Alamo in the Ardennes

The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible

By: John C. McManus

Narrated by: John Glouchevitch

At last, here is a book that tells the full story of the turning point in World War II's Battle of the Bulge - the story of five crucial days in which small groups of American soldiers, some outnumbered 10 to 1, slowed the German advance and allowed the Belgian town of Bastogne to be reinforced. Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.

©2007 John C. McManus (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Will become one of the classics of the literature of World War II combat." (Thomas Fleming, author of The New Dealers' War)

A story of the troops before easy company

This book sets the stage of the American defense of Bastogne corridor in the opening days of the bulge. The book details the initial defense of American lines in a desperate delaying action with historical overview and on the ground reports from soldiers.

The book is well written and the audio performance is well done. I took one star from performance due to some distracting unfamiliarities evident in the readers performance. Some German pronunciations are lacking and can distract from the story, notably the performer refers to German Pak guns (anti tank guns) as P-A-K guns rather then the more common pronunciation as a “pac” gun.

Overall I recommend the title to anyone interested in WWII or military history, just be prepared for the occasional distraction.

Great little known perspective.

I've only known this story as told by the 101st and 82nd airborne and not from the troops who took the initial attack and who held the Germans back long enough for the paratroopers to arrive. Very good book.

hard to listen to this great story

loved the story but it was a struggle to listen the narrator. I was not able to finish the book.

Personal Stories from 28th Div & Armor that Made Bastogne Possible

Really enjoyed listening to the personal stories of those who made the defense of Bastogne possible. Having read Time for Trumpets, several 101st Airborne autobiographies, Lyle Bouck of the I & R Platoon’s autobiography and numerous other books on the Bulge several of the stories were familiar however there were many I’d never read before.

There are maps online that allow the reader to view the battle and of course online maps with satellite view that can help the reader follow the paths of the battle.

As for those who describe the story as chaotic and hard to follow, the fact is that the Battle of the Bulge was chaotic! The reader has the advantage of going back and rereading or listening again. If one uses a map and listens more than once it becomes clearer.

Agree with Kindle reader RE the mistakes made by either the narrator or author- Half-Tracks referred to sometimes as Half Trucks and tank commands referred to as companies. Yes for someone who knows the difference it’s annoying. Tragically those who don’t know the facts are being taught incorrectly.

Thank you to the author for memorializing the men who sacrificed so much for Freedom. When I thank veterans for their service I always want to tell them how sorry I am for the losses they experienced and the nightmares that haunt them.

It needs to be corrected ASAP. Today it is common for books published by established publishing companies to have NUMEROUS typos including the misspelling of common words and misuse of punctuation symbols. One infamous book published by Stackpole had typos on EVERY page.

Great detail

Highly detailed overview of a specific aspect of the battle many armchair historians know little about. Most histories provide little on the specifics of what happened to this division in the first days of the offensive, other than that they were overrun. Most of us have read about the Bulge, but this provides the how and why the US forces delayed the Germans in the lead up to the Bastogne encirclement.

I try to read/listen to a book about the Battle of the Bulge every year around Xmas. This is among the very best.

The reader takes some getting used to in his overly (IMO) breathy narration. Could be better, but not a dealbreaker.

The Ardennes is a story that is layered in snow

This book is an excellent overview of not just the Ardennes but what individual men did with little but their own courage and refusal to quit. Sometimes the truth is more throat closing than all the fictional battles every created.

INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!

the 28th Infantry Divsion aka the Bloddy Bucket Divsion is the true reason why The 101st Airborne got they're glory at Bastogne. This book is an in depth study of the amazing and heroic actions the 28th undertook in delaying the German forces as long as they could for three days before the 101st could get over to Bastogne. The 28th basically was like Buford's Cavalry on the first days fighting at Gettysburg. The 28th had to fight tactically to delay the German forces in order to buy time for much needed American reinforcements to get on line.
John McManus keeps us on the edge of our seat with details from actual soldiers of the 28th Divsion and they are Intense accounts that make you really understand the immensity of the German attack in the Ardennes. Jaw dropping scenarios riddle this book and the author does a great job of making the reader understand where the action is taking place exactly! The narrator does q great job as well. READ THIS BOOK!!! It won't disappoint and it will make you appreciate just what happened leading up to the siege of Bastogne!

Excellent: inspiring, and thoroughly researched!

I learned a lot from this well written slice of history. Both the author and narrator deserve accolades.

Unheralded Units in the defense of Bastogne

I would suggest reading/listening to this book without distractions. The book was filled with details that require your attention to understand why this book was written. Overall a good book, another under appreciated unit 28th Infantry and 110th infantry division that basically slowed the Germans down enough to make Bastogne an allied victory.

Did not like the reader at all

I had to struggle to listen to this book due to the way the readers voice dropped off at he end of every sentence. The information was good but it couldn’t hold my attention due to the reader.