The Silent Battle: The British and the Ardennes Offensive,December 1944-January 1945

The Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944/45 has always been looked upon as an all-American victory over the Germans. In their last-ditch effort to drive the Allies back into the sea, the Germans caught the Americans napping and almost succeeded in turning the tide of the war. But thanks to the intervention of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and the British Army, the Americans were saved from humiliation at the hands of the Germans. But that’s not what the history books tell us. Why? The important contribution made by the British – and not least Monty – to the successful conclusion of the Battle of the Bulge over Christmas 1944 has largely been forgotten. Poorly covered by the Press at the time and expunged from history in the aftermath, the crucial role that British personalities and units played in the Ardennes (both in attack and defence) has been skimmed over in both the official histories and secondary literature. The ‘British’ story, however, is one that demands to be told. Drawing on the vast array of untapped primary sources that are now available, Lloyd Clark’s narrative casts new light on some of the war’s most famous personalities, Anglo-American relations and Allied strategy, providing fresh insights into a pivotal battle of the Second World War.