Snow & Steel

The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45

De: Peter Caddick-Adams

Narrado por: Paul Boehmer, Tim Reynolds

Between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945, American forces found themselves entrenched in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg defending against an advancing German army amid freezing temperatures, deep snow, and dense fog. Operation Herbstnebel - Autumn Mist - was a massive German counter-offensive that stunned the Allies in its scope and intensity. In the end, the 40-day long Battle of the Bulge, as it has come to be called, was the bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and indeed the largest land battle in American history. Before effectively halting the German advance, some 89,000 of the 610,000 American servicemen committed to the campaign had become casualties, including 19,000 killed. The engagement saw the taking of thousands of Americans as prisoners of war, some of whom were massacred by the SS - but it also witnessed the storied stand by U.S. forces at Bastogne as German forces besieged the region and culminated in a decisive if costly American victory. Ordered and directed by Hitler himself--against the advice of his generals - the Ardennes offensive was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment. Its last reserve squandered, these irreplaceable losses would hasten the end of the war.

In Snow and Steel, Peter Caddick-Adams draws on interviews with over 100 participants of the campaign, as well as archival material from both German and US sources, to offer an engagingly written and thorough reassessment of the historic battle. Exploring the failings of intelligence that were rife on both sides, the effects of weather, and the influence of terrain on the battle's outcome, Caddick-Adams deftly details the differences in weaponry and doctrine between the US and German forces, while offering new insights into the origins of the battle.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 Peter Caddick-Adams (P)2014 Audible Inc.

well worth the time!!! Awesome!!

the most detailed account of the Battle of the Bulge ever!! a must read for a military history buff.
Get it.

Ugh.

Ridiculously overpronounced and mispronounced German and French place names, personal names and ranks. Painful at times to listen to in spite of the well written story. The book is superb, the reader, not so much.

Great History; Mediocre Reading

Snow and Steel is well researched and easy to follow. Not easy for such a sweeping and confusing battle. The narrators use the French and German pronunciations for place names as opposed to the English pronunciations. I lived in both France and Germany and can appreciate wanting to be authentic. Fact is that they are extremely distracting and break the narrative up. Then there's "Ooltra" vs. Ultra, where did that come from?

The author brought together facts that I knew, but had never put together time wise. It was very enlightening. The sheer number of German accounts guarantee the evenhanded presentation. Well worth the time and money.

Great book spoiled by narrator

I really wish the narrator would stop pronouncing the German and French names and places with such silly drama. There's no need for a theatrical pause before each one. Just say the word at the same cadence as normal. We've all heard foreign words before, they are not intimidating.

Excellent unbiased history

Wonderful historical perspective of the events. Very detailed and provided detailed evidence
Great listening if you enjoy history. Highly recommend.

"And here is the pickup for 581"

That's the phrase that stuck in my head for the last half of this book. It is obviously a cue for the audio editors to edit out when assembling the files.

As others have stated, the narration is a big detractor. It feels as if William Shatner as Captain Kirk is reading this book. The constant pauses continually disrupt the flow of the book.

If you are already a student of WW2, the first third of this book will be mundane, or a refresher for you. Depending on how bad the narrator irks you.

The author seems to slip in and out of the past and present and odd times. He speaks of a battle, the troops involved, the goal to attain, the terrain where it was fought and then out of nowhere says something like "by the way, there is a great coffee house on this street now" or he slips into recollections of his personal travels.

On the bright side, the author is very good at research. There is a massive amount of information in this book. And if you are looking for something to fill holes in your own studies, this may fit the bill.

The Definitive Story of the Bulge

What did you love best about Snow & Steel?

The sidetracks often taken by the author to give a very detailed background pertinent to events unfolding in the Ardennes in the winter of 1944-1945.

What other book might you compare Snow & Steel to and why?

I thought this story was told much in the same way as "A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918." There's so much detail in the story telling, and it's presented in a manner that is interesting and captivating, and not boring and tedious.

Have you listened to any of Paul Boehmer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't know, and I don't particularly care to. He has a weird accent, and is another case of a narrator not being able to pronounce German (or in that case, English) words correctly. I had to rewind and re-listen to several passages because I couldn't understand what he was saying. He puts weird emphases on "foreign" words and, many times, pronounces them incorrectly. He also continuously incorrectly identified ammunition caliber, for example, in stead of correctly calling a Colt .45 a "Colt 45," he would say, "Colt 45 inch."

Any additional comments?

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I went into it a bit skeptical because I usually enjoy WWII books who's scope is broad and wide. I usually don't get books that appear to be narrow in their scope, such as looking at just one battle. While this book's focus is ultimately the Battle of the Bulge, the author provided wide berth of information, relevant stories and history I wasn't expecting. Aside from a few production errors, this is an excellent audio book. I especially appreciated the unbiased, even take on the events. The author clearly has experience in the military, of being in combat zones, and of having visited the Ardennes. I liked how he would step aside of the story and inform us of pertinent history, or personal experience. I liked how the end of the Battle of the Bulge wasn't the end of the book - he went on extensively as to how this battle affected people and events decades after the fact. This is an excellent WWII book...a must read.

Bulge... New information

The author did a tremendous job researching this book. It contains many facts I had not heard. His analysis at the book’s end (how the campaign had an impact far into the Cold War) was fascinating. The reader does a great job informing me of the correct pronunciation of Belgian town names. My only complaint is minor... Sometimes he correctly calls Creighton Abrams... Creighton Abrams. Other times he’s called Adams.

Evan's Review

If you love Miltary History and want a day by account of the The Battle of Bluge I strongly recommend this book.

Excellent and detailed history of the Battle of th

Would you listen to Snow & Steel again? Why?

I plan to listen to this one again to catch more of the details.

What did you like best about this story?

The story of the Battle of the Bulge told in great detail including many facts that I had previously not known.

What about Paul Boehmer and Tim Reynolds ’s performance did you like?

Clearly presented and well spoken. The narration holds your attention.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No you need time to digest all of the details.