Synopses & Reviews
On Christmas morning, 1944, there was little reason to celebrate.
As the Battle of the Bulge raged, a small force of American soldersincluding the famed 101st Airborne division, tank destroyer crews, engineers, and artillerymenwas completely surrounded by Hitlers armies in the Belgian town of Bastogne. Taking the town was imperative to Hitlers desperate plan to drive back the Allies and turn the tide of the war. The attack would come just before dawn.
As the outnumbered, undersupplied Americans gathered in church for services or shivered in their snow-covered foxholes on the fringes of the front lines, freshly reinforced German forces of men and tanks attacked. The battle was up close and personal, with the cold, exhausted soldiers of both armies fighting for every square foot of frozen earth.
In the end, the Allied forces would hold the town of Bastogne, with the hard-won victory boosting morale and sounding the death-knell for Hitlers Third Reich. After this battle, the Nazis would never go on the offensive again.
Featuring interviews with the soldiers who were there, as well as never-before-seen or translated documents, No Silent Night is a compelling chronicle of one day that changed the course of the warand the world.
INCLUDES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS AND MAPS
Review
A particularly poignant saga of men in war.
Booklist
Like sitting down with an entertaining raconteur steeped in World War II history and literature
rewarding.
Washington Post
Well-written, concise
makes good use of diaries, letters, and stories of ordinary soldiers in extraordinary times.
USA Today
Resonant.
National Review
Review
Praise for
No Silent Night: The Christmas Battle for Bastogne
“An exciting chronicle of the one day that changed the course of the war and the world…based on some extraordinary research and extensive interviews.”—Bookviews by Alan Caruba
“Leo Barron and Don Cygan have shed new light on the crucial siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. No Silent Night is the product of in-depth research and a strong commitment to historical accuracy. Whether you are new to the topic or a confirmed expert, you will learn much from this book.”—John C. McManus, author of The Dead and Those About to Die and September Hope
“Bastogne has always figured large in any account of the Battle of the Bulge. In No Silent Night, Leo Barron and Don Cygan provide new insight into the climactic battle that raged for that small Ardennes market town on Christmas Day 1944. New sources, interviews, and thorough documentation grace this book, which will be a boon for those seeking to understand how Americans prevailed in one of their most famous World War II victories.”—Danny S. Parker, author of Fatal Crossroads
Review
"Leo Barron and Don Cygan have shed new light on the crucial siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
No Silent Night is the product of in depth research and a strong commitment to historical accuracy. Whether you are new to the topic or a confirmed expert, you will learn much from this book."—John C. McManus, author of
Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers who made the Defense of Bastogne Possible and
September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far
"Bastogne has always figured large in any account of the Battle of the Bulge. In No Silent Night, Leo Barron and Don Cygan provide new insight into the climatic battle that raged for that small Ardennes market town on Christmas Day, 1944. New sources, interviews and thorough documentation grace this book, which will be a boon for those seeking to understand how Americans prevailed in one of their most famous World War II victories."—Danny S. Parker, author of Fatal Crossroads
Synopsis
A true World War II Christmas story from the bestselling author of Silent Night. 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.
11 Days in December is the dramatic story of a miraculous shift in the midst of a terrible battle, and an extraordinary chapter from the greatest war of the modern era.
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
December 1944. For the besieged American defenders of Bastogne, time was running out.... Hitlers forces had pressed in on the small Belgian town in a desperate offensive designed to push back the Allies, starting the Battle of the Bulge. So far the U.S. soldiers had managed to repel waves of attackers and even a panzer onslaught. But as their ammunition dwindled, the weary paratroopers of the 101st Airborne could only hope for a miraclea miracle in the form of General George S. Patton and his Third Army.
More than a hundred miles away, Patton, ordered to race his men to Bastogne, was already putting in motion the most crucial charge of his career. Tapped to spearhead his counterstrike against the Wehrmacht was the 4th Armored Division, a bloodied but experienced unit that had fought and slogged its way across France. But blazing a trail into Belgium meant going up against some of the best infantry and tank units in the German Army. Failure to reach Bastogne in time could result in the overrunning of the 101sta catastrophic defeat that could turn the tide of the war and secure victory for the Nazis.
In Patton at the Battle of the Bulge, Army veteran and historian Leo Barron explores one of the most famous yet little told clashes of the war, a vitally important chapter in one of historys most legendary battles.
About the Author
Leo Barron works for General Dynamics as an instructor of military intelligence officers for the U.S. Army. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history and has served with the 101st Airborne. Barron has seen two tours of active duty in Iraq as an infantry and intelligence officer. His articles about Bastogne and other WWII-related military topics have appeared in Infantry Magazine, Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, WWII History Magazine, and WWII Magazine. He has used some of his research on Bastogne and the Christmas battle to teach his students about intelligence preparation of the battlefield. He is also the author of No Silent Night: The Christmas Battle for Bastogne.