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This review is dedicated to my grandfather, Albert C. Elfman, one of the guys who made that trip up the road to relieve Bastogne. And contrary to what a certain TV series asserted, they needed to be relieved.
By Leo Barron
New American Library (Division of Penguin Group), 2014
422 pages
5 stars out of 5
The Book
We’ve all seen “that scene” from the movie Patton. You know the one. The Germans have crashed through the Ardennes and they’re driving for the Meuse with seemingly little to stop them. There’s a briefing at SHAEF, and the long faces are all around…except for Patton’s. He smiles that knowing smile, calmly tells Ike, Bradley, and the representative from Montgomery’s headquarters he’s ready to swing north to relieve Bastogne and the 101st Airborne with three divisions on the 21st. George C. Scott delivered that line sublimely, and the exchange between him and the British Liaison officer was classic Patton (though knowing Hollywood, I doubt the exchange happened). We’ve also seen the story of the 101st from the view of the excellent series “Band of Brothers.”
But what of the guys relieving them? Well, considering my own grandfather was one of those guys? It’s a fine time for their story to be told. And I will say, Leo Barron has told it excellently. In 422 pages, with a solid and conversational writing style that belies his own experience as an Army Military Intelligence officer with the 101st Airborne (hence this is the second book he has written about Bastogne). Mr. Barron writes with a solid and conversational grasp of the subject matter and can explain operational art to any reader in a way that makes me as a semi-professional military historian jealous.
Mr. Barron does well to describe what the Army describes as METT (Mission, Enemy, Terrain, and Troops) and how it factors into the campaign to relieve Bastogne. He describes the personalities of the 4th Armored Division, the division that was the spearhead to relieve Bastogne (DISCLAIMER: I heard about many of these guys from my grandfather, so it was refreshing to read about them). Names such as Creighton Abrams, whose namesake serves today, or Harold Cohen, the Jewish kid from South Carolina who, at 29, was a battalion commander after two years in the Army. The 4th Armored was filled with a mix of regulars and citizen-soldiers that became something that Patton seemingly conjured magic with, time and again.
Creighton Abrams and Harold Cohen, 1944 | jimsudmeier.com
But he doesn’t stop there. He also talks about the Germans trying to stop them. I never knew who my Grandfather faced that cold winter in 1944. It turns out it was the 5thFallshirmjager (Paratroop) Division. They weren’t quite the elite troops they used to be, but they were imbued with what the Germans called the “Fallschirmjager spirit,” and they gave the 4th Armored quite the fight to get to Bastogne in the midst of one of the worst European winter in 80 years. To add to that, the 4th Armored was tired, the division was understrength, many of the men needed rest, and their vehicles needed maintenance. Yet, in six days, without relief or stopping, they broke through to Bastogne. It seems impossible, but as George C. Scott put it in the movie. “Of course, he [Montgomery] would. Because he’s never realized that’s what we’re in business for.”
Cobra King, First Tank into Bastogne, now on permanent display in the Museum of the United States Army | Army.mil
The author also has excellent descriptions of the battles themselves, good maps, and a good way of describing the why behind the decisions made at all levels. I also liked that he interviewed James Hendrix, one of three Medal of Honor awardees from the 4th Armored, who earned his award during the march to Bastogne.
The research in this book is excellent, a great use of primary sources, interviews, and secondary works that have been used masterfully.
Simply put, if you want the whole story about the relief of Bastogne from an author who knows how to tell a story, then buy this book. It’s a great look at the relief and how the 4th Armored achieved something that is unparalleled in American military history. But sadly, outside of the Army, not many Americans have learned about the “other Battle for Bastogne,” and that’s a shame.
Do yourself a favor. If you’re interested in the Battle of the Bulge, buy this book. The stories in this book deserve to be told. My only complaint? The title’s a bit off. The book should be called “The 4th Armored at the Battle of the Bulge.” It may have been Patton’s plan, but it’s their story.
Map of the Southern Shoulder of the Bulge, 22-26 December 1944 | US Army Armor School Facebook Page
How Is This Book Useful to a Wargamer?
How isn’t it. To me, this is one of the best single volume books about the relief of Bastogne out there in a very readable format. Before this, and Mr. Don Fox’s two volume larger work on the 4th Armored, there was little about the relief of Bastogne other than the excellent “Army Green Book” histories.
Most wargames on Bastogne I ran into were about the siege, including GDW’s excellent scenario book for Command Decision written in the 1990s. Most wargames involving the 4th Armored were set during the Lorraine campaign (an equally impressive performance by the 4th Armored). But this book and Mr. Fox’s works have an excellent potential to change all that. I hope someone takes advantage of all the fertile ground in this book. I am happy to report there has been some change in that direction, especially with the MMP game Bastogne, from 2009.
The maps and order of battle descriptions in the book for each of the major engagements in the book, as well as the in-depth talks about 4th Armored and 5thFallshcirmjager are excellent, and frankly, if you can’t use this as a basis to write a wargame or a scenario book, you just aren’t trying. I am using it myself to slowly put together notes for a “relief of Bastogne campaign” for my own efforts in Battlegroup – World War II.
My Grandfather, Albert C. Elfman (Center), F Company, 25th Mechanized Cavalry, 4th Armored Division.
The book is available from Amazon in hardback, softcover, and Kindle.
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At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)