Suggested reads for Bulge / Ardennes??

[gnarly]

Hi all,

I'm sure that with the  caliber of grog-heads and military history enthusiasts on these forums, I'll be rapidly swamped with suggestions...

 

Looking for a few suggestions to dig through my local library and second hand book shop for, to provide some good, entertaining reading to educ-macate me about this campaign and time period on this front, in advance of FB coming 'online'. I want to understand the game's context better, as well as it's equipment and how it was/wasn't used.

 

Want something that gives a good solid overview of the whole campaign, preferably with sources/references from both sides, as well as snippets/first hand accounts/stories 'from the trenches' as such.  Probably asking a bit much to get a good overview and the company tactical level, but you never know!

 

Don't worry about obscure/academic stuff; I don't want to have to buy if I can help it.

 

Cheers and thanks in advance for the recommendations!

[Mad Mike]

I'm currently reading "Snow & Steel - The Battle of the Bulge 1944 -45" from Peter Caddick-Adams.

I find it to be very well written, it gives a good overview from both sides, including short biographies / background on principal commanding generals. It also has some first-hand accounts, which are presented as little snippets in the overall narrative. Quite well done, IMHO.

I'm currently at around page 200 and the battle hasn't started yet. It's a very thorough account of the circumstances and the setting of the offensive. Highly recommended.

[Glubokii Boy]

Another and perhaps a bit different way to get some information and feeling about this campaign could be to buy

Command Ops - Battle of the Bulge..................From Panther games

If this game still is up for purchase that is...

Perhaps not the most indepth source of information but besides being a good game it will provide you with an excellent way to examine the OOBs of both sides at different stages of the campaign and also have some fairly correct maps i think...

Edited December 12, 2015 by RepsolCBR

[Nine-Oh]

"Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Huertgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich" by Douglas Nash is pretty damn good in my opinion. It gives a really good overview of how German forces were organized and operated. It's certainly a book that I'd recommend.

"First to the Rhine: The 6th Army Group in World War II" by Harry Yeide is good as well, although I personally prefer Nash's writing style.

Also, Hugh M. Cole's book on the Bulge is extremely detailed if you don't mind a bit of a more dry approach.

[IICptMillerII]

Check out "A Time For Trumpets" by Charles B MacDonald. It sounds like its exactly what you're looking for. It covers both sides, although with an obvious emphasis on the US side, and has many first hand accounts. The author is well known for his book "Company Commander" which chronicles his time as an infantry company commander. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge himself and experienced the whole gamut of warfare, from constant shelling to hand to hand combat. 

I'm close to 200 pages in (out of around 600) and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm hoping to have it finished by the 16th!

Looking forward to see what others recommend as well. I'm always looking for something new to read. 

Edited December 12, 2015 by IICptMillerII

[LUCASWILLEN05]

The Battle of the Bulge Charles B Macdonald

The Battle of the Bulge Hugo Cole

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

The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division Vol 2

You will find there is a vast amount of books and documentaries on this battle. Divisional histories should not be ovrlooked. However, do not forget that the game will be covering the Siegfried Line campaign and Operation Nordwind as well. If the game ends in January 1945 we can game the French reduction of the Colmar Pocket as well.The French were organised and equipped as US

[umlaut]

I recently tried reading Antony Beevor´s "Ardennens 1944" - but got stuck in the snow. I've really enjoyed many of his earlier books on WWII, but this one isn't up to par, in my view.

In my opinion the main problem of the book was the lack of good overview maps. There are a lot of different locations that you as a reader have to keep track of - unless you're very familiar the geography of the Ardennes. There are perhaps 15 maps in the book, but I spent a lot of time paging from one map to the other - trying to locate Trois Ponts, Houffalize or whatever.

In the end, I got so confused and frustrated I gave it up.

 

[Pete Wenman]

First off I would reiterate the point made above that good maps of the area are probably a must for most readers or reference to google earth or the like. To truly understand the battle it really helps if you can understand the ground and relationship between locations and distances involved. This goes some way to explain how towns and road junctions could change hands with such casual ease over the course of a few hours in some cases.

Get a good topo map of the area if you can and refer to it when ever reading about the battle.

and just to add some of my reference to the mix.

The Then and Now offering - a might tome at 540 odd pages with great reference for maps and appearance.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Bulge-Then-Jean-Paul-Pallud/dp/0900913401

 

The Battle of the Bulge - Charles Macdonald

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Battle-Bulge-Charles-MacDonald/dp/0297787594

 

Danny Parker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Bulge-Danny-S-Parker/dp/0938289047/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419677010&sr=1-7&keywords=danny+parker

 

The Devils Adjutant - Mike Reynolds

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Devils-Adjutant-Jochen-Peiper/dp/1848840101

I was lucky enough, many years ago, to attend one of his Pied Peiper Staff Tours which traced the route and exploits of KG Peiper. While I think his view of Peiper the man and the SS as a fighting force is a little wonky his understanding of the ground was very good.

 

Hubert Meyers History of the 12th SS Pz Div

http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-12-SS-Panzerdivision-Hitlerjugend-Hubert-Meyer/dp/0921991185/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419676937&sr=1-8&keywords=12th+ss+meyer

 

And lastly for the real detail Grogs the Duel in the Mist Series will take some beating

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=a9_asi_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aduel+in+the+mist&keywords=duel+in+the+mist&ie=UTF8&qid=1449924501

 

P

 

Edited December 12, 2015 by Pete Wenman
more waffle added

[Warts 'n' all]

I have to concur with Pete Wenmam on his first choice. Indeed it is a mighty tome, and maybe beyond the budget of some. But worth every penny/cent .. delete as applicable.

[sttp]

My only suggested read has already been mentioned. (A Time for Trumpets.). I'm replying just to boost this fine thread out from within the tangle of Bangalore-mover-man's spam....

Edited December 12, 2015 by sttp
reasons

[grunt_GI]

And don't forget Alamo in the Ardennes by John McManus...it tells the story of the GIs who absorbed the early days of the German offensive...mostly the 28th Infantry Division to allow the 101st AB time to get to Bastogne.  

Otherwise I think Charles B Mac Donald's Time for Trumpets is probably the best single volume history.

[MikeyD]

If you like super-expensive picture books you can try "Battle of the Bulge Through the Lens" by Philip Vorwald

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Bulge-Through-Philip-Vorwald/dp/1870067231

The book matches up historical photos with their locations down to precise map coordinates and accompanying present day photos from the same angle. Touches some 140 separate towns and cities.

One fun thing is the book was produced pre-Google Earth. Which means now you not only have the historical shot and the 50 years later shot, but you can Google Earth Street View to the same spot 70 years later too!

 

[Holman]

Another and perhaps a bit different way to get some information and feeling about this campaign could be to buy

Command Ops - Battle of the Bulge..................From Panther games

If this game still is up for purchase that is...

Perhaps not the most indepth source of information but besides being a good game it will provide you with an excellent way to examine the OOBs of both sides at different stages of the campaign and also have some fairly correct maps i think...

The game is available in a new version here, and it's very much worth it.  As CM is the best tactical-level WW2 system ever made, Command Ops is the best operational system.  Anyone who doesn't know the game should seek out reviews.

As for books, allow me to give another vote for Charles MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets.  It's an excellent overall narrative, but it's also filled with descriptions of platoon- to battalion-level actions that will surely appear as CM scenarios.

[user1000]

wact am rhein a good bulge game as well

• The Battle of The Bulge, by John Toland, Random House, 1966.
• Battle: The Story of the Bulge, by John Toland, Bison Books, 1999
• Skorzeny’s Secret Missions, by Otto Skorzeny, translated by Jacques Le Clercq,
Dutton, 1951.
• Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive: The German View of The Battle of The Bulge, by
Danny Parker, Green Hill Books, 1997.
• A Time for Trumpets, by Charles B. MacDonald, Quill, 1985. World War II, by Ivor
Matanle, Quadrillion, 1989.
• Ghost Front, The Ardennes Before The Battle of the Bulge, Charles Whiting, 2002
• The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge, by Hugh M. Cole, Konecky & Konecky
• The Ardennes Offensive, U.S. V Corps & XVIII (Airborne) Corps, Northern Sector,
by Bruce Quarrie, Osprey Publishing, 1999
• Ardennes 1944, Hitler’s Last Gamble in the West, by James R. Arnold, Osprey
Publishing Ltd, 1990
• Battle of the Bulge 1944 (2), by Steven J. Zaloga, Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2004
• Panzers in Winter, Hitler’s Armey and the Battle of the Bulge, by Samuel W.
Mitcham, Jr., Stackpole Books, 2006
• The Battle of the Bulge, by William Goolrick, Time-Life Books, 1979.
• Tanks of World War Two, by Chris Ellis, 1981.

Edited December 13, 2015 by user1000

[gnarly]

Wowsers gents! I think I am now very sufficiently armed to approach my local well-supplied library and with some luck find at least one of these  tomes for some light evening reading.

 

And I am certain many others will derive benefit from your suggestions as well.

 

Many thanks to all who have posted thus far, may CM FB fill your Xmas stockings (or possibly early new year?)..  ;D

 

 

 

[James Crowley]

You could also try:

'The Ardennes 1944-1945 Hitler's Winter Offensive' by Christer Bergstrom.

Originally published in Sweden, the English edition was published by Casemate in 2014.

A big and beautifully produced book of nearly 500 pages.

Lots of maps and excellent photos, it goes into huge detail with many first person accounts as well as the strategic overview and is pretty balanced between the two sides.

[Bil Hardenberger]

This is an interesting read (and free):  A Study of the Combat Effectiveness of the US. 4th Armored Division and the German PanzerLehr Division

Also, find attached another interesting doc on the 4th Armored Division.

Armor_versus_mud_and_mines.pdf

[Pak40]

For the Northern Shoulder of the bulge, I highly recommend The Shock of War by J.C. Doherty. This is a two volume set and an additional picture supplement. It has very detailed accounts of small unit battles in and around Elsenborne Ridge which was the focal point of the 6th SS Panzer Army, and therefore the entire Watch Am Rhine operation. On the American side the defenders in this area were the 99th, 2nd, and 1st Infatry divisions. The two volume set details small unit battles such as Bouck's I&R platoon as well as the bigger and better know battles of Krinkelt-Rocherath. There is no other book that I know that goes into such detail for Combat Mission sized battles and this would be invaluable for anyone wanting to design a battle or campaign in this area. The maps are a little crude but the text is detailed and well written so that it paints a clear picture for the reader.

Also, other good reads for the Northern Shoulder/Elsenborne area are The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw which is solely about Lt Lyle Bouck's platoon and The Battle East of Elsenborn and the Twin Villages by Willam Cavanagh.

[Stele]

Stackpole Books has some great books I've come across. 

A few that come to mind are:

Battle of the Bulge (Volumes 1-3)

Kampfgruppe Peiper at the Battle of the Bulge
 

Leadership in the U.S. Army's Greatest Battle Generals of the Bulge

[Aragorn2002]

The game is available in a new version here, and it's very much worth it.  As CM is the best tactical-level WW2 system ever made, Command Ops is the best operational system.  Anyone who doesn't know the game should seek out reviews.

As for books, allow me to give another vote for Charles MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets.  It's an excellent overall narrative, but it's also filled with descriptions of platoon- to battalion-level actions that will surely appear as CM scenarios.

I've bought this game last week. Base game is free, with three scenarios (one especially interesting with the 116. Panzer). I've bought the module on Bastogne and the one on KG Peiper, both with 12 scenarios, both for a discount til TODAY, so be quick if you want to buy it. Gameplay is very innovative. Very enjoyable.

And let's not forget Christer Bergströms excellent book on the battle in the Ardennes. At least as good as the book by Peter Caddick-Adams.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Aragorn2002

[gnarly]

Browsing through my library's online catalog (and reserving a few of the books listed here, many thanks again!), I found this little number, that immediately made me think of Bud_B!!! 

 

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/one-of-historys-greatest-battles-in-comics-5da73a48adb8#.dtmv32wws

 

 

 

 

[GerryCMBB]

A Time for Trumpets, Kindle version, is only 99c. What's up with that?

[BletchleyGeek]

If you like super-expensive picture books you can try "Battle of the Bulge Through the Lens" by Philip Vorwald

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Bulge-Through-Philip-Vorwald/dp/1870067231

The book matches up historical photos with their locations down to precise map coordinates and accompanying present day photos from the same angle. Touches some 140 separate towns and cities.

One fun thing is the book was produced pre-Google Earth. Which means now you not only have the historical shot and the 50 years later shot, but you can Google Earth Street View to the same spot 70 years later too!

 

 

The caption on the right is some pretty inspired writing. Too bad the book costs a little fortune in OZ dollars now 

This is an interesting read (and free):  A Study of the Combat Effectiveness of the US. 4th Armored Division and the German PanzerLehr Division

It does look very interesting, Bil. Comparing two notorious formations over very specific and interesting case studies is something we seldom see. Curious spelling for Panzer-Lehr, though.

[RockinHarry]

I figured Roland Gaul´s books about the battles at the bulges southern shoulder have some fine details, particularly for mission makers I think:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Bulge-Luxembourg-Vol/dp/0887407463

Not to forget some the free sources, which have lots about the Bulge and units involved.

http://www.benning.army.mil/library/content/Virtual/Armorpapers/index.htm

http://www.benning.army.mil/library/content/Virtual/Donovanpapers/wwii/index.htm

http://www.sturmpanzer.com/Default.aspx?tabindex=5&tabid=613&item=1&sec=3

 

[RockinHarry]

The game is available in a new version here, and it's very much worth it.  As CM is the best tactical-level WW2 system ever made, Command Ops is the best operational system.  Anyone who doesn't know the game should seek out reviews.

As for books, allow me to give another vote for Charles MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets.  It's an excellent overall narrative, but it's also filled with descriptions of platoon- to battalion-level actions that will surely appear as CM scenarios.

I´d played and attempted some battle creation when CO1 was yet playable under WinXP  and figured it´s quite an interesting and unique op level wargame, the more when it comes to mobile warfare. It had a number of problems, when frontlines were more static, or the defender generally just was holding tight in a historical battle. Too much shuffling of units and movements for no obvious reasons, that made recreation of some historical battles nearly impossible. There were also some FOW issues, like bridges always known to be of a particular state to both sides, even when they´d been far in the Hinterlands and weather assumed to not permit any sort of recce from the air. Otherwise this game is highly to be recommended (mobile warfare & what if situations) and further developments will surely make it even better. I have it on my to purchase list, once I switch over to Win7+ any time in the future.