LEADER 02924nam 22004453 450 001 9910149213603321 005 20241107094320.0 010 $a0-670-02531-3 035 $a(CKB)3710000000911504 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC6106559 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL6106559 035 $a(OCoLC)1155946804 035 $a(ODN)ODN0002102171 035 $a(EXLCZ)993710000000911504 100 $a20210901d2015 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcnu|||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aArdennes 1944 $eThe Battle of the Bulge 210 $d2015 210 1$aEast Rutherford :$cPenguin Publishing Group,$d2015. 210 4$dİ2015. 215 $a1 online resource (535 pages) 311 08$a0-14-310986-3 311 08$a0-698-41149-8 330 $aThe prizewinning historian and bestselling author of  D-Day ,  Stalingrad , and The Battle of Arnhem reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in this riveting new account   On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ?last gamble? in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing 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. The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance.   The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front?s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes?involving more than a million men?would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht.   In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II. 606 $aArdennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945 615 0$aArdennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945. 676 $a940.54/219348 686 $aHIS027100$aHIS027110$aHIS037070$2bisacsh 700 $aBeevor$b Antony$0559455 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910149213603321 996 $aArdennes 1944$93409812 997 $aUNINA