Voices of the Bulge: Untold Stories from Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge

by Michael Collins, Martin King

The powerful German counteroffensive operation code-named “Wacht am Rhein” (Watch on the Rhine) launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944, would result in the greatest single extended land battle of World War II. To most Americans, the fierce series of battles fought from December 1944 through January 1945 is better known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting. Different from other histories of the Bulge, this book tells the story of this crucial campaign with first-person stories taken from the authors’ interviews of the American soldiers, both officers and enlisted personnel, who faced the massive German onslaught that threatened to turn the tide of battle in Western Europe and successfully repelled the attack with their courage and blood. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, War, Historical, Military Fiction, American History

314 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(9)Histories, Biographies & Memoirs

Michael Collins has been a historical interpreter and museum staffer for the New England Air Museum, the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, the Irish American Heritage Museum, and the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. He lives in Hartford, Connecticut. Voices of the Bulge is Collins' first book.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an amazingly readable account of the Battle of the Bulge. I'll admit to not knowing much about the history of this event but this book was easy to understand for a novice like me, yet fascinating and full of enough new material to keep my father, a history junkie, entertained.
I enjoyed hearing the veteran's stories and was reminded of listening to my grandfather, a WWII vet, tell his stories about the European theatre.
The DVD complements the book perfectly adding another dimension to this historical work.

[Cheryl Gatling]

When I was in high school, I was an exchange student in Belgium. Most of being an exchange student is just going about the business of daily life, but I remember one day the mother of the family sat me down, and was telling me stories about what her family had gone through during the war. I admit that my French language skills weren't good enough to get more than the gist of those stories, and, as a teenager, I was too young to care that much, so I mostly tried to pay attention, and nodded. After reading this book, I wished I could go back and say, "Wait. Tell me again. Tell me more slowly," and had written those stories down.

The same impulse caused Collins and Martin to write this book. They wanted to preserve the stories of people who had been there, quick while there was still time. They have interviewed veterans, and also some civilians, and even some German soldiers. Some of the stories are indeed riveting. Others are less so, but all add up to a picture of what it was like to live through the Battle of the Bulge. There is just enough narration to tie the personal memories together.

What it was like to live through the Battle of the Bulge is that the soldiers were at first confused. They were told to move, but didn't know where or why. When the Germans started to push through the line into Belgium, the Americans were unprepared. Their numbers were stretched thin. Many of them were either green, young troops, or battle-weary and in need of rest. Many of them were short of ammunition, food, and winter clothing. Fog, rain, and snow prevented the Allies from using their superior air power. The Germans began the battle with the advantage. The tide turned against them, but the fight was very hard.

What it was like to live through the Battle of the Bulge is that the soldiers were bitterly cold, sleeping in snowbanks for the insulation, in some cases losing as many men to frostbite as to enemy fire. Morale was depressed by the news that one of the German commanders, Joachim Peiper, was murdering civilians and surrendered American soldiers. Anxiety was increased by the fear (sometimes true) that Germans were roaming around behind American lines, wearing American uniforms, and driving American jeeps. Morale was lifted when General MacAuliffe replied to a German request for surrender with the single word, "Nuts!" a story that was passed among the troops with relish, and speculation as to what word he actually said. Morale lifted further when Patton turned his whole army around and brought them to the battle, and when the skies cleared so American planes could fly. In the end, Germany was defeated, but the cost was high.

The personal stories are the meat of this book, but the photographs are also incredible, vividly depicting the hardships of winter fighting. The cover shows men marching with bedsheets draped over their uniforms. That is their snow camouflage. There is also an accompanying DVD.

I got this through the Goodreads First reads program.

[Jimmie Kepler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oral histories are fashionable these days. When the oral history is tied to a battle or events that have been reported on repeatedly it is a challenge. "Voices of the Bulge: Untold Stories from Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge" by Michael Collins and Martin King is a book where the writers have used a dozen years’ worth of research and interviews with veterans along with historical accounts of the battle to tell the story through the eyes of the participants.

The book is a clear and direct account of the Battle of the Bulge. The authors give good coverage to the first ten days. As I read the book, I was at first taken aback by the redundancy of many of the soldier’s accounts. Their interpretations of the events were focused on the weather and retreating or being away from the front lines, either for rest and recuperation or on leave and then riding or marching to the recuse of their fellow Americans. So many of the G.I.’s included a mention of Bastogne that I wondered if this was coverage of the Battle of Bastogne. The personal recollections included are general experiences of the common G.I. There is token coverage at best of the German side of the story. If that’s what you want, it isn’t here.

The book has a number of issues I won’t address in detail. One I will mention is when a veteran’s memory of events don’t match what actually happened (e.g. saying soldiers of the 3rd Parachute Division were dropped well behind US lines and then telling apocryphal tales) they needed to have a note saying the events recalled were incorrect and then tell what actually happened. There are a few sidebars included in the book. Unfortunately, they are somewhat redundant.

The book needs a bibliography. It needs a listing of secondary sources. It would be helpful to have both a listing of the interviews with the units of service for the individuals. Did they verify the individuals were actually in the unit at the time of the Battle of the Bulge?

The inclusion of the DVD is nice. I was disappointed at the brevity of the DVD. I was expecting more. Yes, Oral histories are fashionable these days. All in all, it could have been better.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of Voices of the Bulge thanks to goodreads' first reads. As the grandchild of a WWII vet, and an army brat, I grew up listening to history stories about WWII, and the Battle of the Bulge was a frequent topic. What really intrigued me about this book, is the fact that it isn't presented as a story per se. Instead, it is more of an edited transcript of interviews with the soliders who were there. As such, it was somewhat heavy on military jargon, a lot of which was not readily explained. There was also not a lot of background details on the battle, or big picture discussions. Instead you got snippets from the soldiers.

While the vast majority of interviews are with American soldiers, a few German soldiers are interviewed as well. I found this book incredibly interesting to read, but I think it is best suited to those who are already somewhat knowledgable about the events of the Bulge. But for anybody with a military background, or any fascination with the Battle of the Bulge, this book is a great addition.

[James R.willerby · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. This book tells one everyone you need to know about the biggest battle in American military history. Really enjoyed the DVD too it's tremendous.

[ARMY]

Kingseed

[Gregory Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

what I enjoyed most was reading the words of the soldiers that were in the battle at that time. The conditions were horrendous and their performance was exceptional.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard for books that fully rely on the first person perspective to carry the weight. I would have like to have seen a bit more historical and military strategy context included because frankly reading 2 paragraphs accounts of the participants that focused on guard detail at an intersection is pretty needless fluff when it is compared to those accounts that place you into the heat of a hectic and dangerous altercation therefore causing the reader to question who much of this book was really necessary. The concept is good but frankly waiting until the early 2000's to record first hand accounts is a bit late when this brave generation has for the most part past on or are frankly far too old to fully recount in detail their experiences. I am grateful for all thats included but I do criticize the authors a bit for not adding more meat to the stew.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the narratives from the soldiers but that was about it. The authors didn't do the best job pulling all the information together.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal accounts add a different flavor to the understanding of the events.