Book Review The Battle of the Bulge: Britain's Untold Story

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Owen, Jan 8, 2008.

Tags:
Page 2 of 2
  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Finding the book rather annoyingly written.
    He's obsessed with people's sex lives from Belgium civvies to Patton being an "excellent swordsman in bed" to implying Fritz Bayerlin succomed to a blond US nurse in a captured US Field Hospital whilst having his wounds dressed.
    Is that true?

    Another phrase that was pretty naff was "hand fire weapons" for goodness sake Mr Whiting as an ex-squaddie you should have heard the term Small Arms.

    I thought this book was about how the British fought in the Ardennes, I'm on page 83 of 228 and the Brits haven't even got into position yet.

    All he seems to be interested in is the conflict between the Commanders, which bores me to death.

    He even has a dig at the French because unlike the Dutch & Belgiums they didn't erect a Memorial, no not to a battle but to a High Command Conference at the Caserne Maginot , Verdun.

    I'm not impressed by his constant attacks on Command decisions either, after all the author was only a teenage soldier in a re-enforcement camp at the time.
    Yes, a Veteran of WW2 he may have been but I still don't think he can comment fairly on decsions made at a very stressful time for those whose actions involved sending yound lads like him off to war.

    I will give him some credit as he does mention several times that the average soldier of both sides was only a young lad of 19 or 20 which I think we forget sometimes.
     
    Owen, Jan 14, 2008
    #21
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Mr Whiting spends rather alot of time slagging off the Sherman, "Ronsons" , under-gunned same old stuff.
    Then takes great glee in describing an action where 3RTR destroy an armoured recce column of 2 Panzer Div which included a few Mk IVs & two Panthers.
    He says about 2 Panzer that were brought to a halt by lack of fuel, air attacks "and those five clapped-out Shermans of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment."
    The commander of the recce Bn of 2Panzer reported those five Shermans as "heavy armoured resistance".

    Quite an achievement for a tank the author denegrates most of the time.
    I can't wait to finish the book so I doesn't have to suffer his writing style anymore.
    I won't be reading anymore Charles Whiting books.
    (I only ever read one Leo Kessler book, the Monte Cassino one, that was wrong too, no SS at Cassino.)
     
    Owen, Jan 16, 2008
    #22
  3. 4th wilts

    4th wilts Discharged

    lucky monty commanded the north,in all this confusion.yours,lee.
     
    4th wilts, Jan 16, 2008
    #23
  4. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I have no first hand knowledge of our involvement with the "Bulge" I was back in Hospital then. But what we did get, was first hand accounts from the returning wounded.

    WEW asked after our mates, and got the latest news on what was happening up to the time the were wounded, and departed from the war zone.
    I Recall, quite clearly one wounded man just back, that told us that they had to do "Forced Marches" to get to the top end of the Bulge, and without rest straight into action.
    Has Lee (4th Wilts) got into the book yet?
    Sapper
     
    sapper, Jan 16, 2008
    #24
  5. A Potts

    A Potts Member

    I have no problem with acknowledging the British in the Battle of the Bulge, as long as the American veterans are also rightfully honoured.

    Is this the case, or is it sensational revisionism?
     
    A Potts, Jan 16, 2008
    #25
  6. plant-pilot

    plant-pilot Senior Member

    I have no problem with acknowledging the British in the Battle of the Bulge, as long as the American veterans are also rightfully honoured.

    Is this the case, or is it sensational revisionism?

    I don't think anyone is ignoring the American contribution, major as it was, but this has been extensively documented. So much so that many would think that it was only the Americans who took part in the campaign.

    If anything it is the British contribution that has not been rightfully honoured. Any problem with that being addressed in this thread?
     
    plant-pilot, Jan 16, 2008
    #26
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD


    No, just to say the British were there too and for whatever reason their contribution has been under acknowledged.
    Be it Monty taking control of two US Armies, the RAF contribution or the Britsh ground forces that were involved.

    I just wish I'd bought the Delaforce book and not the Whiting one.
     
    Owen, Jan 16, 2008
    #27
  8. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    spidge, Jan 17, 2008
    #28
    Owen likes this.
  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Whiting says the US 106th Division went into battle in the Ardennes wearing ties & WW1 gaiters. True ? I doubt it.

    Just looking at their website and first thing I notice is the mention of who fought there.
    Battle of the Bulge

    Small British contingent compared to the US one but still nice to get a mention.
     
    Owen, Jan 17, 2008
    #29
  10. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    I find this exceptionally hard to believe, as I have not heard this before and I have read a great deal on the battle.

    WWI gaiters? The 106th was a late-forming division and WWI equipment had long since been done away with or given to home guard types. Why would the US give 25 year old equipment to it's men this late in the war when they were outfitting foreign armies (French)?

    The tie thing seems a bit far-fetched.

    :cowboy_125:
     
    Slipdigit, Jan 17, 2008
    #30
  11. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Small British contingent compared to the US one but still nice to get a mention.

    After D-Day and Market Garden British reinforcements were extremely low so possibly not as bad a contribution as it may look on paper.
     
    spidge, Jan 17, 2008
    #31
  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Finished it , won't be reading anymore of his books.
    Spends far too much time on break down of the UK-USA relationship.
    Gives full credit to the Americans for beating the Germans in the Bulge, thought I'd make that clear, he just wanted to make the point it wasn't just an American battle.

    I thought the book would an in depth look at the British involvement in the Ardennes it's not.
    It's a general out-line of the battle with some British bits thrown in.
    Masses of inaccurancies, he also repeats himself unnecessarily.(Which I will now do myself)
    Like I said before he does stress the fact that the battle was fought by very young men (then again aren't all wars?) led by a High Command who fought their own PR war and tried to score points off each-other.

    Anyone wants it, just PM me & I'll post them the book.
    I don't want it anymore.
     
    Owen, Jan 18, 2008
    #32
  13. plant-pilot

    plant-pilot Senior Member

    With that sort of 'recommendation' I for one won't be asking for it. :huh:
     
    plant-pilot, Jan 18, 2008
    #33
  14. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Charles Whiting also fictionalised as Leo Kessler,something akin to the output of Sven Hassel.

    One interesting fact on the cost of the Battle of the Bulge.

    SHAEF recorded the US First and Third Army casualties as follows, a total of 75.282

    Killed 8.407

    Wounded 46.170

    Missing 20.905

    German figures are not available, but von Rundstedt's HQ estimated Wehrmacht casualties at not less than 120.000 of which 12.652 were known to be have been killed.
     
    Harry Ree, Jan 18, 2008
    #34
  15. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    ...
     
    stolpi, Dec 3, 2010
    #35
  16. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Still a crap book though
     
    Owen, Dec 3, 2010
    #36
  17. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    ...
     
    stolpi, Dec 3, 2010
    #37
  18. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    ...
     
    stolpi, Dec 11, 2010
    #38
  19. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Yep, go for it.!!!
     
    51highland, Dec 11, 2010
    #39
  20. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Owen -
    Don't even think about even looking at the "Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson the famed Pulizer Prize Winner as my $34:eek:o copy is on it's way to the shredder - talk about errors - this guy is an expert - he fails to understand difference of a Brigade and a Division - since the Americans had regiments- not brigades in those days - same as the Germans -

    one big howler - to me was when he was writing about the exit of the Abbot of Cassino leading the survivors of the bombing - and reciting his beads (sic) on the 17th February 44 - the Joyful - Luminous - Sorrowful and Glorious decades --- great researching as the "Luminous" decade was not introduced until Pope John Paul did so on 16th OCTOBER 2003 !

    Even bigger howler was of the 17th BATTALION of the 21st Lancers battle in the Liri Valley- he didn't get as far as the 16th Battalion of the 5th Lancers - 9th battalion of the 12th Lancers et al.....hence the shredder
    Cheers
     
    Tom Canning, Dec 11, 2010
    #40
Page 2 of 2

Share This Page