Bloody Aachen: The First German City Ever Besieged by the U.S. Army (Americans Fighting to Free Europe)
£0.90
This book would be perfect for readers of George Feifer, Stephen E. Ambrose, and James Holland.
Aachen saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War. Through the determined defense of their city the citizens of Aachen held off the oncoming American forces for six weeks, giving the Nazis time to mobilize their troops for what would become the Battle of the Bulge. Had it not been for dogged resistance of these men and women the last great German offensive in the West might have never occurred, potentially ending the war in Europe could have ended six months and saving the lives of thousands.
Yet, Charles Whiting’s remarkable book, Bloody Aachen, is more than an account of a military operation. Through interviews with German and Dutch participants in the battle he builds an in-depth picture of who the defenders of the city were, informing us that many in this Catholic city were opposed to the Hitler regime and remained behind — against orders and against odds — determined to defend their homes, unwittingly aiding their Nazi enemies as they did so.
‘Whiting writes clear, hard-driving prose’ Kirkus Reviews
This book should be essential reading for all interested in this monumental siege which truly encapsulates the complex motives of the men and women who fought through the course of the Second World War.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Sapere Books (7 Jan. 2024) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2199 KB |
| Simultaneous device usage | Unlimited |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 164 pages |
by gary porter
great insight to a bad time
by Hereward
“This is the story of a unique battle. For the first time, an American army was besieging a German city – and this was no ordinary city: Aachen was a potent symbol at the heart of the Nazi myth, an imperial city where German kings had been crowned for a thousand years…
Once begun, the battle was to last for six weeks: it cost the U.S. Army 8,000 men and became a strange three-sided fight, as many of the Catholic citizens of Aachen went underground to escape both the godless Nazis and the invading allies…”
A typical Whiting history book: brisk pace, a novelistic style and an eye for the interesting detail – but also a tendency to recycle anecdotes and a lack of academic depth. This is a very enjoyable read, valuable because of the rarity of books on this particular battle and the excellent first-hand accounts of the civilians, but fundamentally quite thin.
by Enquirer
I would be hard put to put any of Charles Whiting’s work below 3 stars. If they are read ‘stand alone’ some would seem like 4 star candidates. However, as I have mentioned in other reviews, he is very prone to re-telling old stories in several different books. This is particularly irritating here in the supposed 3rd volume in a 7 volume series. Doesn’t he know he has already used some of the same anecdotes twice so far? The third retelling of the first American patrol to see the Siegfried line is clearly one of Whting’s favourites -but uterrly irrelevant this third time to the Battle of Aachen.
The book seems to have been hastily written. (He is never lazy, but hasty, yes). It’s too short and gives little on the actual battle as a battle. It’s redeeming feature is the crop of personal reminiscences from locals, gleaned by an Aachen journalist in the seventies, and woven here into the story by permission. The other major positive is that it is a book about a long forgotten major battle, almost the only book as well.
(By the way the photos put in by Spellmount are poor.)