Lot of 4: Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble + D-Day + G.I. + Citizen Soldiers

Description: G.I.: the American Soldier in World War II by Lee Kennett AND D-Day June 6, 1944: the Climactic Battle of World War II, by Stephen E. Ambrose (shown here in a stock photo) AND Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble, by Antony Beevor AND Citizen Soldiers, by Stephen E. Ambrose (1) Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble, by Antony Beevor is a 451-page hardcover book with dust jacket, both in very good condition, published in the U.S. by Viking in 2015. Illustrations and photos, maps, glossary, notes, bibliography, and index are included, as is a Table of Military Ranks and also "Order of Battle, Ardennes Offensive". The prizewinning historian and bestselling author Antony Beevor reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in World War II in this riveting account. In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II. On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his 'last gamble' in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were excited at the prospect of striking back. The Allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two Panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance. The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front's counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes -- involving more than a million men -- would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht. (2) G.I.: the American Soldier in World War II by Lee Kennett is a 265-page hardcover book with dust jacket, both in very good condition. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Photos, notes, bibliography, and index are included. Kennett provides a colorful portrait of the American soldier, or G.I., in World War II - from his registration in the draft, training in boot camp, and combat in Europe and the Pacific, to his final role as conqueror and occupier. It is all here: the "greetings" from Uncle Sam; endless lines in induction centers across the country; the unfamiliar and demanding world of the training camp, with its jokes, pranks, traditions, and taboos; and the comparative gear with which the Army was outfitted and supplied. Here we witness the G.I. facing combat: the courage, the heroism, the fear, and above all, the camaraderie - the bonds of those who survived the tragic sense of loss when a comrade died. Finally, when the war was over, the G.I.s frequently experienced clumsy, funny, and unpredictable interactions with their civilian allies and with the former enemies whose countries they now occupied. ISBN 0684184915 (3) D-Day June 6, 1944: the Climactic Battle of World War II (shown here in a stock photo; the copy for sale has a slightly different cover) by Stephen E Ambrose is a 6" x 9 1/4", 655-page, indexed paperback. It is a New York Times bestseller written by the well-regarded historian Ambrose, President of the National D-Day Museum. The book is copyright 1994,and published by Simon & Schuster. Photos, maps, a glossary, notes and a bibliography are included. Ambrose draws from more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans to create the top chronicle of the most important day in the 20th century. He reveals how the original plans for the invasion were abandoned, and how ordinary soldiers and officers acted on their own initiative. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life are laid bare. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination -- what Eisenhower called "the fury of an aroused democracy" -- that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers that Hitler had mocked. (4) Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose is a 512-page, indexed hardcover book with the book and dust cover both in very good condition. It includes map, notes, and bibliography. “If there is a better book about the experience of GIs who fought in Europe during World War II, I have not read it. Citizen Soldiers captures the fear and exhilaration of combat, the hunger and cold and filth of the foxholes, the small intense world of the individual rifleman as well as the big picture of the European theater in a manner that grips the reader and will not let him go. No one who has not been there can understand what combat is like, but Stephen Ambrose brings us closer to an understanding than any other historian has done.” – James M. McPherson

Price: 32.95 USD

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-01-19T04:39:08.000Z

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