To Save Bastogne

by Robert F. Phillips

Book by Phillips, Robert F

Genres: History, World War II, Military History, Belgium, Military Fiction, American History

283 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1983

Reviews

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rounding this one up to four stars. A solid history of the 28th Infantry Division's desperate stand to delay the initial German surge westward during the Battle of the Bulge. In the notes, the author (who participated in this part of the Battle of the Bulge) said his source was mostly the official history, with interviews of participants used to help breathe life into the account. I'd still describe this account as mostly "this unit did this, that unit did that." I found Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible a more readable account, but I have a reading preference for narrative history. Both books have merit, and John C. McManus (author of Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible) credits Phillips, author of this book, as being one of his better sources. Both books do a good job showing the courage and sacrifice of the surprised, outnumbered troops in the areas in front of Bastogne.

[George Siehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fighting at Bastogne, Belgium is thought by some to be the "Battle of the Bulge." While it was key to stopping the German advance westward by controlling crucial road junctions, it was not all of the larger battle. Author Robert Phillips fought in the initial stages of the battle as an infantryman with the 110th Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. The thinly stretched 28th formed part of the line first struck by the Germans on December 16th, 1944. The defense provided by the front line American units disrupted the German timetable and allowed critical days for American reinforcements to gather at Bastogne. Phillips gives a detailed, day-by-day, village-by-village account of the delaying actions of the 110th Regiment. The book, he writes, "...primarily concerns a series of those unsung actions over a five day period." Arguably, without those actions, the Germans might have been through Bastogne and further toward their goal of splitting the allied lines and the allied unity. Although it is unlikely that Hitler's ultimate plan would have succeeded, a deeper German penetration would have been damaging and could have extended the duration of the war.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

As planned, late December was a perfect time of year to read this book on the Battle of the Bulge. As a prior member of the 101st Airborne, I’m very aware of their defense of Bastogne during this action, but I was absolutely unaware of the actions taken to the east by the 28th Infantry Division (and specifically the 110th Infantry) in slowing down the German assault. Was very surprised of the number of engineer unit references in this book; clearly those units had a tremendous impact on the battle. While the book started with a great overview of the overall military situation in late 1944, it quickly went into an almost move by move account of the units being employed by both sides – this became a little boring at times. With this level of detail, it would be a great book to read with a giant map and all those units on the board to move as the narrative progressed. One interesting line is below.

- Two other factors which particularly thwarted the planning for the first day of the attack were the delay in the construction of the Our bridge near Gemund and the obstructions on the road leading from Gemund to Hosingen. p72.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid read that covers a phase of the Battle of the Bulge that has often been overlooked. It shines when focused on anecdotes and experiences of the men involved.

That said it is awkwardly written and "overuses" names. Every single soldier is introduced with their rank, first name, middle initial and last name. Town names are fired off left and right, sometimes half a dozen times on the same page. Most of these towns can't be found on any of the maps in the book. It goes without saying that this clutters the narrative and does nothing to help readers keep a clear picture of the chaotic events of the time.

Finally, although I can't point to specific alternatives, I believe that while Phillips' book was revolutionary for covering the 110th at the time it was released, there are now other books that cover the chaos of the early days of the battle with better prose and clarity.