From the bestselling author of Stalingrad, Berlin and D-Day, Antony Beevor's Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble tells the story of the German's ill-fated final stand.
The Ardennes was the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht..
And after massacres by the Waffen-SS, even American generals approved when their men shot down surrendering Germans.
The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the eastern front.
While many American soldiers fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance.
Panic spread even to Paris.
Belgian civilians fled, justifiably afraid of German revenge.
American troops, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies.
The Ardennes offensive, with more than a million men involved, became the greatest battle of the war in western Europe.
Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.
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.
He believed he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp, then force the Canadians and the British out of the war.
On 16 December, 1944, Hitler launched his 'last gamble' in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes.
From the bestselling author of Stalingrad, Berlin and D-Day, Antony Beevor's Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble tells the story of the German's ill-fated final stand
