Alamo in the Ardennes

At last, the full story of the turning point in the Battle of the Bulge

In December 1944, the Belgian town of Bastogne was a key objective of the Germans’ surprise offensive in the Ardennes–and they had to take it quickly. For five crucial days, small groups of American soldiers from the 28th, 9th Armored, 10th Armored, and 101st Airborne Divisions, some outnumbered ten to one, slowed the German advance and allowed Bastogne to be reinforced. Theirs is a tale of last-ditch efforts, incredible courage, and impossible odds with, ultimately, the Battle of the Bulge hanging in the balance.

John C. McManus (St. Louis, MO) is a professor of military history at the University of Missouri-Rolla and serves on the editorial board of World War II magazine. His books include The Americans at Normandy (0-7653-1200-X), The Americans at D-Day (0-7653-0744-8), The Deadly Brotherhood (0-89141-823-7), and Deadly Sky (0-89141-779-6).