11 Days in December

September 18, 2006
The Battle of the Bulge doesn't quite fit the epic mold it's often cast in—bloody, yes, but lacking in strategic consequence, with no one but Hitler doubting the Allied victory. That the carnage spoiled Christmas time is the slender irony anchoring this aimless retelling by military historian Weintraub (Silent Night: The Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce
). Noting American complacency about the German buildup, and strategic and personal squabbles among the Allied commanders, he trumps up Patton's prayer for good killing weather into a dramatic turning point. Mainly, though, the book is a kaleidoscope of anecdotes, combat scenes alternating incoherently with foxhole doldrums and frontline picaresque. There's pluck and defiance—" 'They've got us surrounded, the poor bastards,' " quips a jaunty GI—and death and despair. There are celebrity cameos: correspondent Ernest Hemingway drinks and growls and shoots a few Germans; Marlene Dietrich, on a USO tour, allows a soldier to dust her body with delousing powder. And there are many Christmas celebrations, everywhere from POW camps and Belgian orphanages to Hitler's headquarters. Unfortunately, the reader gleans neither a clear battle narrative nor a sense of pathos—only a period-authentic impatience to get the war over with. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW
.

November 1, 2006
Weintraub (arts & humanities, emeritus, Penn State Univ.; "Silent Night: The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914") again offers a holiday-themed history book, this time reviewing the Battle of the Bulge, one of the final operations of World War II. He presents the stories of those involved, covering the perspectives of everyone from the enlisted men to the top generals, both Allies and Germans. One of his major characters is naturally Gen. George Patton, whose military experience and personal idiosyncrasies always make him an interesting study. This book is not meant to be a major assessment of the battle, but by weaving in holiday facets, Weintraub offers an appealing new way to look at a topic already covered in great historic detail. Recommended for most public libraries.Joel W. Tscherne, Cleveland P.L.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2006
By December 1944, Nazi Germany seemed on the brink of disintegration. The Russians were rapidly advancing in the east, while the Americans and British, after a brief pause, were primed to thrust into Germany from the west. So the German counterattack through the Ardennes was a complete surprise and, initially, a great success. Ultimately, however, the Germans failed to split the Allied armies and drive to the sea. Still, Weintraub has written a compact, fast-moving account of those critical days that largely glosses over the military technicalities to focus upon the individual experiences of ordinary soldiers. At the center of the narrative is George Patton, hardly an ordinary soldier. As one would expect, Weintraub shows Patton as brash, brilliant, and profane. Patton's part prayer, part challenge to God to provide clear weather for Allied air attacks is recounted memorably here. But Weintraub's use of the letters and diaries of "lesser" soldiers enlivens his account and makes this a particularly poignant saga of men in war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)