Smashing Hitler's Panzers: The Defeat of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge Hardcover – Illustrated, October 26, 2018

Many know Steven Zaloga for his detailed assessment on WWII armor but this book focuses on a very critical slice of the Bulge/Ardennes called the Northern Shoulder. This includes the Elsenborn Ridge and the area surrounding Krinkelt-Rocherath and Dom Butgenbach). It details units of the 99th (and 2nd) Division against the 12th-SS Panzer Division In very exquisite detail, illustrating very clearly the role that local unit elements played at critical moments of the German incursion. It not only illustrated the importance of combined operations and communication but the manner in which small units plugged the gap at key intervals in those early days to prevent the Germans from achieving escape velocity on the main roadways to the Meuse and beyond. It shows how important artillery (with relatively small armor - 741st Tank Battalion) was in slowing the impressive armored push of the Germans and how tactical road decisions (Lausdell crossroads) proved difference makers in this very important theater of the Bulge. The combination of small unit perimeter defense in fortified small villages and very ample and effective artillery (105mm and 155mm) proved difference makers in a rolling battle that seemed to favor the Germans based on numbers of soldiers and armored units. December 18 was a key strategic ‘turning point’ as the German 6th Panzer Army failed today breakthrough this key ground. In addition Kampfgruppe Peiper was also isolated near Stavelot preventing a combined northern thrust that was supposed to lead the Ardennes thrust. This the German schwerpunkt (main push) shifted to the center and Manteuffel’s 5th Panzer Army that would have harder progress to the Meuse as Bastogne souls illustrate. This bought valuable time for the Allies in fortifying the center with Patton. Roads and terrain as well as scarce fuel all played a large role as well as the author documents. But it was also clear that the Germans underestimated the ability of scattered US units to mount such an effective defense under the conditions involved with a surprise offensive. Enjoyed the detailed photos, useful maps and data tables as well. This is the ideal book for a Bulge/Ardennes junkie who really wants to get into the weeds on a critical and often under/non-reported sphere of this critical battle.

Zaloga, along with Robert Forczyk, is simply one of the most incisive military historians around. Here, he argues cogently that the German attack failed not because of their failure to capture Bastogne, which they really never tried for, but because of their failure to capture the Elsenborn Ridge, which in fact was the focus of their original schwerpunkt.Famous as McAuliffe's "Nuts" reply to the German demand for surrender is, it was Gerow and Roberts whose rapid appreciation of the situation on their front resulted in the critical defense of Elsenborn and the blocking of the German efforts to move through Rollbahns A and C where their schwerpunkt was aimed. After that, he argues, there was no real prospect for more than tactical gains.Zaloga also deflates some of the myths around the Waffen SS, typically seen as an elite unit. But by late 1944, like nearly all other German outfits, it was filled with largely untrained troops, and even the experienced NCOs and officers in its ranks were mostly experienced in defense against the Russians, not in attack against the Americans.He notes as well that in many ways the German plan was doomed from the start. Hitler's emphasis on massed AFVs and large truck formations caused huge traffic jams even before the soldiers reached the Belgian border. And the trucks and tanks couldn't get through their own Westwall defenses because the efforts to enforce secrecy meant the engineers were only brought up after the troops attacked - without their tanks and transport, which couldn't get over the dragons teeth until they built special ramps.Imbued as they were with a defensive mindset, from experience Russia and later from the retreat across France, the Germans forgot the need for adequate reconnaissance and for placing the engineers in the vanguard, not in the train. The Americans made their share of mistakes, but they also fought with amazing tenacity in many places early on.A sober, trenchant analysis.

Several books dealing with the European theater, and even ones not specific to The Bulge mention that lessons from WWI taught to limit damage from an enemy plunge by constraining the ‘shoulders’; keep the ‘top of the boot’ narrow, and you limit the ability of the ‘foot’ to go very deep. Why this took WWI to understand is a mystery; it is obvious on the face of it.Regardless, unlike many books dealing with The Bulge (many of which, for good reason, find the battles of Bastogne fascinating), Zaloga focuses on earlier, and quite possibly more important battles to hold the northern shoulder; the allies holding the approaches to and the Elsenborn ridge itself. The Nazi intent and strengths were not as yet known, the Allied forces available were unequal in number to the attackers, and yet…And yet, the author is not about to hand you an easy victory, or even a tough one without providing the details which I’ve yet to find elsewhere. We get a careful look at the weapons available to both sides and an analysis of the availability, use and effectiveness of those weapons. And a detailed look at what the battles leading up to The Bulge meant to German soldier and officer staffing.In the end, we find but one more confirmation of Tooze’ “Wages of Destruction” contention that Germany was not economically capable of winning the war.Typical of many WWII histories, the included maps are not helpful, being either too detailed to give an overall view of the actions, too small to read, or (like the Rollbahn map), misplaced to the description of the various battles. Neither paper nor ink is so expensive that it should not be used to illustrate (in the form of a decent map) the activity you are writing about.But not once did the author write “north” when it was south, nor “east” when it was west. Amazing in regard to most military histories.

A very good book,after visiting the battle of the bulge 2019,this gives the extra view.