Alamo in the Ardenne

Alamo in the Ardenne: the Untold Story of the American Soldiers who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible by John C. McManus  296 pp,

Dr. McManus, an expert on World War II battles chronicles the events in the Ardenne Forest in Luxembourg when vastly outnumbered and underarmed American troops held off the Germans during what was to be called the Battle of the Bulge. Events in this book are based on first person accounts and military records. The comparison to the Alamo is apt because in too many instances the Americans fought to almost the last man during these battles. And yet they managed to keep the key city of Bastogne out of German hands. The number of dead and maimed from these battles alone are horrifying and heartbreaking. I fully understand the circumstances that caused my uncle to suffer from "shell shock" (PTSD) after serving in a division that was nearly wiped out in the Ardenne. John C. McManus is a professor of history at Missouri S&T and author of a number of books about World War II.