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Ardennes: The Secret War
The Allied advance on Germany's West Wall received its biggest setback from the German counter-offensive of December 16, 1944. The general outline of the Battle of the Bulge, or "Ardennes Offensive" as it is more commonly known in Europe, is well-known and has become a great military legend. However, as veteran World War II author Charles Whiting reveals here, the magnitude of the German surprise has been downplayed in the West and the extent of German deception and sabotage operations minimized.Charles Whiting traces German operations through the eyes of three key officers, all of whom he interviewed after the war. Hermann Giskes was a German Army counter-intelligence officer who had broken the Allied spy network in Holland and set up his own force of spies and saboteurs, who stood ready to aid any German offensive. Freiherr (Baron) von der Heydte was an aristocratic paratroop officer assigned to make a last desperate jump behind Allied lines. His small number of inexperienced troops were blown over great distances by the wind and tied down thousands of Allied troops who thought German paratroops were landing everywhere. Otto Skorzeny was an SS commando leader assigned to deploy agents in American uniforms behind Allied lines during the upcoming offensive. A joking remark by Skorzeny led Allied intelligence to believe that he had been assigned to assassinate Eisenhower and other Western leaders, setting off a panic that further hampered Allied efforts to contain the Bulge. These three officers were key members of a German "secret war" that was more extensive and came closer to success than many previous accounts have suggested.
196 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
44 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Charles Whiting
258 books52 followersCharles Whiting was a British writer and military historian and with some 350 books of fiction and non-fiction to his credit, under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms including Ian Harding, Duncan Harding, K.N. Kostov, John Kerrigan, Klaus Konrad, and Leo Kessler.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 26, 2018
My second time reading this book. The first time was in 1985 while I served in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division. I really enjoyed this one because it was more so from the German side's point of view. Gives you a whole different perspective.
This was the first WWII novel by Charles Whiting I read, and it got me hooked! I'm a veteran and read this while I served in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division.
Whiting's knowledge of WWII is unsurpassed. He writes great detail and manages a fast-paced story of the largest battle in Europe the Americans faced. The story centers around 3 German colonels. Among them is Otto Skorzeny, the famous commando who rescued Mussolini and kidnapped the Hungarian Regent's son as hostage to ensure Hungary remained on the German side of the war.
Another colonel was Jochen Peiper, a hard-as-nails Nazi who spear-headed the German offensive. Then there was Fiske, a paratroop colonel who commanded what would be the last German paratroop drop of the war. Some of the Germans like Peiper, whole-heartedly believed they could defeat the Allies so late in the War, but even die-hard men like Skorzeny and Fiske had their doubts, what with German supplies running low.
Whiting writes about the desperation the German leaders had over Hitler's audacious plan, and how younger troops were eager due to not being aware of how serious the German plight was for mere survival. Then there were many experienced Germans eager to go on the offensive after years of being on the defense.
Whiting also writes about the Malmedy Massacre of nearly 100 American prisoners at the hands of the dreaded Waffen SS, and how Peiper received blame due to him being in command of the murderers, though he was not present at the actual site. Then there are Skorzeny's commandos who go behind American lines in American uniforms and create chaos with wild stories about German troop numbers.
All in all, this was a battle Hitler could not have won, but at the time created such chaos that the Allies actually believed the tide of war could in fact be turned against them. It's a riveting novel every WWII history buff will enjoy.
This was the first WWII novel by Charles Whiting I read, and it got me hooked! I'm a veteran and read this while I served in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division.
Whiting's knowledge of WWII is unsurpassed. He writes great detail and manages a fast-paced story of the largest battle in Europe the Americans faced. The story centers around 3 German colonels. Among them is Otto Skorzeny, the famous commando who rescued Mussolini and kidnapped the Hungarian Regent's son as hostage to ensure Hungary remained on the German side of the war.
Another colonel was Jochen Peiper, a hard-as-nails Nazi who spear-headed the German offensive. Then there was Fiske, a paratroop colonel who commanded what would be the last German paratroop drop of the war. Some of the Germans like Peiper, whole-heartedly believed they could defeat the Allies so late in the War, but even die-hard men like Skorzeny and Fiske had their doubts, what with German supplies running low.
Whiting writes about the desperation the German leaders had over Hitler's audacious plan, and how younger troops were eager due to not being aware of how serious the German plight was for mere survival. Then there were many experienced Germans eager to go on the offensive after years of being on the defense.
Whiting also writes about the Malmedy Massacre of nearly 100 American prisoners at the hands of the dreaded Waffen SS, and how Peiper received blame due to him being in command of the murderers, though he was not present at the actual site. Then there are Skorzeny's commandos who go behind American lines in American uniforms and create chaos with wild stories about German troop numbers.
All in all, this was a battle Hitler could not have won, but at the time created such chaos that the Allies actually believed the tide of war could in fact be turned against them. It's a riveting novel every WWII history buff will enjoy.
February 16, 2015
Ma olen väsinud.
Ma saan aru, et ma olen ajale jalgu jäänud, ent endiselt püsin ma arvamusel, et raamatud, mis kajastavad militaar-operatsioonide toimumist suuremal maa-alal, kui keskmine külatanum või turuplats, vajavad kaarte.
Kenasid, arusaadavaid kaarte.
Mitte, et absoluutselt jälgimatu oleks olnud, aga võimalus lugemise vahele näppu mööda kaarti liigutada annaks kenakese lisaplussi.
Praegusel kujul lugedes, pidin tugevalt pingutama, et mitte ainult võtmeüksuste või nende juhtide nimesid meelde jätta - ja neid on seal palju - vaid ka käigupealt tuletama meelde mingitki üldpilti Belgia suuremate asunduste võimalike asukohtade kohta.
Eriti hästi see just ei õnnestunud.
Kokkuvõttes muutus algfaasis sujuvalt kulgenud suuroperatsiooni kirjeldus üsnagi vähekütkestavaks tõmblemiseks ja hakkimiseks läbi mitmetäheliste nimetuste. Kahju.
Isegi väga kahju, sest Raamat, milles kajastati ka mitmete "Wacht Im Reini'ist" osavõtnute või osasaanute mälestusi oli ju iseenesest üksjagu põnev.
Lisaks ei soodustanud lugemist ka raamatut läbivad õigekirjavead ja kohati lausa kohutav lausetus.
20-40 sõnast koosnevad laused, milledest ligi pooled sõnad on erinevate diviiside või asukohtade nimetused, on kui mitte just loetavad, siis talletamatu on nendes peituv info üpriski kindlalt - näitena.
Lõpetuseks laenan lõigu Loterii raamatuarvustuste blogist(Link)
Eestikeelse väljaande toimetajad on reaaluste viidetega täpsustanud hulgaliselt autori tähelepanekuid ja mõttelende. Mis on iseenesest asjalik ja tubli tegu, ent tekitab sutike küsimuse, milleks siis sellist teost tõlkida.
Ma saan aru, et ma olen ajale jalgu jäänud, ent endiselt püsin ma arvamusel, et raamatud, mis kajastavad militaar-operatsioonide toimumist suuremal maa-alal, kui keskmine külatanum või turuplats, vajavad kaarte.
Kenasid, arusaadavaid kaarte.
Mitte, et absoluutselt jälgimatu oleks olnud, aga võimalus lugemise vahele näppu mööda kaarti liigutada annaks kenakese lisaplussi.
Praegusel kujul lugedes, pidin tugevalt pingutama, et mitte ainult võtmeüksuste või nende juhtide nimesid meelde jätta - ja neid on seal palju - vaid ka käigupealt tuletama meelde mingitki üldpilti Belgia suuremate asunduste võimalike asukohtade kohta.
Eriti hästi see just ei õnnestunud.
Kokkuvõttes muutus algfaasis sujuvalt kulgenud suuroperatsiooni kirjeldus üsnagi vähekütkestavaks tõmblemiseks ja hakkimiseks läbi mitmetäheliste nimetuste. Kahju.
Isegi väga kahju, sest Raamat, milles kajastati ka mitmete "Wacht Im Reini'ist" osavõtnute või osasaanute mälestusi oli ju iseenesest üksjagu põnev.
Lisaks ei soodustanud lugemist ka raamatut läbivad õigekirjavead ja kohati lausa kohutav lausetus.
20-40 sõnast koosnevad laused, milledest ligi pooled sõnad on erinevate diviiside või asukohtade nimetused, on kui mitte just loetavad, siis talletamatu on nendes peituv info üpriski kindlalt - näitena.
Lõpetuseks laenan lõigu Loterii raamatuarvustuste blogist(Link)
Eestikeelse väljaande toimetajad on reaaluste viidetega täpsustanud hulgaliselt autori tähelepanekuid ja mõttelende. Mis on iseenesest asjalik ja tubli tegu, ent tekitab sutike küsimuse, milleks siis sellist teost tõlkida.
September 27, 2017
Raamat ühest episoodist sõjaajaloos, mis nii brittidele kui ameeriklastele endiselt piinlikust valmistab. 1944.a lõpus tõmbasid sakslased lääneliitlasi tillist ja alustasid ehtsa Blitzkriegi stiilis pealetungiga. Nädalaid valitses Lääne-Euroopas paanika, kuna arvati, et natsid tulevad tagasi ja võidavad sõja. Ehhki see pealetung takerdus peagi ja lõpuks löödi tagasi oli selle tulemusel hukkunud tuhandeid liitlasvägede sõdureid ja liitlastele oli antud tugev ninanips. Õpikunäide sellest, miks ei tohi oma vaenlast kunagi alahinnata.
Raamat ise on kergelt loetav ja hästi kirjutatud, samas on puudu kaart, mis aitaks toimuvat illustreerida ja mille puudumine muudab tegevuse jälgimise raskeks.
Raamat ise on kergelt loetav ja hästi kirjutatud, samas on puudu kaart, mis aitaks toimuvat illustreerida ja mille puudumine muudab tegevuse jälgimise raskeks.
April 6, 2020
La batalla de las Ardenas vista desde el punto de vista Alemán.
Me gustó el libro pero como que queda a deber más información sobre la batalla.
Buen libro para iniciarte en la batalla y buscar más información de ella.
Me gustó el libro pero como que queda a deber más información sobre la batalla.
Buen libro para iniciarte en la batalla y buscar más información de ella.
August 28, 2017
Style is somewhat breathless, but an interesting story highlighting some lesser known aspects of the Battle of the Bulge.
April 12, 2019
A bit disjointed. Seemed almost anecdotal but interesting enough.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews