ePub 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge; 1944 by Stanley Weintraub in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Cold December daysBy Leonard R. BlackGreat book very interesting; was a great story of how the troops both German and allied troops spent a cold and snowy december in one of the most servere fighing and the extreme cold of the winter; some of the wounded if not taken to aid station on time would either freeze to death or end up with frost bite on one part or another and then some would be so bad that there foot; leg;hand or arm would have to be amputated and a lot of them died within a few days after amputation because they could not be evacuated to a regular hospital. This happened to both the allies and the german troops. neither troops were allowed to collect their wounded or their dead; They woulded would die of exposure if not from more gun shot wounds. Would recommend this book very highly. I like this book because it was written in a way that put you there in the cold snow in december in hell in the battle of the bulge2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Disappointing StoryBy Gary M. OlsonI was extremely interested in this topic; since I was born on Christmas Eve in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge; and I had an uncle in the 101st Airborne who fought in that battle (and survived). However; I found Weintraub's book to be very disappointing. It lacks the drama of a decisive battle; and it is hard to follow the timeline. It has interesting personal anecdotes about individual participants; but even these do not add up to a clear picture of what it was like to participate in this struggle. I am always frustrated by history books whose maps do not show the places mentioned in the text; and this one is such an instance.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Human view; nothing much new historicallyBy Mannie LiscumIf you pick up Stanley Weintraub's "11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge; 1944" expecting a book less on the combat history of the Ardennes Counteroffensive (Battle of the Bulge) you will surely be disappointed. However; if you want a well-told tale of the humanity of this particular period of the Second World War your expectations will be thoroughly met. Weintraub himself states in his preface that this book is not an authoritative history of event; but rather a reflection of the human reactions and feelings associated with the holiday season in the Ardennes 1944. Now; don't read into this review that Weintraub has failed historically; he has not. His story is well told from a historical standpoint just not new in that regard. Instead Weintraub has added to the human factor of this greatest of all American battles. This is Weintraub's gift as a historical writer; to capture the human side of conflict; especially as related to places and dates around them (e.g.; Christmas; the central temporal theme of at least three of his books). Whereas Alex Kershaw's "The Longest Winter" (another book covering elements of the Battle of the Bulge) uses liberal doses of celebrity reference without adding to the story (in fact in many ways hurting the central theme); Weintraub peppers his book with allusions to several famed writers and personalities (who weren't carry arms) with the intended effect - namely to put a human and oft more recognizable; face on these events. Goes to show those aspiring writers that such ploys will work or not depending upon context and intended effect!"11 Days in December" is 189 pp. of fun; easy to read; and while not impossible to put down; hard not to pick back up again. 3 out of 5 stars for pure history; 4.5 for historically-centered humanity!