division. Elsewhere, he refers to similar unpublished German manuscripts, as well as Theodor-Friedrich Von Stauffenberg's unpublished papers to produce a unique account of the Battle of the Bulge. It is well known to historians that the paralyzing traffic snarl on the meager roads of the Ardennes doomed Hitler's offensive. Without doubt, the mud, narrow roads, and timely destruction of key bridges threw the advancing panzers into chaos. The author successfully captures the dramatic turnaround in Hitler's fortunes as the weather cleared, and the Allies fighter-bombers feasted on the stalled German columns. Mr. Mitcham skillfully reveals the growing dispair among German commanders as they were increasingly frustrated by fuel and ammunition shortages in their struggle to conquer the key crossroads town of Bastogne. General Eisenhower rushed reinforcements to block the breakthrough faster than the German High Command imagined possible, and with the help of General Montegomery in the north and General Patton battling up from the south, the bulge was eventually eliminated. Mr. Mitcham wonders what would the outcome of the war would have been if Allied forces had aggressively surrounded the withdrawing German army instead of just chasing it back toward Germany. "Panzers In Winter" may not be popular history, but it is a real page-turner -- a readable narrative written in a solid, entertaining style. This book combines a broad historical sweep with regiment/battalion level action. What sets it apart, is how the chapters are arranged in a north-to-south discussion of the campaign. Mr. Mitcham has also thoughtfully included a chapter containing the "lives and careers of the major participants." "Panzers In Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge" is documented with copious notes and attributions. This Stackpole Military History Series book contains 3 informative tables, 10 rudimentary maps, and 27 interesting photographs of the campaign.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointing Tale of a Critical Campaign,
By
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This review is from: Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)
This is not a bad book for it doesn't have errors and it touches on all the major highlights but, for me, the coverage is way too brief and incomplete. To show how brief this book is in describing a very complex campaign, the three largest chapters deal outside of the battle coverage. The first chapter, "Setting the Stage" covers post WWI troubles facing Germany. The second chapter "Planning and Preparations" describes Hitler's secret offensive and what it took to make it a reality. These two chapters comprise 56 pages and when you add the 24 pages of the "Notes" section, you have only 106 pages devoted to the campaign. You have to reduce the coverage again by almost 20 percent when you consider the biographies of the key Germans that are included with the story. To show just how brief this account is, lets compare it to some of the traditional books on the campaign. Hugh Cole's book had 676 pages, and Charles MacDonald wrote 655 pages. Dupuy, 501 pages; Elstob, 390 pages; Parker, 365 pages and Winton 359 pages. These counts include only the narrative while excluding Notes etc.
To give another simple example of the terseness of this book, I compared a small skirmish that occurred in the first two days of battle. The US 112th IR was defending the Our River bridges at Ouren against the 560th VGD and the 116th PzD. In Mr Mitcham's book the engagement is developed in two paragraphs while Cole's and MacDonald's books covers it in four pages. This ratio is common throughout the campaign. I'm not trying to malign the author; just emphasizing the tersemess of this complex campaign. I have seven of the author's books and don't regret any of them. I continue to get them for the German perspective and the coverage of the German commanders that you don't usually get with most other books. A brief rundown of the highlights of this book follows: 1. Setting the Stage....... In addition to post WWI coverage, it also covers Op Barbarossa and a few other key events of the first years of the war. The life of Model is covered as well. 2. Planning and Preparation ..... In addition to the plans, the lives of Skorzeny, Peiper, Speer, Manteuffel, Rundstedt and Heydte are discussed. 3. Offensive Begins ..... Disposition of the front line on both sides and the opening moves of the Germans are highlighted. While Hodges and Bradley are slow to react, Eisenhower is quick to respond to the attack. Its one of his finer moments of the war and a redemption for his passivity in handling the Falaise Pocket. 4. Battle of Northern Flank .....The ruin of the 99th ID near the Gap and the subsequent advance toward Elsenborn Ridge by units of the 6th SS PzA. Peiper's trek begins and the poor results of Heydte's airdrop is discussed. 5. Peiper's Destruction ..... The struggle and final defeat of Peiper's Panzer Group in the LaGleige area is discussed. 6. Schnee Eifel ..... The destruction of 106th ID by 18th VGD. Hoffmann Schoenborn's life is also mentioned. 7. St Vith ..... Manteuffel's assault on St Vith is the key part to this chapter. 8. Seige of Bastogne ..... The seige of Bastogne by Manteuffel and of its relief by 4th AD consumes this chapter. 9. High Water Mark ..... The 2nd SS PzC moves south toward Manhay and Grandmenil. The 2nd SS PzD in the lead and closing in on the Meuse River is attacked and defeated by by Collin's 7th Corps, particularly the 2nd AD in the Rochefort, Foy-Notre Dame area 10. Clearing the Bulge ..... The final attempt by Manteuffel to take Bastogne is defeated and the Germans begin to withdraw from the Ardennes. This book would be good for anyone who is looking for a really concise overview but I can't eagerly recommend this book to newcomers or old pros. To a new student of the war or this battle, this brief book will not give a thorough understanding of this complicated battle, only fragments of it. This campaign is just too complex with many facets to it and covering it in roughly only 100 pages just doesn't do it justice. However there is an advantage to this briefness. It is easier to follow than the other books mentioned and with the author's engaging style, it might be a good foundation from which to build on when reading the other books. To the old pro, there is not anything new of substantial value that you haven't read already. Though the author includes a few observations by German commanders of the strengths and weaknesses of the US army which is interesting, there is no hard analysis on the actions by either side. I plan on using this book as a reference. It has a good Index and will allow me to look up German units or of their commanders during research. There are a few maps but they're simple. The few photos are good. There is an excellent Bibliography if further reading is desired. The Notes section is also excellent and adds further details to key personalities as does the Epilogue which describes the lives of the commanders and other key people after the war. Including the Index, there is only 211 pages to this book.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fair but nothing stellar,
By Rob Fitzgibbon (MA, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)
Two weaknesses of Mitcham's work are an over-willingness to accept German accounts of the battle at face value particularly without cross-checking with Allied accounts and secondly a lack of analysis as to the reasons for German failure.
The lead-up to the Battle of the Bulge is weak - Mitcham tries to jam three years of war into 30 pages. The book is top-heavy on biographical detail; it sometimes reads like a set of resumes strung together. I noticed that some of the biographical details aren't accurate - one example being Otto Skorzeny. The string of KIA/WIA/POW W-SS casualty figures is gratuitous- one could compile a similar list from a Heer division or a British or American division as well. It's inclusion reinforces the whiff of lost cause romanticism present in Mitcham's work, no doubt due to his reliance on Heer and and particularly SS veteran sources. One specific error I noticed: On p.30 Mitcham wrote "Had Hungary defected, nearly 1 million German soldiers would have been cut off" - this is incorrect; the Wehrmacht occupied Hungary in March 1944 were in full military control of the country regardless of whatever Horthy attempted in the aborted Oct 1944 coup. In addition, many of Horthy's senior military leadership were pro-German. There are some interesting tidbits of information - I laughed when I read p.174, footnote #5 about how Himmler berated Skorzeny for smoking. This is a good book for someone very familiar with the campaign to discover the odd nugget, but I wouldn't recommend this book for someone new to the subject. Again, a fair account, but the Bulge is a crowded history field.
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