Siegfried Line Campaign

A fascinating account of the first German city ever besieged by the U.S. Army and the monumental battle that took place amongst its ruined walls. Aachen saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War. Through the determined defense of their city the citizens of Aachen held off the oncoming American forces for six weeks, giving the Nazis time to mobilize their troops for what would become the Battle of the Bulge. Had it not been for dogged resistance of these men and women the last great German offensive in the West might have never occurred, potentially ending the war in Europe could have ended six months and saving the lives of thousands. Yet, Charles Whiting's remarkable book, Bloody Aachen, is more than an account of a military operation. Through interviews with German and Dutch participants in the battle he builds an in-depth picture of who the defenders of the city were, informing us that many in this Catholic city were opposed to the Hitler regime and remained behind-against orders and against odds-determined to defend their homes, unwittingly aiding their Nazi enemies as they did so.

On the morning of 16 December 1944, a monumental German force of six hundred thousand men crashed into the Allied lines in the snowbound hills of the Belgian Ardennes. Why were Allied forces so surprised by this counterattack? And why have the German sabotage and deception operations that disrupted supply lines and outwitted Allied intelligence been so overlooked by historians? Through interviews with three key German officers undertaken shortly after the end of the war, Charles Whiting examines the Battle of the Bulge from a new perspective. Hermann Giskes, a German Army counterintelligence officer, sheds light on his activities directing spies and saboteurs. Paratrooper Freiherr von der Heydte tells how his men were blown over great distances but managed to engage and tie down thousands of Allied troops who thought Nazi paratroopers were landing everywhere. And SS commando leader Otto Skorzeny recounts how he led a handful of special forces, wearing US uniforms and driving US equipment, behind enemy lines to wreak havoc. Ardennes: The Secret War exposes the weaknesses of Allied intelligence and shows how, even when it seemed that the war would be over by Christmas, the Germans nearly turned defeat into victory.