11 Days in December

The Battle of the Bulge is considered by many historians as one of the biggest battles of Europe during World War II. Hitler had hoped that it would be the turning point of the war after months of being driven back across France following the D-Day invasion. The battle raged for nearly two weeks during Christmas 1944.

11 Days in December, Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 is a collection of stories about different units and how they spent Christmas, from fighting in the trenches, to hiding in farm houses, to being behind enemy lines and under heavy fire. I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble in the discounted books section. I think it was only $5.00.

The battles main characters are Generals Patton, Eisenhower, and Bradley from the American side, and the bitter and uncooperative General Montgomery from British front. Montgomery was displeased that he was pushed aside as commander of Allied forces in favor of Eisenhower and made it a point to prove that he was right. Unfortunately for him and his own history, Eisenhower was celebrated as the brilliant general who guided the Allies in Europe to victory.

The stories in this book are mostly unconnected though interesting. It is certainly a different perspective of the war than most history readers are used to reading. The book was short, only 224 pages. Perhaps if I had a greater knowledge of the Battle of the Bulge I could have had a greater appreciation for this book. Instead, I often felt disconnected and eager to get to the end of the book and onto my next book.

If you are looking for something that is not tried and true, you may find this book interesting. If you're looking for deeper stories about World War II that are non-traditional in nature, then this book may be for you.