Buy new:
-33% $25.57
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$25.57 with 33 percent savings
List Price: $37.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 5 hrs 12 mins
In Stock
$$25.57 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$25.57
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$15.97
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 5 hrs 12 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$25.57 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$25.57
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Peter Caddick-Adams
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 First Edition

by Peter Caddick-Adams (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 835 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$25.57","priceAmount":25.57,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"25","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"57","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fIYoPh0xMIpGCVr1KnG4BgwtHdVrGnKv6yO6RFtQVKj0JboLqUI5jXI5QFWWJ17DKDQo3Mg7nUXNLjkm2jnYAWbUuj%2FzDXxZsgQToHak%2FbNO1euRHjoGO07YkViaGPMgXKdfiS41PqsrJxlZfbgEfA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.97","priceAmount":15.97,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"97","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fIYoPh0xMIpGCVr1KnG4BgwtHdVrGnKvlBnjFBk2DJnQgRhc%2FXZxpQ6Ct3egsDKD7aRDHHfYc04lOJ6N3TE7EObO0%2Bd7xQrMGayl8XWaiN2Qszc5wrzgX6Wi9GfXqkWY0DL9JH9KNQpGRDWyYgmPj7fD%2BsqBwqItVRdZDLCcQm3wmVXtg7Cxum%2FWgibhBKmL","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945, American forces found themselves entrenched in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg defending against an advancing German army amid freezing temperatures, deep snow, and dense fog. Operation Herbstnebel--Autumn Mist--was a massive German counter-offensive that stunned the Allies in its scope and intensity. In the end, the 40-day long Battle of the Bulge, as it has come to be called, was the bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and indeed the largest land battle in American history. Before effectively halting the German advance, some 89,000 of the 610,000 American servicemen committed to the campaign had become casualties, including 19,000 killed.

The engagement saw the taking of thousands of Americans as prisoners of war, some of whom were massacred by the SS--but it also witnessed the storied stand by U.S. forces at Bastogne as German forces besieged the region and culminated in a decisive if costly American victory. Ordered and directed by Hitler himself--against the advice of his generals--the Ardennes offensive was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment. Its last reserve squandered, these irreplaceable losses would hasten the end of the war.

In Snow and Steel, Peter Caddick-Adams draws on interviews with over 100 participants of the campaign, as well as archival material from both German and US sources, to offer an engagingly written and thorough reassessment of the historic battle. Exploring the failings of intelligence that were rife on both sides, the effects of weather, and the influence of terrain on the battle's outcome, Caddick-Adams deftly details the differences in weaponry and doctrine between the US and German forces, while offering new insights into the origins of the battle; the characters of those involved on both the American and German sides, from the general staff to the foot soldiers; the preparedness of troops; and the decisions and tactics that precipitated the German retreat and the American victory. Re-examining the SS and German infantry units in the Bulge, he shows that far from being deadly military units, they were nearly all under-strength, short on equipment, and poorly trained; kept in the dark about the attack until the last minute, they fought in total ignorance of their opponents or the terrain. Ultimately, Caddick-Adams concludes that the German assault was doomed to failure from the start.

Aided by an intimate knowledge of the battlefield itself and over twenty years of personal battlefield experience, Caddick-Adams has produced the most compelling and complete account of the Bulge yet written.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0199335141
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199335145
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 28, 2014
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.3 x 2.3 x 6.3 inches
  8. Print length
    928 pages
  9. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45
$25.57
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France
$27.27
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Fire and Steel: The End of World War Two in the West
$22.46
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Caddick-Adams knows more about the Bulge than any other historian I have read... I admire his originality... Snow and Steel offers an authoritative narrative of the drama." --Max Hastings, The Sunday Times (UK)

"[Peter Caddick-Adams] has woven the threads together skillfully and written a book which analysis and narrative combine to provide a brilliant anatomy of a modern battle. Above all, and this is what makes the book enjoyable for the general reader as well as the military buff, Caddick-Adams explains the context of the battle and examines the strengths or weaknesses of the antagonists, their leaders, equipment, ideologies, economic resources, and intelligence systems." --The Times (UK)

"The Battle of the Bulge was the last gasp of Hitler's armed forces before inevitable defeat and one of the few pitched battles fought in the West. Caddick-Adams has marshalled a wealth of fascinating detail to show that Hitler's last gamble was a military fantasy while Eisenhower emerges from this account as one of the great strategists of the war. This will surely become the standard history of this climactic confrontation in the West." --Richard Overy

"Peter Caddick-Adams is fast emerging as one of our most authoritative and exciting military historians... Combining deft analysis with anecdote, he never loses sight of the immense human drama, and his empathy for the many combatants and civilians caught up in this brutal battle is profoundly moving. This is a rich, thought-provoking and surely definitive account of one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War." --James Holland, author of The Battle of Britain and Dam Busters

"Peter Caddick-Adams's Snow and Steel offers readers, at long last, the entirety of the German Ardennes offensive of 1944-5, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge. Until now the story of the Bulge has been recounted unevenly, in bits and pieces and with emphasis upon pockets of heroism and horror. This book's singular achievement is to offer a balanced view of the strategy and tactics of both sides. Writing with authority yet wearing his scholarship lightly, Caddick-Adams offers an encyclopedic and immersive narrative of the battle that was, in Churchill's words, 'an ever-famous American victory.'" --Andrew Roberts, author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, and Napoleon: A Life

"Snow and Steel tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge from foxhole to the Fuhrer's Command Headquarters, leaving the reader with a new appreciation for the largest battle America fought in the Second World War. With a soldier's insight into the flow and fog of battle, Snow and Steel demonstrates why Peter Caddick-Adams rates highly among the new generation of battlefield historians. A must-have and must-read for students of the European War." --LTC (Ret) Roger Cirillo, Association of the US Army Institute of Land Warfare

"Caddick-Adams is probably the best military historian of his generation, and Snow and Steel is the definitive account of one of the key punctuation marks in history, when the western Allies thwarted Germany's last attempt to turn the tide of the Second World War." --Chris Bellamy, University of Greenwich

"Snow and Steel is a fresh re-telling of a widely known story. Throughout the narrative Peter Caddick-Adams transitions smoothly back and forth between the highest strategic and operational echelons, down to the level of the frontline GI and Landser. The result is a rich tapestry of the single largest battle in American history." --Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, U.S. Army (Ret'd)

"Like its predecessor (Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell), Snow and Steel brings a fresh and innovative approach to military history-so long restricted to the dry study of generals and operations. By exploring the cultures and motivations of the participant armies, as well as by excavating veterans' accounts of surviving the sharp end, Caddick-Adams suffuses life, spark, and dynamism into his new narrative of the incredible story of the Battle of the Bulge." --Alexander Rose, author of Washington's Spies (now an AMC series)

"A gripping account of one of the most important campaigns of the last year of World War Two, Snow and Steel deserves attention from anyone interested in the war." --Jeremy Black, author of War and Technology

"Caddick-Adams is a master at integrating narrative and analysis, and at balancing personal experiences with descriptions of operations. Broadly conceived, comprehensively researched, clearly written, Snow and Steel stands at the forefront among accounts of the Battle of the Bulge." --Dennis Showalter, Colorado College

"Snow and Steel highlights very effectively a chapter in American military history that has real resonance today. We all have something to learn from reflecting on it." --General Sir Nick Parker, former Commander, UK Land Forces

"Caddick-Adams knows the battlefield well and tells a gripping tale based on the first hand experiences of those who fought across its snowy landscape, pricking a few myths along the way and re-assessing the fighting reputation of some of the commanders involved." --Tim Newark, author of The Mafia at War

"Most military historians write about command and control, but very few have such powerful command and control themselves to drive such a comprehensive and excellent narrative. This is a complex tale, told in an utterly compelling fashion." --Paul Moorcraft, Director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, London

"Packed with fascinating first hand accounts, authoritative analysis and compelling personal vignettes, Snow and Steel is hard to put down. Peter Caddick-Adams, a leading Bulge scholar, has walked the battlefields of the Ardennes and studied the campaign for decades. Only an author of his vast experience could produce such a work of importance and excellence. Even if you have read many books on the Bulge, you will learn more from this one." --John C. McManus, author of Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible

"Superb: an impeccably researched, finely judged reappraisal of a pivotal World War Two battle that still resonates today." --Saul David, author of All the King's Men: The British Soldier from the Restoration to Waterloo

"Peter Caddick-Adam's depth and level of analysis of Adolf Hitler's last great offensive, in a desperate gamble to alter the course of World War II is impressive. Packed with fascinating detail, Snow and Steel captures the perspectives of both sides in the epic Battle of the Bulge in a manner that hooks the reader into the unfolding drama. A riveting account, his book spans the generalship of the opposing armies and their grand sweeps of strategy down to the experiences of the frontline soldier at the sharp end. The 1944 German Ardennes offensive has been covered many times before, but this is a classic and gripping examination that stands out." --Colonel Stuart Tootal

"Caddick-Adams casts a wide net, delving deep into the background, conduct, consequences and even historiography of this iconic battle, so even experienced military buffs will find plenty to ponder." --Kirkus Reviews

"The World War II battle pantheon mostly reads like the index to an atlas: Anzio, Iwo Jima, Stalingrad, Tobruk, etc. One exception in the name game traces to a flinty European forest, which we speak of today, thanks to an imaginative newshawk, by employing the subtitle to Peter Caddick-Adams's masterful new book. In this tank-size volume, the gifted Briton, a major in the British Territorial Army who lectures at the U.K. Defence Academy and who most recently wrote with élan of another conflict (Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell), illuminates the Battle of the Bulge until he has run out of facets. He layers context and connections with an inclusive style. Both the reader who knows nothing or little of this battle and the maven steeped in Bulgeiana will come away from Snow and Steel educated and sated…. Snow and Steel is a treasure." --Michael Dolan, Senior Editor, World War II Magazine

"Caddick-Adams leaves nothing out, and the details can be overwhelming. But the book's comprehensiveness and rigor will make it hard to supersede as the most authoritative history of the battle." --Foreign Affairs

Book Description

An encyclopedic and gripping new account of one of the most storied battles in American military history

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (November 28, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 928 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199335141
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199335145
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.3 x 2.3 x 6.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 835 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Peter Caddick-Adams

Peter Caddick-Adams

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Peter Caddick–Adams was born in London in 1960 and educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained First Class Honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. He worked in the House of Commons, then taught at Oxford and Birmingham Universities before being appointed Lecturer in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy in 1998, and Lecturer in Air Power Studies at RAF Halton since 2012. Concurrently, he pursued a second career in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, was commissioned in 1979 and joined the Reserves in 1985. He has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. During 1996–7 he was the official NATO Historian in Bosnia, based in Sarajevo, and was also the UK Historian during the Iraq War of 2003, based in Qatar and Iraq, and has written extensively on the campaigns he witnessed, including Afghanistan. The author of six books, his latest, a new history of D-Day 1944 - Sand and Steel (Preface and Oxford University Press) - will be released in May 2019, in time for the 75th anniversary. His three previous works, Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45 (Preface & Oxford University Press, 2014), Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell (Preface and Oxford University Press, 2012) & Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives (Preface, 2011) were best sellers and Monte Cassino is now the basis for a movie for which he is the historical consultant.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
835 global ratings
Great book, in great shape, but....
4 Stars
Great book, in great shape, but....
In great shape when I got it, but why was there no dust cover?
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Bufatutu
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read on The Battle of the Bulge
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024
Verified Purchase
After years of watching youtube videos about the Battle of the Bulge/Aredennes Campaign I still wanted to know more. I had been particularly impressed watching Peter Caddick-Adams on WWIITV. This is the thickest longest book of military history I've ever read. Fairly enjoyable from start to finish. Filled with information and insight. I couldn't put it down, as if it were a fine novel.
Helpful
 Report
Dave Schranck
5.0 out of 5 stars A well rounded, highly researched story that will be well received.
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
You can easily see the diligent research and years of hard work and study that has gone into this book. Congratulations to Mr Caddick-Adams for a book that will probably be discussed alongside books by MacDonald, Cole and Parker.

With over 900 pages the book is deliberate, never hurrying to move on to the next topic. (Readers should be prepared for this deliberateness.) To conceptualize, the book is broken down into four parts. The first part begins with prehistory which consumes 260 pages. It not only covers the war situation like Operation Market-Garden and the Hurtgen Forest of the prior few months before the offensive but also briefly mentions Normandy, North Africa and Italy in an ancillary way. The importance of secrecy for the Germans in their preparations, the dislike of the offensive by many German commanders, the lack of trained grenadiers, transport trucks and fuel are just a few examples explained in this introduction. On the American side the risk of manning a thin defense along the German border and the intelligence failure are just two examples. The problems that arose for the Allies by not understanding Hitler's psyche is also included. The importance of weather, terrain, logistics and the physical conditions of both sides are also included. This is just a capsule summary; expect much more to this first section. The second and third parts houses the actual battle events of the offensive as well as the profiles of key officers and men that are expanded from the introduction. This section has 400 pages. The battle coverage is driven from the American perspective though there is plenty of German material. Battle coverage is ample for most readers but its not exhaustive; there are several books on the market that have greater coverage but overall the combined coverage of the operational and ancillary details makes this book an awesome competitor. The fourth part entails the post campaign thoughts of the author and uses about 60 pages. The rest of the book includes the Notes Section, Bibliography, Index and Appendix. From my perspective I enjoyed the first and last parts of the book the best for it added dimension to the middle of the book. The Notes Section, Bibliography and Glossary are exemplary. The abbreviated Order of Battle is also helpful as is the Officer Rank table if needed. There are also a number of good large scale, gray maps and a worthy photo gallery to study.

Part 2 begins the initial German attack along the entire line. Coverage starts in the south in 4th ID sector, moves north to the 28th ID sector then further north to the 106th ID sector. The 99th ID defending Elsenborn and the twin villages are then covered. Returning to the southern sector, Patton and his two corps driving north and a well rounded Bastogne story is revealed. On the German side, there is more relative material covered for 7th Army and especially 5th PzA than 6th SS PzA. I felt General Dietrich's Army could have been more fully covered. The affairs concerning Peiper, Heydte, Skorzeny are also included. I could give a day by day summary but I'll stop here as the end of the week is reached. Suffice it to say, the battlefield coverage is very good though not exhaustive and includes many first hand and ancillary accounts.

I was impressed with this battle coverage; it was an overall excellent effort by Mr Caddick-Adams. The author has married operational, personal and ancillary material into an informed story that has both breadth and depth and will give the reader a good overall understanding of this pivotal battle. It is highly recommended.
85 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Louis S. Barnes II
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good book, although a bit odd
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a very good book, although a bit odd. I was charmed by Toland's "Battle" fifty years ago, and have read most books on the Bulge since. Snow & Steel is the only one I've found to rival MacDonald's "Trumpets." The center section of this one has the best discussion of the German order of battle that I've ever seen, including the splendid wonks at wargame manufacturers, in particular the weakness of recently re-assembled units. The author's account of the battle itself is brilliant, focusing on 5 Panzer Army and largely ignoring the bloody but pointless fighting to north and south. Caddick-Adams gets to the heart of the matter: the battle was never in doubt (in no small part because of Ike's speed of reaction), and although stripped of the phony close-run-thing in so many other volumes describes the extreme violence of the affair including mini-Malmedys on the Allied side.
All of that work is five-star. However, at the 100-page mark I nearly threw away the book: the preamble including late-Hitler politics is as awful as the meat is good. The Bulge was NOT the result of Hitler trying to maintain control of Germany. Skip the first one hundred pages without missing any useful insight. The same is true for the epilogue. I am interested to know of the post-war connection of Skorzeny to Arafat (I think), but the author's thoughts on the big sweep of history are better unswept. Last, the maps are terrible, better just left out. A good investment for any student of the Bulge: any one of several good games on the subject. The maps, orders of battle, and rules are instructive even if never played. Battles for the Ardennes, and very best, Wave of Terror.
45 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Claude Lacroix
5.0 out of 5 stars Tres bon auteurJe ne
Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
Une des meilleur description de la bataille des Aedennes que j`ai lu a date.
Report
Keith F. Massey
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the subject!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a very full and detailed account, not only of the “Battle of The Bulge”, but also associated matters which help to place the event in a wider context.

I found the book eminently readable and the author’s style professional, but engaging. There are numerous examples of the experiences of the combatants coupled with details of “the bigger picture”.

The post battle analysis was very interesting indeed.

Personally I think this is the best book that I have ever read on the subject and am certain that I shall be reading its second time.

Highly recommended both for the serious student of military history and those curious to know more about this famous event in the Second World War.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Polarlicht
5.0 out of 5 stars Snow & Steel: The battle of the bulge 1944 - 45 Liest sich sehr flüssig
Reviewed in Germany on December 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
Grandioses schriftstellerisches Diorama der Ardennen-Schlacht, sehr detailliert beschrieben,
mit Einschränkung nur für den Historisch-Interessierten wirklich eine Fundgrube: Von der Divisions- zur
Battallionsebene, vom General bis zum kleinen Landser beider Armeen, auch abwägend in den Nachbetrachtungen von militärischen Aktionen beider Seiten, Amerikanisch und Deutsch.
Auch die Schicksale von Zivilisten werden beleuchtet. Das Buch zeichnet sich aus in der atmosphärischen
Beschreibung von den Aktionen beider Armeen in der Endphase des 2ten Weltkrieges, wo sich die
Niederlage Deutschlands abzeichnete.
Aber nur für Leser geeignet, die gute Englisch-Kenntnisse haben.
Kaufempfehlung: 5 Sterne.
Report
GOPAL MEWARA
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in India on June 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
Excellent research and compiled every miner historical and war related data of the Battle of the Bulge and very precisely describe about the units (from Army group to battalion level) fought in the battle. In short cover the every major and minor details from both allied and German front.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Massimiliano Torniai
5.0 out of 5 stars Opera da avere !
Reviewed in Italy on December 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
Fosse in italiano si meriterebbe 10 stelle.
Comunque si legge bene, scorre e appassiona.
Analisi molto dettagliata della battaglia delle Ardenne.
2 people found this helpful
 Report