Historical

Voices of the Bulge: Untold Stories from Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge

By: Michael Collins and Martin King
Publisher: Zenith Press
Publishing Date: September 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7603-4033-2
Reviewed by: Mary Lignor
Review Date: August 22, 2011

It was December of the year 1944 and the horrific World War was going the way of the Allies and creeping toward it's close. The Invasion on the Normandy Beaches had taken place in June and, in August, Paris was liberated and there were some who thought they might be heading home for Christmas. But, according to many historians, you couldn't count Adolf Hitler out. There was always something in the back of his mind to throw everyone off. In the past year he had been the target not only of the Allies but of his own General Staff. Some of his Generals planned to assassinate Hitler and take over the SS and start a new government in Germany and, of course, end the war. All of their plans fell apart and Hitler was getting ready for his last gasp before the end.

Hitler and his minions were planning a very powerful operation code-named “Wacht am Rhein” (Watch on the Rhine). This battle was better known as the Battle of the Bulge, launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. This was to be the battle that would turn the war around and give it back to Germany. This terrible land battle would come to be known as the greatest land battle of World War II. Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting and this book is a little different as it tells the story of this crucial battle in the words of soldiers who were there. The authors held interviews with American Soldiers, both officers and enlisted men. These men faced the massive German attacks that Hitler just knew would turn the tide of battle towards the Germans. These extremely brave soldiers stopped the attack with their courage but, not before many of them had been killed. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.

As there have been many books following this battle, not many of them have been able to capture the feelings of both sides of the battle equally. For Example: A quote from General Anthony McAuliffe when asked by the Germans to surrender noted his simple reply - "NUTS"; And a quote from James "Maggie" Megellas, the 82nd Airborne's most decorated officer, "We were not prepared for winter fighting. The Germans were."

The two authors made a DVD of some of the soldiers who talked to them and have included it in the book.

Quill Says: The Voices of the Bulge is a tribute to those men who made the ultimate sacrifice and deserved to tell their stories.