Last Assault: 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge

It has generally been assumed by historians of the Second World War that the Americans were caught completely unaware by the last great German offensive of World War Two - the drive into the Ardennes in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge.

But were they in fact taken by surprise?

In this remarkable reappraisal of the hectic days which preceded the last Christmas of the War, Charles Whiting argues that the answer is very probably that they were not.

But if the Americans knew that the Germans were coming, why didn’t they reinforce the troops on the weakly held Ardennes sector of the front line?’

What is certain is that ever since the end of the Second World War the guardians of the files relating to the Battle of the Bulge in the United States have been most unwilling to permit any examination of their contents.

In the brilliant piece of investigative history, Charles Whiting asks: ‘Was somebody trying to cover something up and if so what and why?’

Drawing on information from those hidden files, as well as first-hand accounts from survivors of the battle, Whiting set out a new and radically different interpretation of the one the greatest battles of World War Two.

Last Assault: 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge is an essential book for anyone who wants to know the real story of the battle that almost turned the tide of the war for Germany.

Charles Whiting is the author of numerous history books on the Second World War. Under the pen name of Leo Kessler he also wrote a series of bestselling military thrillers, including ‘Guns at Cassino’ and ‘Valley of the Assassins’.