{"product_id":"ardennes-1944-9780241975152","title":"Ardennes 1944","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStalingrad\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBerlin\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eD-Day\u003c\/i\u003e comes the story of the German''s ill-fated final stand.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Rich in detail and drama. Enthralling'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e______________\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 16 December, 1944, Hitler launched his ''last gamble'' in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes. He believed he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp, then force the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Ardennes offensive, with more than a million men involved, became the greatest battle of the war in western Europe. American troops, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians fled, justif\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is \u003cb\u003eWorld War II as Tolstoy would have described it \u003c\/b\u003e- the great and the small * Washington Post (on 'The Second World War') *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRightly deserves its place on the shelves of any serious historian of the Second World War\u003c\/b\u003e. Powerful and authoritative . . \u003cb\u003e. Beevor weaves a masterful narrative\u003c\/b\u003e based on the viewpoints of a vast range of people. Marshalling a coherent narrative out of an unwieldy sequence of localised attacks, counterattacks, deceptions, and feints demands the attention of a master military historian. \u003cb\u003eIn Antony Beevor, the Ardennes offensive has found one\u003c\/b\u003e * Military History Monthly (Book of the Month) *\u003cbr\u003eWhat leaves a lasting impression is the huge power the American army as a whole mustered to smash back the Germans. \u003cb\u003eA superpower was being born\u003c\/b\u003e * Bookseller, Interview with Antony Beevor *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnflinching\u003c\/b\u003e. As \u003ci\u003eArdennes 1944 \u003c\/i\u003emakes clear, Hitler misjudged the strength and resilience of the US army. It was his last gamble and it failed * Prospect *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat stands out most . . . is the effects of violent warfare\u003c\/b\u003e. By the end of the counteroffensive the snowfields were littered with frozen corpses and the wreckage of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA superb addition to the canon which has taken us from Stalingrad to Normandy in 1944 and the final gruesome battle for Berlin, not forgetting the masterly single-volume history of the entire war. \u003c\/b\u003eIt is written with all of Beevor's customary verve and elegance. His remarkable and trademark ability is to encompass the wide sweep of campaigns yet never forget the piquant details of what happened to the individual . . . He focuses brilliantly on the key moments that turned the battle * Evening Standard *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAs impeccably researched, insightfully observed and superbly written as its bestselling predecessors\u003c\/b\u003e -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf there's one thing that sets Beevor apart from other historians - beyond his gifts as a storyteller - it's that he is not afraid to look at the most uncomfortable, even frightening subjects\u003c\/b\u003e, but does so in a way that doesn't threaten the reader. It's like having Virgil there to lead you through the underworld: he doesn't leave you stranded amid the horror but leads you back again, a wiser person for having undergone the journey -- Keith Lowe * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn indispensable book\u003c\/b\u003e. It is a great strength of Beevor's writing that he takes time to explain how small pieces of knowledge - the kind of thing passed on by battle-hardened soldiers themselves - could make the difference between survival and a futile death -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA portrait of war . . . startling in its detail\u003c\/b\u003e. Beevor has the art of preserving the individual perspective on the battlefield while placing it among the perspectives of platoon, regiment, division, commanders, politicians and civilians.\u003cb\u003e This book clarifies, without simplifying, the human experiences and political stakes of the battle for the Ardennes Forest, bringing realism to the battlefield and coherence to the larger history of the war\u003c\/b\u003e -- Timothy Snyder * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormidable\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003eBeevor is a field marshal of facts\u003c\/b\u003e. Under his brisk control the story of Hitler's final gamble is \u003cb\u003eanother example of the kind of action-packed, densely informed narrative that has proved such a formidable model\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nicholas Shakespeare * Telegraph *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733416784215,"sku":"9780241975152","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/ardennes-1944-9780241975152","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}