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.
Circa l’autore
Michael Collins has been a historical interpreter and museum staffer for the New England Air Museum, the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, the Irish American Heritage Museum, and the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. He lives in Hartford, Connecticut. Martin King is a military historian who has conducted tours for many Allied veterans and interviewed both German veterans and civilian witnesses in and around EuropeÆs World War II battlefields. He lives in Belgium, where he researches and lectures, serves as a consultant for the History Channel, and has been a tour guide for veterans, their families, active U.S. military personnel, NATO staff, and other visiting dignitaries.