Snow & Steel: The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45

Well written and researched.. The author breaks this confusing battle down into the simplest form. Before, during and after and even applies to Yom Kipper and to the Fulda Gap (where I was stationed in the 1980's). Peter starts us before the bulge and before Operation Market-Garden explaining the origins of Hitler's badly flawed plan. Even explains some of the historical and folk lore that Hitler used to base this plan on. The author goes into detail about the planning, the intelligence or lack there of on the Allied side as well as how the OKW viewed this as a "less than 10 percent" change of success. Much like many of the past debacles in our military history, all the warning signs were there, just not put together in order, or not passed on the right people. The author takes us into the minds, of Ike, Patton, Bradley and many more leaders as well as into the minds of the OKW as well. In addition to the big picture, he also takes us into the fox hole of the dog face's that fought as well as recollections of the German soldiers as well. He covers the infamous massacre and some facts behind it. What I liked the best was he broke this story into three areas of concentration: South - Center and Northern routes of advance. I've read a lot on the bulge and those books have been very confusing due to the other authors jumping back and forth. Caddick-Adams definitely does not do that. The book is a tad bit long though, guess it is due to the meticulous attention to detail he brings to the reader. Most excellent - I'd highly recommend this to any military history buff.

Over the past fifty years or so, I've read most of the works on Hitler’s 1944 Ardennes Offensive and I rate Peter Caddick-Adams’ "Snow and Steel" as the best in terms of not only informative detail but explaining the bigger picture and course of events. It is exceptionally well researched, well organized and superbly written. While many if not most works in English focus primarily on the American actions, organizations, and persons, the author covers the German side equally to include the actions and experience of many individual German soldiers. He provides a comprehensive description of German planning, preparation, and objectives of the operation. I found his discussion of historic and cultural aspects that influenced Hitler’s conception of the plan particularly fascinating. The penultimate chapter, “Punctuation Marks of History,” looks at the impact and influence of this major battle on subsequent history and current events. I enjoyed the work, learned from it, and recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the U.S. Army’s largest battle of World War II.

I have visited the Ardennes region of this battle in Belgium several times, and have many books on the subject. My father 'earned' his second Purple Heart in the Ardennes during this battle. My last trip was in 2015, when I visited numerous battle sites, cemeteries (American and German), towns and cities that had a part. This book is the most detailed of anything published, that I am aware of, regarding the battle. I also visited the Belgian military post in Bastogne that was the headquarters for the 101st Airborne in '44. The Belgian sergeant who gave me a tour was very informative, and proud to talk of the events from the period. Their little museum is very well done, and another section contains many vehicles from the battle, from both sides. While my favorite read on this battle is John Toland's book, 'Battle: Story of the Bulge', this work by Carrick-Adams was well researched and is worth your time, whether or not you decide to visit the battlefields that he brings to life. I stayed in Bastogne for several days on that last trip and found the town to be very friendly. It is also loaded with museums and references to the biggest American battle of the war.

Just wading through the author’s endless and often narratively unrelated research (sometimes 3-4 pages at a stretch) to find the thread of the tale can be frustrating. So much tangential research is crammed into paragraphs the reader might think they are actually reading a book about The Battle of the “Bilge”. This incoherent narrative structure really undermines the quality of the work. Struggles with grammar and the basics of sentence structure are frequent. Seems he wants to be Alistair MacLean and John Toland rolled into one. Sometimes insecure men drive unnecessarily large trucks, sometimes insecure men write unnecessarily large books. Even the Amazon product page for this book is an embarrassing example of narcissistic self-promotion.

I have read two other books about the Ardennes offensive and this is easily the most satisfying to read of the three. As always with this writer the level of detail is extraordinary and told from both sides of the struggle. I knew some of the highlights and myths of this battle and my knowledge of the event is significantly improved and the myths swept away having read this book. Full disclosure this is a long book however it is a compelling read that rewards the reader; the book sweeps the reader along.

Some authors let you gallop on through the narrative, turning page after page in a heady chase to the conclusion of the book. Peter's books are not like that. Each page is crammed with nuggets that ensure you linger a while, taking care not to miss a gem.this was the first of Peter's books I had read, having heard him on podcasts and on various documentaries. I was not disappointed. He is like a barrister, laying out his case, step by step, until he totally convinces you of the general argument of the book. In this, that the US Army of later 1944 had come a long way in a few years to being the best equipped, best led and best performing outfit in the world at that time. They had learnt their lessons and were quick to positively respond to setbacks, such as the German Ardennes offensive of December '44, later called the Battle of the Bulge.This book is jam packed with detail. Peter knows his subject and writes with an authority that comes with being familiar with the ground over which the battle was fought. From the opening chapter set in the Belgian village of Hotton, you get sucked into a world of snow, of desperate fighting and of bravery and bravado. It's a big book - but that should not put you off. Your understanding of the Ardennes Offensive will be much richer after reading this volume. Superb.

I've read so many books about the Battle of the Bulge I wasn't sure what to expect from Snow and Steel. What I got was a unit-level account, day by day, region by region. Context was provided, old myths and suppositions 're-examined, new evidence provided and by far the clearest and absolutely most comprehensive history of the Battle imaginable. It's also very balanced from a national ,perspective. If you want to know what happened, how and why ,this is the expert's book.

A great book that really makes the reader feel as if the author is next to you as you read it, one can almost feel his breath on the face as you turn the page, as he guides you to the next map or foxhole in this account of the Ardennes offensive. The detail is truly outstanding, be it from the humble Volksgrenadier or put upon GI, as the battle unfolds. Where Mr Caddick-Adams scores heavily, is that he does a full run up to the main event, covering the fighting in the Hurtgen forest, Arnhem as well as the after campaigns in Alsace and even up to the conquest of Berlin itself. However, the one drawback is his habit on littering the cultured prose and analysis with all too frequent mentions of how he stumbled across an old Panzer Lehr helmet or American cartridge case, buried deep on the old battlefields of Europe. I am sure this is done with good intentions - to show how relatively recent the battle was - but it gets tiresome in the extreme. Indeed, Mr Caddick-Adams should perhaps devote an entire book towards touring, as he seems to have travelled the length and breadth of Europe!However, that said, it remains a great book when sticking to the main events and the book contains just the right mix of grunt on the ground and general in the chateux for the reader to enjoy.

I’ve been reading WW2 books for over 40 years. Do I need to read more? The answer is yes. This is the best Bulge account in my opinion. Hats off to Caddick-Adams and others like James Holland for showing that you can definitely re-invent the wheel.