Snow & Steel

The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45

By: Peter Caddick-Adams

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer, Tim Reynolds

Length: 31 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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

this book was a great listen superb story didn't want it to end might even listen to it again

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.

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.

LOVED IT.

If you love Toland, you will love this book. The depth of research and care for his narrative puts Caddick in high stead. Worthy of shelf space next to Toland and Ambrose, Snow And Steel should be read by any serious student of military history. The honest and well thought out tie in between the Bulge and the major events that followed made for an excellent ending, providing analysis while avoiding both leaving the Ardennes campaign in a vacuum and making third party assertions of their meaning.

Very good story.....but

I listen and have read anything i can find about this battle. I enjoyed it very much, however i would very much agree with other reviews regarding the readers way of pronounciation of places names, etc. It was somewhat annoying. Some of which i have never heard before, " OOULTRA ". Instead of. ULTRA...The one that really weird was Lt Col Adams should have been Abrams....but other that i enjoyed it . Oh by the way if i had not been familar with the people and places mentioned i would not have known in some cases what the guy was talking about.

A very engrossing story

Any additional comments?

After growing up hearing my Dad's occasional discussions of what happened to him and his unit in the Ardennes in the winter of 44 and 45 with the 2nd Infantry Division, I got pretty interested in this subject. My wife and I later visited the area, which is very accessible. I read Toland's book, and MacDonald's book (liked them both), but this gives a bit of a different perspective. Interesting how the author refutes the old rumor that Bradley and Ike sacrificed all those men in order to bring the war to an end quicker. Also, this version of the story provides more of a German perspective on it. We are still progressing through it.

Several other reviewers have objected to the pronunciation of certain words, particularly German ones. I found no problem at all, perhaps what bothers them is when you try to speak a different language, you have to switch gears a bit to get the pronunciation right. You'll find a lot of casual multi-lingual people don't do that, and don't quite get the pronunciation right, either. That Ultra is pronounced with a long U didn't bother me at all, either--that complaint falls under the "who cares" category in my book.

A good book, provided you're interested in the details of this story. Having visited the area makes the reference to place names a lot easier, too. This book is particularly good for appreciating the sacrifice and the hell these people went through.

Very good book, narration is hard to follow

What did you like best about Snow & Steel? What did you like least?

Very detailed look at the battle, with a personal touch as he describes visiting the battle fields. The narration was hard to follow and had errors. The American Luftwaffe? 30 inch machine guns? The town names are pronounced with what I assume is an authentic dialect. I usually couldn't understand them unless I was already familiar with what they should be talking about. As I'm listening while I exercise I don't have a map handy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Snow & Steel?

Finishing it.

What didn’t you like about Paul Boehmer and Tim Reynolds ’s performance?

Detailed above

Was Snow & Steel worth the listening time?

Not really

Any additional comments?

Fix the audio.