The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon

Rating:
Summary: excellent white knuckle read
Review: A gripping, fast-paced story of heroism and survival against overwhelming odds: a small American band of men outnumbered by Nazis fights and kills many enemies in a decisive battle in the Eifel hills, only to be captured and sent deep into Germany, where they get bombed and starved in POW camps. Amazingly, they survive-- all of them. Suspenseful action and quick shifts in location are held together by tight chronology. Gritty dialogues between the men and realistic shifts in perspective kept me hanging onto my seat. I highly recommend Kershaw's book to anyone interested in adventure and extreme circumstances, not just for historians or World War II buffs!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: After hearing about this book on NPR, and reading an exerpt, I decided to buy and read it, as very few books have offered this particular perspective -- including capture and internment in POW camps. I almost didn't give the book a chance due to the mistake I read in the exerpt which referred to a V-2 landing nearby the I&R platoon's positions (surely it was a V-1).

I found the book interesting and informative, but I wonder if the editor(s) had any experience with WWII period books --- clearly the author has had little, as there were many errors in referencing this and that: "...Panzer and Tiger tanks...", "P38 Luger pistol...", Montgomery's "21st Army" (really Army Group"), and so on. The first reference to the 99th Division's southern comrades is to the 102nd division. It was the 106th Division that was encircled and captured on Skyline Drive those first few days of the battle.

This book is a relatively quick read, interesting, at times compelling, but not something that will be read more than once, especially for those who read a lot of WWII history. This takes nothing away from the men of the 394th I&R --- I felt compelled to read it to learn about them and their story. The details of the writing needlessly distracted from their story.

Rating:
Summary: Great story but not a great book
Review: Alex Kershaw's story on the small intelligence platoon and their heroism before, during and after the Battle of the Bulge proves to be an engrossing tale. I found this part of the book to be highly interesting and if not truely admirable that the author was able to come up with this story that must be told. I had hope that the author would have gone into greater details into this platoon since many of the members are still alive today.

The book would have been better if the author kept his focus on the platoon and not on the "bigger picture". Most readers who read this book will already have a good understanding of the Ardennes Offensive by the German forces in December of 1944. If they do not, this is not the book that will give you any great insight on the battle. There are plenty of books out there that does a superior job of telling of the Bulge then this one can at any length.

Worst are the numerous errors in the text which I can't seem understand. A good examples would be on page 64 when author wrote "Irwin Rommel" instead Erwin Rommel or on page 115 when he wrote "Hermann Black" instead Hermann Balck. Was this a typo or a careless error since even the index got the wrong name! Also on page 54, the author goes into a lot hype about the "Death Head" insignia which every SS soldier wear...even Muslim SS soldiers! Author is also mistaken the fact that Peiper's 1st SS Panzer Division, "Leibstandarte" was originally built as Hitler's personal bodyguard unit and they never served as guards at the camps. Those guards made up the 3rd SS Panzer Division, the "Totenkopf" which was not Peiper's parent division. While these are just sample errors, individually they are rather harmless but collectively, you began to questioned the author's researching ability and it does downgrade the overall quality of the book.

Still, I enjoyed this book about this extraordinary platoon made up of extraordinary men. Their story needed to be told but I wished it was told in greater details and without the redundant history lesson that serves no one but entry level reader who may be misled by many of its errors.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe the next band of brothers, by the next Ambrose
Review: Fifteen years ago I used a Mac simulation of the Battle of the Bulge ("Patton") that allowed me to fight the American side of the battle. Only I knew what was coming. It did not take long to realize that Lanzerath was a key position in the battle, especially in thwarting the early, surprise advantage of the German forces. Plug this hole and you change the entire battle scenario. Kershaw writes a good, often first-hand story of the Battle of the Bulge.

Lt. Lyle Bouck and his intelligence and reconnaissance unit -- fewer than thirty men -- occupied that hole or key gap in the American line that fateful December 16, 1944 morning. While they did not stop the Germans, the I & R unit slowed the assault and informed headquarters, delaying the Germans and perhaps making the difference in the battle and the war.

Kershaw, along with his very good "Bedford Boys" may make a good successor to David Ambrose. This is a good read, with backgrounds on individual stories, useful "big picture" context for the unacquainted reader, and useful but not numbered maps. Kershaw writes, "See map 2" on p. 62 and you have to guess that the second map in the book -- an unnumbered page 76 -- is 'map 2'. Kershaw does make other irritating mistakes pointed out by others: "Irwin" instead of "Erwin,'" General "Black" and not General "Balck," "army" when he meant "army group". It is hard to tell if this is poor editing, poor research or simply an inattention to detail. The dust cover includes praise from Douglas Brinkley, author of the Kerry 'biography', "Tour of Duty," which has also been questioned for its accuracy or at least for not telling the complete story, so you can draw your own conclusions on both Kershaw's and Brinkley's editors. Even Ambrose's scholarship has generated criticism, including plagiarism charges. Maybe there is something lost when the story is told so much later by men who have little or no direct experience with the war, with the army, or the period.

Don't let that stop you from reading and enjoying this book. The first-person accounts make the story real and memorable. And makes me wish I could find that old simulation...

Rating:
Summary: Great story, wooden writing
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book, but found myself disappointed with the rather flat and colorless prose style of the author. A story this dramatic deserves more intensity, more vivid storytelling - at least in my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: One of the incredible stories of the Battle of the Bulge
Review: If I could I would have given this story 4-1/2 stars. But it's 4 or 5 so I picked 4.

The battle of the bulge is really a story of countless places where American troops cut off, and having no idea what is going on, in many many cases stood and fought. It is a testament to the advantages of the American Army where troops do readily step up and take the initiative.

In this case it is a single platoon - and an understaffed recon platoon at that that held up one of the main northern attacks of the Germans. The book does an excellent job of explaining the platoon level action from both sides.

And it then tells the story of the troops captured and their time in the German POW camps. This part of the book is good, but not as inspired as the first part.

ps - my favorite book from the Battle of the Bulge is "Those Damned Engineers"

Rating:
Summary: An impressively written military history
Review: It was freezing on the morning of December 16, 1944 when the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of the 394th Infantry, 99th Infantry Division found itself desperately holding up a brutal German attack at a small town called Lanzareth, the point of the main thrust of Hitler's massive and last ditch military offense. By nightfall the men of this beleaguered American platoon had killed over 500 elite German troops while defending a strategically vital hill without reinforcement or artillery support. Outnumbered almost 40 to 1, yet told to "hold at all costs", these valiant American soldiers repulsed three German assaults in a day-long battle. Only when the men had run out of ammunition did they surrender at gun-point -- after which they were taken to German prisoner-of-war camps. There Lt. Bouck and his men (who were eventually separated from their officer) began an ordeal far worse than combat -- surviving the last days of the Third Reich when brutal guards were increasingly trigger happy, Allied bombers raided almost daily, and thin soup was the only sustenance. When Bouck was finally liberated from the prison camp, his entry weight of 180 pounds had dropped to 112 pounds. A gripping true life saga and one that belongs in every World War II Military History collection, The Longest Winter: The Battle Of The Bulge And The Epic Story Of World War II's Most Decorated Platoon is an impressively written military history by author Alex Kershaw, and published on the 60 anniversary of that famous and infamous battle.


Rating:
Summary: A brilliant book with superb writing. . .
Review: The author clearly knows how to get this heroic story told.

Cheers to Kershaw. . . a great read.


Rating:
Summary: Miraculous Military Action Chronicled (again)
Review: The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II's Most Decorated Platoon, Alex Kershaw's latest foray into the WWII genre, is a quick, straight-forward read that tells the inspiring story of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. This small unit of US GI's can fairly be credited with one of the most significant defensive actions associated with the Battle of the Bulge - Hitler's last gamble to turn the tide of war in the West. Kershaw spins a riveting yarn of the eighteeen young men who battled until killed (2 members) or captured (the remainder) at the small Belgian town of Lanzerath on 16 December 1944 against an overwhelming force (1st Battalion, Fallschirmjager Regiment 9 - temporarily assigned to 1st SS-Panzer Division).

The Longest Winter is separated into three major parts: 1) training and pre-battle actions; 2) The Battle of Lanzerath itself; and 3) captivity, liberation and post-war accolades. While the second section is the main theme of the book and is written with flair, it is not particularly original. It was John S. D. Eisenhower who first detailed the Battle of Lanzerath in his 1969 The Bitter Woods. More recently the actions of the I&R/394th have been competently put to page by Stephen Ambrose (Citizen Soldiers, 1997) and Ronald Drez (25 Yards of War, 2001). In contrast, the first and third sections of The Longest Winter represent narratives of new information. Almost all of the actions associated with the I&R/394th are crafted entirely from interviews Kershaw conducted with surviving members of the platoon. While this provides an engaging narrative with a human feel, it lacks the historical clarity of thoroughly researched material.

Kershaw uses a "broad perspective" storyboard in The Longest Winter. He intermingles the story of the I&R/394th with the larger story of the Ardennes Offensive and ETO in general. This style creates a very readable prose that provides a bigger picture. However, this approach also risks losing the readers interest in the story at the heart of the book - the I&R/394th actions. Moreover, when moving into broader areas, Kershaw seems to lose historical clarity as many errors of fact can be found throughout these sections. These errors - such as incorrect references to SS units (e.g., reference to the 1st-SS Panzer Division as being descendent from the original concentration camp guard units, when the SS-Totenkopfverbande was in reality the concentration camp guard and was not related to 1st-SS Panzer Division, p. 54) and names of individuals (e.g., Hermann Black when it should be Hermann Balck, p. 115, 320) - are really hard to understand as Kershaw clearly cites works (in the bibliography) where correct facts are given. In the case of name problems these could be editorial, but in cases where textual statements are wrong editing was only the last check on Kershaw's research.

Final analysis: In the end The Longest Winter is a well crafted and easily read work that lacks depth of analysis and research. From a reading standpoint this is a 5 star book, from a historical standpoint it gets 2.5 stars. Total value: 3 stars.


Rating:
Summary: Good, quick read
Review: This may not be groundbreaking history, but it makes for compelling reading. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I recommend it. --Chris Whitten, WorldWarIIHistory.info Webmaster