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11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944
by Stanley Weintraub
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Free Press (2006-11-07)
ISBN: 074328710X
EAN: 9780743287104
Dewy Decimal #: 940.54219348
Hardcover: 224 pages
SKU: 15644
Condition: As New
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
It was truly a white Christmas in the Ardennes Forest in 1944, but that was cold comfort to the Allied soldiers trying to stop the Nazis from retaking Belgium in one of the most decisive battles of World War II. While a German loudspeaker taunted, "How would you like to die for Christmas?" the Allied forces dug in, despite freezing conditions. They needed a miracle.
In a medieval chapel, General Patton, who needed clear skies to allow airborne reinforcements to reach his trapped men, uttered what would become a famous prayer: "Sir, whose side are you on?" His soldiers wouldn't be home for Christmas, but as the skies cleared, they went on to win a battle and a war.
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Customer Reviews
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A Concise History of the Ardennes Battle
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-06-07
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
The author is a Professor at Penn State University. The 201 pages provides coverage of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. It is a popular history that could be a TV movie to educate viewers. There are few references to the war in other theaters. The Battle of the Bulge had the most intense fighting in the West since Normandy during WW II. The Nazi army achieved a complete surprise through secrecy and not using radio (p.23). Some warnings were received by the Allies but considered disinformation and ignores (p.25). Hitler hoped a successful offensive would bring peace on his Western front. All plans contain assumptions and dependencies.
The chapters tell about the events among the Allies. Things were going on that were never reported, such as the deserters and "misappropriations" (p.23). The attack began with surprise attacks on December 16 in the Ardennes forest. The Nazi army was successful and advanced. There were rumors of murdered prisoners by the SS units, and in turn "no SS troops will be taken prisoner" (p.34). Inexperienced troops and replacements were routed or defeated (p.36). German troops dressed to impersonate Americans caused confusion (p.75). Ernest Hemingway, armed with a Thompson submachine gun, accompanied front-line troops (p.82). Bad weather prevented air support (p.85). General McAuliffe and the surrounded troops refused to surrender (Chapter 8). The weather cleared on December 24 and the Air Force could attack the enemy and drop supplies to the besieged forces (Chapter 9). American forces raised the siege and Nazi troops moved east. Allied forces continued to move east (Chapter 12). The 'Afterword' provides a summary.
There are other books which are longer and have more details. This will provide the background to better appreciate the 1949 film "Battleground" and many of its scenes.
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Engrossing view of the Battle of the Bulge
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-02-19
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
All World War II fans will enjoy this concise and well written view of the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Weintraub does a tremendous job of showing us what really went on during the battle. Unlike most authors he is equal in his examination of both the fighting man as well as the genralship. He does spend a little time on the political situation, but not more than necessary and does not get bogged down by it.
Weintraub is also very good at making sure that the story does not go beyond the Bulge. He focuses on the heaviest fighting and leaves side stories to some other author to explore. His interest is in telling the story of the Battle of the Bulge and he does a perfect job.
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Excellent Snapshot Of Crucial Days
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-02-11
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
"11 Days In December" by Stanley Weintraub
Subtitled: "Christmas At The Bulge, 1944"
New American Library, Penguin Books, September 2007.
This concise little book (only 201 pages long) is a written collage (if that is possible) of many experiences of what has gone down in American history as "The Battle of the Bulge". The prodigious author, Stanley Weintraub, has collected the records of the recollections of many people, ranging from President Roosevelt down to the soldier in the field. The central theme of all these disparate individual records is the eleven day period in 1944 from December 16th through December 26th.
The book begins with a bet between General Eisenhower and British Field Marshall Montgomery that the war would be over by Christmas 1944. Adolf Hitler gave orders for an offensive in the west that would cause Eisenhower to lose his bet, extend the war well beyond Christmas and enter history as the "Bulge". For some portion of the front of the book, I felt that the author was so "pro" Montgomery, that I went on the internet to see if Stanley Weintraub was actually British. He is not.
This book, "11 Days In December", is not just a collection of numbered Army units moving here and there in Belgium, although, the author does tell you, that such-and-such a unit moved to a town; as an example, that the 101st Airborne was moved, by trucks, to Bastogne. In fact, Weintraub has some three to four pages in the index dealing with numbered American, British and German units. If you would like a book that describes where the different divisions, regiments, headquarters, etc., were located, I would recommend "The Battle Of The Bulge" by John Toland (1966).
Of greater importance is the fact that the author brings together many recollections of different kinds of people. For example, there are the reminisces of movie stars David Niven and Marlene Dietrich, which are capped by the reported experiences of the famous writer, Ernest Hemingway. Of course, the author includes the famous response of General Anthony McAuliffe when he was asked by the Germans to surrender Bastogne. "Nuts!" On a more serious note, Stanley Weintraub records, pages 100-101, that President F.D. Roosevelt asked Secretary of War Stimson and General Leslie Groves if the A-bomb would be ready to use on the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. The bomb was not read and Weintraub writes, "Despite later racist allegations, the atomic bomb was not being withheld for use against Japan".
The book ends with the relief of Bastogne, on 26 December 1944, when General Patton's Fourth Armored Division reached that Belgian town. By the way, in the Church's calendar, December 26th has long been St. Stephen's Day; see, for example, "Good King Wenceslas" by John M. Neale and Tim Ladwig, 2005.
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Thank you
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-01-08
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Thank you so much, it is a great book for anyone who loves to read bout world war two
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"Nuts!"
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-09-24
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book concentrates solely on the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, to the exclusion of almost every other aspect of World War II at that time. It is well-written and gives a fairly thorough account of the battle and its surroundings, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of detachment on the part of the author from the people who fought in that battle. There are the usual "up close and personal" vignettes about individuals, but they seemed almost an afterthought to the main focus of the book, the battle. Even that could have been explored in more detail, but this is a relatively short book, and within the space confines, the author did a decent job of explaining what happened, although some of his prose raised more questions than were answered. Overall it's a book worth reading, if only to get a "snapshot" of conditions at the time the Battle began, and when it ended. If you want to know more detail, you'll just have to read other, longer works.
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