The Ardennes: The Battle of the Bulge

by Hugh M. Cole, Hal C. Pattison (Foreword)

The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive on the Western Front and was launched towards the end of World War II. This offensive was called Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Operation Watch on the Rhine) by the German armed forces (Wehrmacht). It was officially named the Battle of the Ardennes by the U.S. Army, but it is known to the general public simply as the Battle of the Bulge.

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

719 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Dr. Hugh Marshall Cole, Ph.D. (European military history, University of Minnesota, 1937; B.A., Wheaton College, 1931), taught military history at the University of Chicago until 1942, when he joined the Army as an intelligence officer. After graduating from the Command and General Staff School he was assigned to the staff of the Third Army during its operations in Europe. At the close of hostilities he became Deputy Theater Historian, European Theater of Operations. From 1946 to 1952 Dr. Cole directed the work of the European Theater Section, Office of the Chief of Military History, and wrote The Lorraine Campaign. He joined the Operations Research Office of The Johns Hopkins University in 1952 and continued his active interest in military history and his service to the Army both as a scholar and as colonel in the US Army Reserve. Dr. Cole held the Harold K. Johnson Chair of Military History at the Army War College, 1976–77.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried my best to enjoy this book,but I found it too be a little long winded(blown-up,nearly 800pages long) and lacking in detailed maps and diagrams.
I don't know if your like me,but I like to see the names of places where the battles are being fought on a detailed map whilst reading,it gives me a sense of direction,i never got that with
this book.

This book also suffers from a little verboseness(the use of too many words to describe something),as it took me nearly three months to read this,and I am usually a very fast reader.

Overall,if your looking to read a book about this famous battle,then I would suggest finding a
book that's not too,how can I put it,long-winded and blown-up. Start with a shorter version of
this battle,then maybe move on to a book as long as this one.

My next book will be the new Antony Beevor book; Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble. This book contains more detailed maps and is a little shorter at less than 500 pages. Will write a proper review for this book as soon as I have read it.

[Richard D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh M Cole got his doctorate in History in 1937 and became an officer in the US Army. He served as historical officer in Patton's third army throughout the European campaign. After being discharged he served with the Office of the Chief of Military History, where he supervised the writing of this book. He was in a unique position having both personal knowledge of the campaign and access to all unit histories and the resources to verify the facts at a time when most of the people involved were still around to talk to, and at a time when history was a more rigorous discipline that is has become. He went on to become Chair of Military History at the Army War College. For these reasons, this is probably the most authoritative, detailed and accurate Ardennes history to have been written. You should get the first edition (not this one) if possible. The excellent maps in the rear (provided no one removed them) are extremely helpful. This is a scholarly work. As retired military and a professor myself (sciences), I appreciate the detail. If you want accurate and detailed, no other book will fill the bill as well as this one. But if you want light reading you probably won't like this book.

[Bill V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read. The narrative seemed to be on the pedantic side. The focus is on the many smaller unit battles in the hamlets and villages in the area. There are several excellent photos and quite a few maps.

[Bill Lenoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE book to read about the Battle of the Bulge, granted, it's a door-stopper of a tome

[Christopher Hardisty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure this is a very good book, but the scope was detailed beyond my desired level. It was hard to keep all the units and names organized in my brain.