David Lucero’s Reviews > Ardennes:secret War > Status Update

As Skorzeny’s Trojan Horse Operation comes to a close, German prisoners are sentenced for having fought wearing American uniforms. It’s a difficult decision for the US general, but unavoidable.

Germans in American uniforms are creating fear all over Europe, but none worse than in Malmedy where the brunt of Skorzeny’s Trojan Horse is about to attack.

“It’s surprising how close Germany came to winning this battle.”

Baron Von der Heydte parachutes into the Ardennes with 1,200 'green' German paratroopers. Their mission: Capture key bridges & roads from the Americans and hold them 2 days for the panzers to reach them. But the pilots are green too, and scatter the paratroopers miles from their DZ. Freezing, suffering a broken arm, von der Heydte has 2 choices: surrender or die in the snow.

Proper commands the SS division spearhead and is plagued with traffic jams. Impatient and angry, he orders a half-track to find a new route for his panzers. The half-track suddenly lifts 6’ off the ground from a land-mine!

Skorzeny’s men don’t realize the German High Command has written them off. Wearing American uniforms behind enemy lines is a death sentence.... They don them anyway.

Chapter 3-

The Allies no longer rely on the Enigma coding machine for information and the German Army awaits orders to strike in the Ardennes Forest.

The largest attack has begun, and German soldiers disguised as American MPs are striking fear and confusion in the heart of American troops.

Read this book when it first came out in the mid-80's and loved it.

On December 16, 1944 Germany launched a last-ditch effort to win the wars. By launching 3 panzer armies in the Ardennes forest they caught the Americans completely by surprise, and nearly forced an early end to the war. The battle was the largest in Western Europe and cost 80,000 American casualties. This is the story from the German side.

On December 16, 1944 Hitler launched a surprise attack in the Ardennes forest. 3 panzer armies nearly broke the Americans & British armies’ morale and could have forced the war to end on Germany’s terms. This is the story from the German side.

“A harrowing story of men at war.”