kotep's review against another edition
4.0
Great chronicle of World War II history really enjoyed the book. Extremely detailed.
michael_k's review against another edition
4.0
To be more specific 3.75/5 but that's just minor nagging mainly because I'd love some more maps to help the reader draw a better picture as he watches this documentary. OK, I have to confess that Antony Beevor is my favourite war historian but there is good reason for that. Most of his books are written in a way that we get the feeling we watch a detailed documentary, verging on historical fiction at some points and not a true history book. But be not mistaken, this is history as real as it can get, properly and exhaustively researched.
richardjoseph's review against another edition
3.0
A detailed account of the battle and the events before and post. At times difficult to follow as you are only referring to batallions and the mapping isnt too easy to follow. However information wise its full of useful and sometimes perculiar facts.
binstonbirchill's review
4.0
This book seems a bit less geared towards a casual audience when compared with the other Antony Beevor books I've read. Anyone comfortable with military terminology will have no issue with it but those daunted by unit designations and German ranks might find it a bit difficult at times. I thought the book attempted straddle the line between a ground up approach, focusing on the soldiers, and that of a top down approach, focusing on the generals. Along with a dozen plus maps and a plethora of quotes by those who lived it Beevor talks about the failures on both sides, failure in planning, in assumptions about the enemy, failure in morality (however understandable certain actions may be given the circumstances). The book neither glorifies nor condemns and given Beevor's experience in writing about war I would expect nothing less. Those with a literary interest will be pleased to see snapshots into the experiences of a few hugely famous novelists within these pages. A hint at one of them.... The Catcher in the Rye will be the next book I read.
nelsta's review against another edition
4.0
Beevor is an exceptional historian. His books weave fascinating tales that are bolstered by meticulously researched history. "Ardennes 1944" is no different. I have read about the Battle of the Bulge before, but this was the first book I have ever read entirely dedicated to the subject. It was very good and kept me engaged from nearly the beginning. Beevor takes a while to get to the subject matter, but he does so because he spends several chapters getting the reader up to speed on the context of the situation. I found this context to be valuable, but I wished it had been a quicker introduction.
welshrebel1776's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
nycterisberna's review against another edition
4.0
Aunque algunos lo tachan como el libro más débil del autor, a mí me gustó mucho (no tanto como Stalingrado o Berlín). En la línea de Beevor, hay mucho dato duro, información bien explicada (de mucha utilidad los mapas que incluyeron) y anécdotas externas al conflicto, especialmente relacionados con el sufrimiento de la población civil belga.
erictlee's review against another edition
5.0
The 1944 German offensive in the Ardennes forest “had brought the terrifying brutality of the eastern front to the west,” concludes Antony Beevor in this book. And “terrifying brutality” is an accurate description indeed of this month-long battle. Civilians were slaughtered in their scores — by both sides, though on the German side it was intentional. Prisoners of war were killed by both sides — though, to be fair, that began with the SS massacre of captured American soldiers early on. The everyday brutality of the Ardennes battle is shown in many individual episodes Beevor recounts. He describes an Allied soldier having hanged a German soldier’s corpse from a tree and lit a fire under it. Why do this? To defrost the frozen body so that he could remove the soldier’s boots. (German boots were apparently more water-resistant than the American ones.)
There are moments when it seems that the Germans might have had a chance. At one point hundreds of Luftwaffe planes take off — long after Allied commanders had written the German air force off as a fighting force. Elite SS Panzer divisions fight ferociously even in the final days of the battle. But in reality, there was never a moment, not even at the beginning of the offensive, when the Germans stood a chance of turning the tide of war. In fact, the main effect of Hitler’s decision to launch a last-ditch offensive in the west was to ease the Soviet offensive launched in January 1945, as so few troops were left to defend Germany’s eastern borders.
This is a detailed, authoritative account that works on all levels — from the high command down to individual soldiers and civilians. Probably the last book I will ever have to read about what Americans call “the battle of the bulge”.
There are moments when it seems that the Germans might have had a chance. At one point hundreds of Luftwaffe planes take off — long after Allied commanders had written the German air force off as a fighting force. Elite SS Panzer divisions fight ferociously even in the final days of the battle. But in reality, there was never a moment, not even at the beginning of the offensive, when the Germans stood a chance of turning the tide of war. In fact, the main effect of Hitler’s decision to launch a last-ditch offensive in the west was to ease the Soviet offensive launched in January 1945, as so few troops were left to defend Germany’s eastern borders.
This is a detailed, authoritative account that works on all levels — from the high command down to individual soldiers and civilians. Probably the last book I will ever have to read about what Americans call “the battle of the bulge”.