"A fast-paced story. . . . Schrijvers does an admirable job of weaving personal accounts into the larger picture of Bastogne’s horrors."—Wall Street Journal Five-starred review —Alex Kershaw, Goodreads"A pulse-pounding story . . . the first thorough treatment of the famous battle for Bastogne."—John C. McManus, author of The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach "Gripping . . . visceral . . . an engaging and engrossing narrative."—Adam Seipp, H-Net "Those who Hold Bastogne is the first study of the Battle of the Bulge to focus on the fight in Bastogne and the role of the civilians who were caught up in the battle.Well-researched, it chronicles the battle day by day and often hour by hour. Within the narrative, numerous individual memoirs are included, giving an ‘up close and personal’ element to the story."—J.W. Thacker, The Bowling Green Daily News "A lively account of the fighting."—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs "An excellent account of the battle for Bastogne, both well-researched and well-written."—Antony Beevor"Using fresh sources and deft writing, Peter Schrijvers develops a panoramic and compelling boots-on-the-ground illumination of one of the Bulge's most epic battles."—Patrick K. O'Donnell, author of Dog Company: The Boys of Pointe du Hoc - Rangers Who Accomplished D-Day's Toughest Mission and Led the Way Across Europe "Bastogne was a month-long battle of attrition, a desperate grapple between Germans and Americans. Yet until now its tale has never been told separately. Schrijvers combines clear operational narrative with compelling vignettes from three perspectives: those who fought to hold Bastogne, those who sought to capture it, and those caught in the crossfire. Soldiers or civilians, their stories establish war’s human dimension – and its inhuman face."—Dennis Showalter, author of Hitler's Panzers. The Lightning Attacks that Revolutionized Warfare "It provides a more vivid and nuanced picture of the crucial fighting for control of Bastogne than any other book."—James J. Weingartner, author of Crossroads of Death: The Story of the Malmedy Massacre and Trial "Peter Schrijvers writes with the confidence and authority of someone who has been immersed in the subject for many years. His effective use of vivid civilian testimony means one sees the Battle of the Bulge through the eyes of the Belgians caught up in it, as well as of the American and German troops."—Jonathan Fryer, writer and broadcaster
"A fast-paced story. . . . Schrijvers does an admirable job of weaving personal accounts into the larger picture of Bastogne’s horrors."—Wall Street Journal
Five-starred review —Alex Kershaw, Goodreads
"An excellent account of the battle for Bastogne, both well-researched and well-written."—Antony Beevor
"Well researched and written at a good pace, this is an excellent account of an epic and brutal struggle."—David Flintham, Military History
Military History Magazine - David Flintham
Wall Street Journal
TLS
TLS - Nathan M. Greenfield
Praise for Peter Schrijvers' Previous Books on World War II: The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II : The Atlantic The Great War and Modern Memory The GI War Against Japan: American Soldiers in Asia and the Pacific during World War II : The Unknown Dead: Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge : The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe Liberators: The Allies and Belgian Society, 1944-1945 The Times Literary Supplement
Praise for Previous Books
Those Who Hold Bastogne contributes significantly to our knowledge of this pivotal World War II battle.’ —Joseph Balkoski, author of Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944
Crossroads of Death: The Story of the Malmedy Massacre and Trial
Hitler's Panzers. The Lightning Attacks that Revolutionized Warfare
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs - Lawrence D. Freedman
Those who Hold Bastogne is the first study of the Battle of the Bulge to focus on the fight in Bastogne and the role of the civilians who were caught up in the battle.Well-researched, it chronicles the battle day by day and often hour by hour. Within the narrative, numerous individual memoirs are included, giving an ‘up close and personal’ element to the story.” —J.W. Thacker, The Bowling Green Daily News
The Bowling Green Daily News - J.W. Thacker
H-Net
The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach
Journal of Military History - John C. Macmanus
With a British accent and a tone stoicism and empathy, John Lee narrates this account of the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945). In this battle thousands of German troops and hundreds of Panzer tanks made one last desperate attack on Allied positions to try to push them away from the German border. It was in and around the small town of Bastogne, Belgium, where the Americans made their stand and stopped the Nazis in their tracks, but not without considerable loss of both military and civilian lives. Lee delivers the many personal, vivid, and sometimes grisly accounts with building dramatic tension to the point where the listener will breathe a sigh of relief and cheer when General Patton’s reinforcements finally arrive. B.P. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
