Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible

by John C. McManus

Book Overview

At last, here is a book that tells the full story of the turning point in World War II's Battle of the Bulge-the story of five crucial days in which small groups of American soldiers, some outnumbered ten to one, slowed the German advance and allowed the Belgian town of Bastogne to be reinforced. Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471739057
• ISBN13: 9780471739050
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT BOOK!

I have been reading World War 2 books for well over 3 decades and I can sincerely say this book did the best job of describing the horrors faced by the American soldier at the beginning states of "The Bulge". Excellent account of the battle before the Bastogne siege. Well done!

Provides good detailed experiences of American soldiers

If you like to read what American soldiers experienced during World War II and specifically during the the Battle of the Bulge, this book is for you. This book has so many detailed anecdotes about the experiences of US soldiers that it is impossible to relate even a portion of them here. However, here is just one example. Like his previous books, as you are reading this, you can sense the fear that the soldiers felt as the German tanks approached them. You can feel that you are there with them as they shiver with cold and fear, with only an M1 rifle, a bazooka and their buddies, many of whom are getting shot up, in their foxholes as the Panther tanks approach them, running over their foxholes. You can sense their fear as the tanks stop over the foxholes. If the tank is destroyed here, then they burn with it. Although certainly you aren't there, thank God, this is the closest that I've been brought to the real experiences of the US soldier. Consequently, I highly recommend this book for any reader interested in what US soldiers experienced in the World War II and especially in the Battle of the Bulge

Finally, recognition for the 28th Division

As a Pennsylvanian and the son of a member of the 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, I've long been familiar with the state's National Guard division history in both World Wars. This book is the best I've found to focus on the unit's major role in the Battle of the Bulge. Great details of their valiant stand against overwhelming German forces. With close-up descriptions of what the soldiers experienced, often in their own words, McManus has authored an important work for anyone interested in the face of battle as seen from the foxhole. Very good look at the tactics officers and men utilized to hold back the German attack "at all costs."

Another gutwrencher

While I don't usually like books that are entitled "The Untold Story of..., this one actually produces. I have read a of books on WW2, and in particular, on the battle of the bulge. My interest heightened when I found I had a family member who fought in the battle, but who I was unable to talk to about it before he passed. Though many books have been written on the battle, none seem to really get it all together. Three have been written recently that don't attempt to cover the whole battle, but focus on the events surrounding smaller units, or even individual soldiers, and what the battle was like for them. These three recent books are "Eleven Days in December", "The Longest Winter", and now "Alamo In The Ardennes. All just great books fully worthy of your time, but Alamo is a little different in that it attempts to give credit to the 28th Division for saving Bastogne, perhaps even more so than that of the 101st Airborne, the unit usually, and correctly, given most of the credit for the epic stand that broke the German offensive. Read this excellently written book and you might tend to agree that the 28th deserves at least as much credit as the more famous 101st. You will also get probably as close as you ever will, from the written word, to underestanding what it was like for our 19 and 20 year old citizen soldiers caught in one of the most vicious battles of WW2. Were the young men of these divisions part of our greatest generation? Absolutely, they could have written that book themselves.

Among the Best Books on the Battle of the Bulge

I have had a serious interest in World War II for over 50 years, have visited the European battlefields a number of times, and have read countless books on the ETO and the Battle of the Bulge. "Alamo in the Ardennes" is right up there with the best of them. McManus has captured the confusion and the horror faced, and the bravery shown, by so many individual soldiers and small units as they fought to buy time to save Bastogne. It is a classic.