Hitler's Last Gamble: The Battle of The Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945

by Trevor N. Dupuy

Drawn from research conducted by a team of military experts under the direction of historian Trevor Dupuy, this book is the most complete and detailed account of the Battle of the Bulge ever written, covering all aspects of the campaign on both sides. 32 pages of photos; 20 maps.

Marshaled as if this text were itself a military operations manual, the facts presented here trace 100 units that fought in the Ardennes forest 50 years ago.

Dupuy, author of dozens of military books, claims for this the ultimate place for comprehensive research on the campaign, and the bewildering factual phalanx of weaponry specs, tactical deployments, weather reports, and casualty counts compels agreement with the assertion. The U.S. Army was impressed enough to use Dupuy's information in a database. So on December 16, 1944, the German forces began an offensive that achieved complete surprise.

Dupuy and his co-writers unfold minute-by-minute the German units' progress, loss of impetus, and repulse. The prodigious amount of detail does yield some revisions--that fighting around St. Vith, rather than Bastogne (famed for the "Nuts!" retort to a German surrender demand), turned the tide in favor of the Americans--and so readers attuned to the anniversary and steeped in militarese might favor this work over the dozen in-print oral histories or pictorial works.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, War, American History

565 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 1994

About the author

Trevor Dupuy attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1938. During World War II he commanded a U.S. Army artillery battalion, a Chinese artillery group, and an artillery detachment from the British 36th Infantry Division. He was always proud of the fact that he had more combat time in Burma than any other American, and received decorations for service or valour from the U.S., British, and Chinese governments. After the war Dupuy served in the United States Department of Defense Operations Division[1] from 1945 to 1947, and as military assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army from 1947 to 1948. He was a member of the original Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) staff in Paris under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Matthew Ridgway from 1950 to 1952.

It is as a military historian and a theorist that Trevor Dupuy would make a lasting mark on the world. He is perhaps best known for his massive book The Encyclopedia Of Military History (co-written, like many of his books, with his father R. Ernest Dupuy). Starting from the beginning of history and going up the present day the book tries to cover all the major (and minor) military conflicts in world history. Usually each entry (arranged chronologically and by region) gives little more than the names of the commanders and (often) very rough estimates for the size of the forces involved in the campaigns. Dupuy was not afraid of expressing an opinion and he classified some of his subjects as Great Captains (such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Frederick II of Prussia and Napoleon). Like most Western reference works it spends far more time dealing with wars in Europe and the United States than the rest of the world, but it does at least try to cover the entire world. The Encyclopedia Of Military History has been revised (and updated) several times, most recently in 1993. It can be found in the reference section of most American libraries.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have a term paper due on the controversy over the actual starting time of the Battle of St. Vith, you’ll want this book. Need to know the names, birthdates, matriculation and graduation, promotion sequences and other detailed information about each general officer and many colonels in the battle? This book is for you. Do you want the positions, personnel strengths, movements and origins of all the units in the battle from all sides, from north to south, east to west, day one to day 31? You got it all here. This book was developed as a result of The Ardennes Campaign Simulation Data Base (ACSDB for short). It is about as exciting as reading a database.

Hitler's Last Gamble: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945 claims to be “The Dramatic Story of the Last Great Battle of World War II That Sealed Germany’s Defeat” . If you decide to tackle it, get some toothpicks to prop open the eyelids and brew some extra-strong coffee. Mind-numbing detail from start to finish with hardly a mention of anything dramatic. Rare inserts of little vignettes from participants. Quite an achievement to make the Battle of the Bulge as exciting as an EPA study on the impact of urban trees on childhood asthma…actually that is unfair to the EPA. 5 Stars for accuracy but 2 Stars for presentation

What is good about the book? Exceptional details on all the units, mostly outstanding maps of actions day-by-day, good summary of the interplay between the Allied generals. Also a good summary of the German generals and what they were dealing with. You get detailed orders of battle for every unit before and after the campaign, where each unit was employed, how each major formation was organized, etc. This book will be a fantastic resource for any researcher or someone planning a battlefield tour. It definitely is not a book to comprehend the true drama of this event. Not for general consumption!

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly in depth accounting of the Battle of the Bulge of World War II. I found this book to be particularly useful for a school project, as it contained several maps that I used religiously.

[WarlockBravo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative about the large scale of battle helps to understand the grand scheme. But is very unpersonal

[Rebecca Reddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular breakdown of maps and information about WWII and the Battle of the Bulge. Excellent details, easy reading, and perfect balance of German and Allied information. It was wonderful to see several divisions, including German and British companies, listed and their time in the battle cataloged. I really appreciated finding tidbits about the 35th Infantry Division, which was a huge draw for me to read it at this time, and the day to day battle breakdown. This was a fantastic resource and wonderful for research purposes. Kudos to the author for fitting so much information into such an easy to read format. The maps and pictures were a great asset to following the battle as well. This is one of my favorite nonfiction WWII reads.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did my best to slog through this, but it is so tediously detailed and painfully dull that it should not be read, only consulted. It's a book that ignores the forest for the trees. It gives a bio of nearly every officer involved in the Battle of the Bulge and details decision processes that involve personal resentment and petty backbiting. You cannot get an overview of the battle because everything is so close. I'm sure there are people who already know the battle so well that they find the fine detail captivating, but I am not one of them.

[Troy Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed book on each action that occurred during the Battle of the Bulge. Details all of the divisions involved on all the participants. Uses very little personal accounts and focuses mostly on the big picture. Talks about key moments and why the Germans were ultimately stopped short of their objectives. There are better writers out there that tell a better story but this was the most detailed book on a WW2 battle that I've ever read.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of military history but this was tough to slog through. It offered very little to capture the feeling of what it was like on the ground. It offered even less of the strategic challenges offered by each side. It amounted a technical recitation of the units involved and, with such a large battle that approach, sacrificed an good understanding of the battle. I also found the numerous maps to be of minimal benefit.

[Westley Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a a World War II buff I enjoyed the book. The description of the various battles at times were a bit tedious. However, I was fascinated by how Germany was able to achieve surprise which was combined with Allied over confidence. What I found most interesting was the author’s take on the trial of Peiper and his assessment of German combat performance which covered in the appendices. All the appendices are great references in WWII.

[Jim]

I couldn't finish this one. It was just too boring. I prefer a history book that reads a little more like a novel. This one may be ideal if you like detailed narratives about troop movements and battle plans. It's better suited, in my opinion, as a reference rather than a book to be read cover to cover.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me it was reading about the Battle of the Bulge from a three inch fire hose, instead of a half inch garden hose. Too much information, and too many unit numbers for me to keep track of. This is a great book if you are seeking a PhD in the Battle of the Bulge. It was too overwhelming for me.

[Gregory Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well researched and written account of the Battle of the Bulge, especially from the strategic and tactical perspective. Occasional stories from the men on the ground compliment the bigger picture.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't read. Reads like a scoring summary.

[Ernest H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where are the maps.?

This narative is to long and disjointed without maps to follow the actions. For a relative amateur to follow is all most impossible!

[Rick Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book, too technical and very hard to follow. I see where Dupuy is trying to keep it chronilogically in order, but at the same time he is trying to keep it by sector. At times I got lost trying to follow.

Great appendices with all sorts of technical data about the campaign.

[Kirk Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most detailed military book i've read. If you are not a total WWII or military buff - this may not be the book for you. But, my Military History class will love it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Battle of the Bulge. Appendices are great. The additional information and data are what makes this a great book for war gamers. As a general history it is okay, no more.

[Stan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tedious book to read. But it provides an excellent view of the complexity of the Ardenne Campaign, or "The Battle of the Bulge."

[Steven Raszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best account of the battle.