Wacht Am Rhein: The Planning and Preparation for Operation Christrose Paperback – September 17, 2008

I was a little disappointed in this book. Thompson did not provide a great deal of new information for anyone with a lot of background in this campaign. About the only detail that I found useful was the rebuilding of the German forces to be involved. Otherwise..eh.I found some of his facts a little off, for example his details on the M4 Sherman were off and incomplete. He states that 104,000 were produced to include a 90mm version. First, there were only around 52,000 M4 based systems produced. These included all the various models of the Sherman Tank itself. These mounted either a 75mm or a 76mm gun. The 90mm he mentions was actually the M36 Tank Destroyer, which was on the M4 chassis. Also produced were a number Field Artillery guns mounted on the M4 chassis, the M7 Priest (105mm) as well as 155mm howitzers, 155mm guns, tank recovery vehicles and etc. For the German's he seems to have included all modes of vehicle transport when he provides numbers of "armored vehicles" in the Panzer and SS Panzer divisions. I am sure the Germans would have liked to have 2000 "armored vehicles" in their Panzer Divisions. Granted this can be labeled as nit picking, but if this book is to be a detailed account of the event I would hope he would have presented this better. Which brings me to my final disappointment. For someone who claims to have a Master's Degree in history I found some of his writing to be in line with a freshman effort.

Wacht Am Rhein, by Timothy J. Thompson, is a very informative military history book about the prelude to the infamous Battle of the Bulge. I have read a great deal on the Battle of the Bulge. World War Two is one of my favorite subjects to read about, and this great shoot out was and still is the largest and costliest military campaign in the history of the U.S. Army; and that makes it all the more intriguing to me. What separates Mr. Thompson's book from all the rest is the fact that he details the crucial months leading up to the ferocious German attack; something that is either ignored in most other books on the subject, or at best, simply glossed over.Wacht Am Rhein covers every single major event leading up to December 16 1944, placing special emphasis upon the deception that cloaked the German buildup in the Eifel, as well as the monumental blunders the Allies' made in constantly misinterpreting and even outright ignoring obvious tell-tale signs of a major counter offensive.What also makes this book great, is the fact that many American and German weapons are discussed and analyzed in depth, allowing the reader a much greater understanding of the pros and cons of the fighting tools utilized by both sides during this dramatic conflict. I also enjoyed the dozens of photos the author included of men, guns, and tanks that would take part in the battle.In conclusion, Wacht Am Rhein is an outstanding work on the buildup to one of the most brutal battles of WW2. It is very well organized and dynamically written. It would make a great addition to any WW2 buffs ever expanding library. I enthusiastically give the book five stars

The Wehrmacht was 'on it's last legs' by December of 1944. Albert Speer,miraculously had actually raised production,so although the invasion force was fairly well equipped ,regarding tanks and other equipment;THIS German army was no where near the army that invaded Russia in 6/1941.Joachim Peiper was not a fanatical german soldier who held no regard for the enemy or the civilians not involved with either army. Also the Hitlerjugend was supposed to, north of the 1st panzer ss army 'clear',essentially widen the area north of Peiper's starting/staging area, The Hitlerjugend and the Fallschirmjager failed miserably in their tasks,making Peiper's entry into Belgium farther south than was intended. IF the Leibstandarte had begun where they were intended to start;there is a very good chance they would have reached the Meuse river. The Hitlerjugend was comprised of soldiers between 17-20,inexperienced, and their officers lacked experience too!The Allied army was NOT comprised of seasoned troops,by any means BUT they were still the overwhemingly better equipped army and the soldiers ,although certainly taken by surprise,at least in the Peiper/LAH sector of this battle,were much better prepared in other areas of the front.The Malmedy massacre was clearly a confusing siuation and no one would condone what happened. The most accurate and fair analysis was that the American troops,at least some of them,attempted to escape,which clearly gave the german's legal reasons for using their arms. Unfortunately,in these situations,no one understands what really happened because in these types of situation's,especially after the German soldiers were incarcerated in Landsberg;there were forced to give illegally,coerced confessions. The german soldiers were allegedly beaten up also. The allied behavior 1 year later made it impossible to kill any of these prisoners.The 45th division,at Dachau,when they liberated the camp in 1945,decided to murder over 125 waffen ss soldiers,who were housed next to the camp. They had nothing to do with the camp work.War is war,and the enemy,the german army the allies faced in The Battle of the Bulge,was a hollow shell,of the Wehrmacht at it's peak. The allies were fortunate that they faced the german's at their worst. Armor they had,soldiers with experience,they were short of. Joachim Peiper spent over 10 years in prison at Landsberg,five of those years on death row. He was an outstanding soldier,and a better man after the war. He deserved a far better fate than that which awaited him in 7/76....allegedly the work of French communists. The Wehrmacht wanted to join forces with the Allies and finish off Russia.................if FDR was able to think clearly and Churchill could have realised that Hitler could have wiped out Britain at any time from 1940-1943,'we' might have avoided the unhappy world we inhabited from 5/45 to 1/90.