The Other Battle of the Bulge: Operation Northwind : The Spellmount Siegfried Line Series Volume Seven

Operation Northwind was the little-known second Battle of the Bulge, which cost the Americans and their French comrades-in-arms nearly as many casualties and almost detroyed the Alliance. It was planned by the Fuhrer himself, which hurled eight German divisions, three of them SS, against the thinly-held American line in the Alsace-Lorraine region. Although the US High Command was forewarned by 'Ultra' from Bletchley, the German pressure was just too much. The Americans were forced to retreat. For the first time during the campaign in the West, Eisenhower ordered his troops to give up ground paid for by so many lives and commanding that Stratbourg, which held a special place in both French and German hearts, should be evacuated. This sparked off a row which threatened to destroy the Franco-American Alliance and throw France into a dramatic revolution. Quick moving and action-packed, this book sees the events through the eyes of the soldiers who were 'at the sharp end', and fills a major gap in the history of World War II. The story of Operation Northwind, Hitler's surprise attempt to smash the German's way through Alsace Lorraine in January 1945, seen through the eyes of the young men who were "at the sharp end." Few except those who fought it know anything about a second Battle of the Bulge, which cost the Americans and their French comrades-in-arms nearly as many casualties and almost destroyed the alliance. Operation Northwind, planned by the Fuhrer himself, hurled eight German divisions, three of them SS, against the thinly held American line in the Alsace-Lorraine region. Although the U.S. High Command was forewarned by "Ultra" from Bletchley, the Americans were forced to retreat. Eisenhower commanded that Strasbourg, which held a special place in both French and German hearts, should be evacuated but De Gaulle protested. For a few days, while American troops fought for their lives in the snow-bound hills of Alsace-Lorraine, it looked as if the Franco-American alliance might be broken apart and France thrown into something akin to revolution. --Provided by publisher Describes the second Battle of the Bulge that almost destroyed the Alliance