by Jeff Shaara
First published 2009
December 1944. Allied commanders believe victory in Europe is weeks away when German tanks suddenly crash through the Ardennes forest, catching American forces completely off guard. Eisenhower and Patton scramble to respond as Hitler's counteroffensive tears open the Allied lines, aiming to split their armies and seize the crucial port of Antwerp. The surprise attack plunges the front into chaos and launches the Battle of the Bulge, a brutal winter fight through snow and mountains. On the German side, veteran commander Gerd von Rundstedt and architect Albert Speer watch as Hitler refuses all counsel about surrender, determined to fight until his regime collapses completely. Young American soldiers face their most vicious combat of the war while Hitler burns through German lives to preserve his vision of empire. As Allied forces finally blunt the German advance and sweep into Germany itself, these same GIs discover the concentration camps, confronting the full scope of Nazi crimes. The story follows both sides through the war's final months, from the desperate gamble in the Bulge to Hitler's suicide and Germany's surrender.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, action, world-war-ii, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, war-story
Setting: Antwerp, Ardennes, Germany
Period: December 1944
449 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war