The powerful German counteroffensive operation code-named “Wacht am Rhein” (Watch on the Rhine) launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944, would result in the greatest single extended land battle of World War II. To most Americans, the fierce series of battles fought from December 1944 through January 1945 is better known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting. Different from other histories of the Bulge, this book tells the story of this crucial campaign with first-person stories taken from the authors’ interviews of the American soldiers, both officers and enlisted personnel, who faced the massive German onslaught that threatened to turn the tide of battle in Western Europe and successfully repelled the attack with their courage and blood. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.
Voices of the Bulge
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
Library Journal
This day-by-day account of the Battle of the Bulge takes the personal stories of servicemen to give a trench-level view of the combat. The book and companion DVD documentary are based on interviews conducted by filmmakers Collins and King, who provide some framing narrative and profiles of the prominent commanders of the battle. The bulk of the text is composed of the GIs’ individual and unit stories. VERDICT: For those unfamiliar with the battle, this may not provide sufficient overall context, but for readers who know the battle history, and those—teens and adults alike—who enjoy works such as Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, it is recommended.—Brian DeLuca, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore
WWII History magazine
"What sets this oral history apart from the many others that have been published is that it is accompanied by a 47-minute DVD of the authors' documentary of the Battle of the Bulge...The authors have done an excellent job in describing the action."
Tucson Citizen
"What was it like to have been involved up close and personal in this historic battle? Although many books have been written about the now legendary event, few --- if any --- have been able to respectfully and compellingly capture both sides of the conflict. Filmmakers Michael Collins and Martin King, producers of the documentary “Voices of the Bulge,” present this companion oral history that feature both the people featured in their film and others. This is a well-rounded perspective documents this decisive battle through the memories and observations of the soldiers who were there."
Bookviews by Alan Caruba
"...a fitting tribute to the men who made the ultimate sacrifice and the veterans who lived to tell their story."
“The authors spent more than 12 years researching, interviewing and compiling information for this book. By sprinkling their narrative with concise biographical sketches and personal vignettes, Collins and King succeed admirably in combining official combat histories with the reminiscences of the men and women who experienced war on the Belgian frontier in late 1944 and early ’45. The result is a riveting tribute to the generation that experienced World War II firsthand. Collins and King have produced a marvelous compendium of recollections from military veterans and the civilians caught up in the last significant German offensive on the Western Front.” - ARMY
"This book is highly recommended to any history aficionado. It is a very unique document, as it describes the very human aspect of combat by those that experienced it. The DVD is a nice addition, as literally, you can see and hear the Voices of the Bulge." - International Plastic Modelers' Society
From the Inside Flap
The massive German counteroffensive operation codenamed Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine) was launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. To most Americans, the fierce combat that raged across the Belgian countryside from December 1944 through January 1945 is best known as “the Battle of the Bulge.” Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting. Voices of the Bulge is told through numerous first-person accounts taken from the authors’ interviews of American officers and enlisted personnel who successfully repelled the German attack with their courage and blood. German veterans, including SS soldiers, were also interviewed by the authors after decades of silence. They give eyewitness accounts of the massive German buildup and onslaught that threatened to turn the tide of the battle in Western Europe and made it one of the most crucial battles in the history of the free world. This incredibly rare and complete perspective of events gives Voices of the Bulge a unique place among histories of this crucial campaign.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having lived in Europe and toured the Ardennes extensively, twice with Martin King as a guide, I can tell you that this book and DVD make a perfect cap to my travels. Reading various histories (Ambrose, Macdonald, etc...) of the battle provided the overall context. Touring the battlefields with Martin provided the sights and smells. Actually reading and hearing the words (of both Americans and Germans-a first for me) of the participants tied everything together in a living history. The stories told by the vets, especially Mr. John Schaffner, whom I recently was extremely honored to meet in person, are heartfelt and unvarnished. Martin and Michael compiled a great book- but it is the vets themselves that are the Voices. Well DONE!
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Writing books with a fresh perspective on battles done to death is a tall order. "Voices of the Bulge" is an oral history of the December 1944 Ardennes Offensive ("Battle of the Bulge"), where the authors have compiled interviews with veterans and interwoven them with an account on the battle. The book is the result of twelve years of research and interviews, and the authors have tracked down scores of veterans of the battle. Several of them have since passed away, further stressing the importance of documenting their stories. While I applaud all attempts to ensure that the experiences of the men and women who were there aren't forgotten, I'm not entirely impressed with the end product.
To be fair, the book is a readable and straightforward account of the Battle of the Bulge, with the emphasis on the critical first ten days. There are ample accounts by veterans, ranging from a paragraph to several of pages in length, with the text returning several times to the veterans as the narrative progresses. An interesting aspect of the book are the accounts by the American soldiers who were taken prisoner of war and transferred to Germany. Scant food, minimal comfort, and being bombed by their own side were some of the hardships they had to endure. I for one would've liked to read more about it. Another aspect that gets coverage is the work by Belgian volunteer nurses in Bastogne. Renée Lemaire, made known to a bigger audience through the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers", is mentioned, and the authors managed to track down her colleague, Augusta Chiwy. The brave Congo-born nurse hasn't got the recognition she is due (she was briefly portrayed in the series by a much darker actor), but the authors attempt to set things right.
Many accounts are along the lines of "It was cold and snowy, then the Germans came and we had to retreat, but then the tables were turned". But there are also plenty of interesting tid-bits and insights, and even some amusing episodes. While I've read memoirs by veterans that have given a more in-depth account of their experiences, the stories chosen for the book feel mostly relevant, offering a broad picture of the hardships endured by the common G.I. While the back of the book claims that both sides are represented, it can hardly be said that it's in equal measures. The German veterans - all three of them - get exactly 2˝ pages, plus a page with a second-hand quote attributed to Manteuffel. One of the veterans, Knight's Cross recipient Erwin Kressmann, is presented as a Jagdpanzer driver, when he in fact was a platoon commander. An 116. Panzer Division veteran, who is described as having talked almost non-stop for twelve hours, gets a single page. Anyone expecting a book offering perspectives from both sides should look elsewhere.
It can be hard to discern when a quote by a veteran ends and the main text begins, making the narrative unnecessarily confusing at times. There are a few single-page presentations of the main adversaries, like Patton and Peiper, but they are rather pointless, as they just repeat information already found in the main text almost verbatim. A few place names are confusing, and should have been caught by an editor. That veterans might have misheard names is no excuse, as clarifications should have been included. I spotted "Monceau" (Monschau) and "Roven" (Rouen); there might be a few others.Throughout the book, the use of imperial and metric measurements is intermingled, much to the confusion of readers on both sides of the Atlantic. On page 31, there's a "50mm machine gun"; surely that should be an M2 .50 cal MG (caliber 12.7 mm). Other amazing U.S. weapons are evident on page 119, where the reader is intrigued by the "firing between our tanks at a range of six hundred miles".
There are some other unnecessary inaccuracies, slips and typos which cast doubts over the rest of the text. On page 19, it is claimed by the authors that the Germans attacked with the latest in technology, including Panthers with infra-red night vision systems. While a company in the 116. Panzer-Division was probably equipped with the IR sights, the impact was likely marginal at best. "Rollbahn D" is subjected to a misspelling; on page 45 it is called "Rollerbhan D". The 18. Volksgrenadier-Division is referred to as a regiment (p. 69). A sulfa tablet becomes a "sulfur tablet" (p. 80). On pages 105-106, the writing is a bit ambigious, not making it clear whether the four tanks destroyed were American or German (they were American). The SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 4 "Der Führer" is called the "4th Panzer Regiment 'DF'" (p. 129). The commander of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Lt Col Walter Paton (one "t") is referred to as "Colonel Patton" (p. 175-6, and listed under General Patton in the index). On page 245, the first tank breaking the siege of Bastogne, an M4A3E2 Sherman named "Cobra King", is referred to as a "Cobra King tank". Throughout the book, Tiger II tanks are referred to as "King Tiger", "King Tiger II", "Tiger II" and "Tiger II Royal".
It comes as no surprise that veterans can have fuzzy recollections 60+ years after the events, but it is my belief that authors should at least present corrections to incorrect claims. The most glaring example is by a veteran who claims that "soldiers of the 3rd Parachute Division were dropped well behind our lines (...) dressed in U.S. Uniforms (...) Most spoke excellent English". They were "cutting phone lines, turning road signs (...) acting as MPs (...) confiscated many U.S. Vehicles" (page 193). That the authors leave this blatant myth uncommented is remarkable; it has more in common with the fantasy unit in the 1965 movie "Battle of the Bulge" than historic reality. Unless the reader is aware of the real Operation Stösser (where paratroopers from the 6. Fallschirmjäger-Division jumped in German uniform) and Operation Greif (where Skorzeny's commandos in U.S. uniforms infiltrated U.S. lines), there's a risk that the myth is perpetuated.
On page 277, the authors claim that Hitler ran the battle from Berlin, which is incorrect. He stayed at his Adlerhorst headquarters, about 200 km from the frontlines in the Ardennes. Another strange error can be found on page 297, where a veteran claims to have been in combat against the "Hermann Goering Paratrooper Division" and parts of the "Adolf Hitler Panzer Division" in the battle for Thirimont (near Malmedy), January 14, 1945. The funny thing is that the German units in that battle were some companies from the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division.
Now over to a pet peeve of mine: photo captions. They are a measure of the care that went into a book, and whoever wrote the captions for "Voices of the Bulge" failed in one tenth of the captions. Many of the mistakes could've been caught through simple proof-reading; I had certainly no problem spotting the errors and omissions. A glaring error is found on page 33, where a .30 cal M1919 MG is identified as a .50 cal M2 MG - a weapon which is almost twice as long, and with a different silhouette. To add insult to injury, the error is repeated on page 173. The photo of a five-barreled Nebelwerfer 42 on page 64 has a caption describing the six-barreled Nebelwerfer 41. A photo of U.S. troops in a wintry forest (p. 98) is accompanied by a caption about the fighting in Aachen. A Jagdpanther is misidentified as a Jagdtiger on page 110. The caption for the photo on page 131 mentions PzKpfw IVs, but the photo shows a Panther. On page 139, there's a photo of a U.S. tank destroyer, but no mention that it's an M36. A photo on page 275 depicts a couple of M4 Sherman tanks, but the caption is about Walther Model, giving the impression that some photos were chosen at random.
There's no bibliography or listing of secondary sources, which is remarkable for a book like this, but it appears like Michael Reynolds' "The Devil's Adjutant" has been consulted, judging by the numerous references to Kampfgruppe Peiper. In chapter 13, I discovered that several paragraphs were copied straight from "United States Army in World War II - The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge" (1965) by Hugh M. Cole without attributing it to the source. Increasingly suspicious, I googled some random sentences in other chapters, and found that the authors have cut-and-pasted texts found online in several cases, with no mention of the sources. This is lazy writing, and while plagiarism isn't criminal, it can be considered dishonest when the sources are omitted.
The accompanying DVD is a compilation of interviews with U.S. Veterans. Each is a few minutes in length, and their experiences is put in context by the narrator. Considering that veterans are leaving us at an increasing rate, this is a valuable document. Age is taking its toll, and in 25 years the last of them will have passed away. The DVD is a nice bonus, adding to the value of the book for anyone with an interest in what the survivors have to tell.
The reader of this review might get the impression that I went over the book with a magnifying glass with the intent to find the tiniest flaws, but my remarks are those of a reader with some familiarity with the battle, and who reacted when errors and oddities kept cropping up. As stated earlier, another round by a competent proofreader would've weeded out the errors I found, and nailed those I undoubtedly have missed. I hope that a second edition of this book will feature corrected information, as "Voices of the Bulge" deserves to be read. The issue of plagiarism is troubling, and I was of a mind to strike a star from the rating. If it hadn't been for the flaws I've remarked on, I would've given it four stars out of five. As it stands, it gets three.
To be fair, the book is a readable and straightforward account of the Battle of the Bulge, with the emphasis on the critical first ten days. There are ample accounts by veterans, ranging from a paragraph to several of pages in length, with the text returning several times to the veterans as the narrative progresses. An interesting aspect of the book are the accounts by the American soldiers who were taken prisoner of war and transferred to Germany. Scant food, minimal comfort, and being bombed by their own side were some of the hardships they had to endure. I for one would've liked to read more about it. Another aspect that gets coverage is the work by Belgian volunteer nurses in Bastogne. Renée Lemaire, made known to a bigger audience through the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers", is mentioned, and the authors managed to track down her colleague, Augusta Chiwy. The brave Congo-born nurse hasn't got the recognition she is due (she was briefly portrayed in the series by a much darker actor), but the authors attempt to set things right.
Many accounts are along the lines of "It was cold and snowy, then the Germans came and we had to retreat, but then the tables were turned". But there are also plenty of interesting tid-bits and insights, and even some amusing episodes. While I've read memoirs by veterans that have given a more in-depth account of their experiences, the stories chosen for the book feel mostly relevant, offering a broad picture of the hardships endured by the common G.I. While the back of the book claims that both sides are represented, it can hardly be said that it's in equal measures. The German veterans - all three of them - get exactly 2˝ pages, plus a page with a second-hand quote attributed to Manteuffel. One of the veterans, Knight's Cross recipient Erwin Kressmann, is presented as a Jagdpanzer driver, when he in fact was a platoon commander. An 116. Panzer Division veteran, who is described as having talked almost non-stop for twelve hours, gets a single page. Anyone expecting a book offering perspectives from both sides should look elsewhere.
It can be hard to discern when a quote by a veteran ends and the main text begins, making the narrative unnecessarily confusing at times. There are a few single-page presentations of the main adversaries, like Patton and Peiper, but they are rather pointless, as they just repeat information already found in the main text almost verbatim. A few place names are confusing, and should have been caught by an editor. That veterans might have misheard names is no excuse, as clarifications should have been included. I spotted "Monceau" (Monschau) and "Roven" (Rouen); there might be a few others.Throughout the book, the use of imperial and metric measurements is intermingled, much to the confusion of readers on both sides of the Atlantic. On page 31, there's a "50mm machine gun"; surely that should be an M2 .50 cal MG (caliber 12.7 mm). Other amazing U.S. weapons are evident on page 119, where the reader is intrigued by the "firing between our tanks at a range of six hundred miles".
There are some other unnecessary inaccuracies, slips and typos which cast doubts over the rest of the text. On page 19, it is claimed by the authors that the Germans attacked with the latest in technology, including Panthers with infra-red night vision systems. While a company in the 116. Panzer-Division was probably equipped with the IR sights, the impact was likely marginal at best. "Rollbahn D" is subjected to a misspelling; on page 45 it is called "Rollerbhan D". The 18. Volksgrenadier-Division is referred to as a regiment (p. 69). A sulfa tablet becomes a "sulfur tablet" (p. 80). On pages 105-106, the writing is a bit ambigious, not making it clear whether the four tanks destroyed were American or German (they were American). The SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 4 "Der Führer" is called the "4th Panzer Regiment 'DF'" (p. 129). The commander of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Lt Col Walter Paton (one "t") is referred to as "Colonel Patton" (p. 175-6, and listed under General Patton in the index). On page 245, the first tank breaking the siege of Bastogne, an M4A3E2 Sherman named "Cobra King", is referred to as a "Cobra King tank". Throughout the book, Tiger II tanks are referred to as "King Tiger", "King Tiger II", "Tiger II" and "Tiger II Royal".
It comes as no surprise that veterans can have fuzzy recollections 60+ years after the events, but it is my belief that authors should at least present corrections to incorrect claims. The most glaring example is by a veteran who claims that "soldiers of the 3rd Parachute Division were dropped well behind our lines (...) dressed in U.S. Uniforms (...) Most spoke excellent English". They were "cutting phone lines, turning road signs (...) acting as MPs (...) confiscated many U.S. Vehicles" (page 193). That the authors leave this blatant myth uncommented is remarkable; it has more in common with the fantasy unit in the 1965 movie "Battle of the Bulge" than historic reality. Unless the reader is aware of the real Operation Stösser (where paratroopers from the 6. Fallschirmjäger-Division jumped in German uniform) and Operation Greif (where Skorzeny's commandos in U.S. uniforms infiltrated U.S. lines), there's a risk that the myth is perpetuated.
On page 277, the authors claim that Hitler ran the battle from Berlin, which is incorrect. He stayed at his Adlerhorst headquarters, about 200 km from the frontlines in the Ardennes. Another strange error can be found on page 297, where a veteran claims to have been in combat against the "Hermann Goering Paratrooper Division" and parts of the "Adolf Hitler Panzer Division" in the battle for Thirimont (near Malmedy), January 14, 1945. The funny thing is that the German units in that battle were some companies from the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division.
Now over to a pet peeve of mine: photo captions. They are a measure of the care that went into a book, and whoever wrote the captions for "Voices of the Bulge" failed in one tenth of the captions. Many of the mistakes could've been caught through simple proof-reading; I had certainly no problem spotting the errors and omissions. A glaring error is found on page 33, where a .30 cal M1919 MG is identified as a .50 cal M2 MG - a weapon which is almost twice as long, and with a different silhouette. To add insult to injury, the error is repeated on page 173. The photo of a five-barreled Nebelwerfer 42 on page 64 has a caption describing the six-barreled Nebelwerfer 41. A photo of U.S. troops in a wintry forest (p. 98) is accompanied by a caption about the fighting in Aachen. A Jagdpanther is misidentified as a Jagdtiger on page 110. The caption for the photo on page 131 mentions PzKpfw IVs, but the photo shows a Panther. On page 139, there's a photo of a U.S. tank destroyer, but no mention that it's an M36. A photo on page 275 depicts a couple of M4 Sherman tanks, but the caption is about Walther Model, giving the impression that some photos were chosen at random.
There's no bibliography or listing of secondary sources, which is remarkable for a book like this, but it appears like Michael Reynolds' "The Devil's Adjutant" has been consulted, judging by the numerous references to Kampfgruppe Peiper. In chapter 13, I discovered that several paragraphs were copied straight from "United States Army in World War II - The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge" (1965) by Hugh M. Cole without attributing it to the source. Increasingly suspicious, I googled some random sentences in other chapters, and found that the authors have cut-and-pasted texts found online in several cases, with no mention of the sources. This is lazy writing, and while plagiarism isn't criminal, it can be considered dishonest when the sources are omitted.
The accompanying DVD is a compilation of interviews with U.S. Veterans. Each is a few minutes in length, and their experiences is put in context by the narrator. Considering that veterans are leaving us at an increasing rate, this is a valuable document. Age is taking its toll, and in 25 years the last of them will have passed away. The DVD is a nice bonus, adding to the value of the book for anyone with an interest in what the survivors have to tell.
The reader of this review might get the impression that I went over the book with a magnifying glass with the intent to find the tiniest flaws, but my remarks are those of a reader with some familiarity with the battle, and who reacted when errors and oddities kept cropping up. As stated earlier, another round by a competent proofreader would've weeded out the errors I found, and nailed those I undoubtedly have missed. I hope that a second edition of this book will feature corrected information, as "Voices of the Bulge" deserves to be read. The issue of plagiarism is troubling, and I was of a mind to strike a star from the rating. If it hadn't been for the flaws I've remarked on, I would've given it four stars out of five. As it stands, it gets three.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By M. Lignor
Format:Hardcover
It was December of the year 1944 and the horrific World War was going the way of the Allies and creeping toward it's close. The Invasion on the Normandy Beaches had taken place in June and, in August, Paris was liberated and there were some who thought they might be heading home for Christmas. But, according to many historians, you couldn't count Adolf Hitler out. There was always something in the back of his mind to throw everyone off. In the past year he had been the target not only of the Allies but of his own General Staff. Some of his Generals planned to assassinate Hitler and take over the SS and start a new government in Germany and, of course, end the war. All of their plans fell apart and Hitler was getting ready for his last gasp before the end.
Hitler and his minions were planning a very powerful operation code-named "Wacht am Rhein" (Watch on the Rhine). This battle was better known as the Battle of the Bulge, launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. This was to be the battle that would turn the war around and give it back to Germany. This terrible land battle would come to be known as the greatest land battle of World War II. Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting and this book is a little different as it tells the story of this crucial battle in the words of soldiers who were there. The authors held interviews with American Soldiers, both officers and enlisted men. These men faced the massive German attacks that Hitler just knew would turn the tide of battle towards the Germans. These extremely brave soldiers stopped the attack with their courage but, not before many of them had been killed. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.
As there have been many books following this battle, not many of them have been able to capture the feelings of both sides of the battle equally. For Example: A quote from General Anthony McAuliffe when asked by the Germans to surrender noted his simple reply - "NUTS"; And a quote from James "Maggie" Megellas, the 82nd Airborne's most decorated officer, "We were not prepared for winter fighting. The Germans were." This book is a true tribute to those men who made the ultimate sacrifice and deserved to tell their stories.
The two authors have included a DVD of some of the soldiers who talked to them and it is enclosed in the book.
Hitler and his minions were planning a very powerful operation code-named "Wacht am Rhein" (Watch on the Rhine). This battle was better known as the Battle of the Bulge, launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. This was to be the battle that would turn the war around and give it back to Germany. This terrible land battle would come to be known as the greatest land battle of World War II. Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting and this book is a little different as it tells the story of this crucial battle in the words of soldiers who were there. The authors held interviews with American Soldiers, both officers and enlisted men. These men faced the massive German attacks that Hitler just knew would turn the tide of battle towards the Germans. These extremely brave soldiers stopped the attack with their courage but, not before many of them had been killed. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.
As there have been many books following this battle, not many of them have been able to capture the feelings of both sides of the battle equally. For Example: A quote from General Anthony McAuliffe when asked by the Germans to surrender noted his simple reply - "NUTS"; And a quote from James "Maggie" Megellas, the 82nd Airborne's most decorated officer, "We were not prepared for winter fighting. The Germans were." This book is a true tribute to those men who made the ultimate sacrifice and deserved to tell their stories.
The two authors have included a DVD of some of the soldiers who talked to them and it is enclosed in the book.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > History > Military > United States > Veterans
- Books > History > Military > World War II
