audiobook The Fall of Tsarism: Untold Stories of the February 1917 Revolution by Semion Lyandres in History

Description

Between December 16; 1944 and January 15; 1945; American forces found themselves entrenched in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Belgium; France; and Luxembourg defending against an advancing German army amid freezing temperatures; deep snow; and dense fog. Operation Herbstnebel--Autumn Mist--was a massive German counter-offensive that stunned the Allies in its scope and intensity. In the end; the 40-day long Battle of the Bulge; as it has come to be called; was the bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II; and indeed the largest land battle in American history. Before effectively halting the German advance; some 89;000 of the 610;000 American servicemen committed to the campaign had become casualties; including 19;000 killed. The engagement saw the taking of thousands of Americans as prisoners of war; some of whom were massacred by the SS--but it also witnessed the storied stand by U.S. forces at Bastogne as German forces besieged the region and culminated in a decisive if costly American victory. Ordered and directed by Hitler himself--against the advice of his generals--the Ardennes offensive was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. In the wake of the defeat; many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment. Its last reserve squandered; these irreplaceable losses would hasten the end of the war.In Snow and Steel; Peter Caddick-Adams draws on interviews with over 100 participants of the campaign; as well as archival material from both German and US sources; to offer an engagingly written and thorough reassessment of the historic battle. Exploring the failings of intelligence that were rife on both sides; the effects of weather; and the influence of terrain on the battle's outcome; Caddick-Adams deftly details the differences in weaponry and doctrine between the US and German forces; while offering new insights into the origins of the battle; the characters of those involved on both the American and German sides; from the general staff to the foot soldiers; the preparedness of troops; and the decisions and tactics that precipitated the German retreat and the American victory. Re-examining the SS and German infantry units in the Bulge; he shows that far from being deadly military units; they were nearly all under-strength; short on equipment; and poorly trained; kept in the dark about the attack until the last minute; they fought in total ignorance of their opponents or the terrain. Ultimately; Caddick-Adams concludes that the German assault was doomed to failure from the start. Aided by an intimate knowledge of the battlefield itself and over twenty years of personal battlefield experience; Caddick-Adams has produced the most compelling and complete account of the Bulge yet written.