Tour of the Bulge Battlefield

In 1985, I journeyed from Aachen to Namur, Liege, Dinant, and Libramont on the way to Bastogne. I made the journey without a guide book and so spent considerable time just wandering around Bastogne and sort of stumbling upon things in that area. What a boon it would have been to have had Cavanagh's outstanding book for reference. This little gem is full of outstanding text and some really great photographs not found in other books on the subject. This book deftly combines period photos with contemporary ones to bring the reader in. Appropriate and detailed unit maps accompany the text and make this book a bit more than just a tour book. In fact, this book is really one of the better overall texts on the Battle of the Bulge. It is truly one of those books that you enjoy poring over again and again, as you learn something new each time. Really, can't sing it's praises enough. Sure wish I had had it back in '85.

I recently followed the trail of the well-known 'Kampfgruppe Peiper', with the help of this amply illustrated guide, from the then frontline in December 1944 at the German border to La Gleize/Stoumont in the Belgian Ardennes, about 60 kilometers from its point of departure. With the help of this guide it turned out to be a fascinating experience. The reader gets a very good picture, by surveying the terrain and reading this text, of the heavy fighting which took place in this area in this fateful period that took its toll on civilians and military alike. This guide provides not only an excellent description of the route Peiper and his men took but also contains much interesting background information. It also provides descriptions of the routes taken by the main German formations in other sectors of the front during their failed push to the west. A plus of the book is definitely that it pays lots of attention to the German perspective on what happened. This aspect is often neglected in other English language literature on the subject, e.g. in the Toland volume on the Battle of the Bulge. A minor point of criticism on this book in my view concerns the maps. The book contains maps, but as the author himself says in the introduction, the reader needs the relevant Michelin maps of the area as well to complete this otherwise very useful battlefield guide.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the Battle of The Bulge. Will Cavanagh's latest book is a fascinating account of the battle. Take a ride in the Tiger Tanks of Kampfgruppe Pieper, feel the enthusiasm as they go on the counter offensive. Stand with the exhausted Americans, feel their terror and dread as they defend against the onslaught. All this is accomplished through numerous first hand accounts, told by the participants. The book is complete with many maps and numerous photographs of the participants. Most of the photos are from the authors personal collection.I have traveled with Will Cavanagh and listened to his lectures. No one knows this history better.

In August 2001, I spent two weeks scouting the Ardennes area by car using the older Charles Whiting guidebook and "Time for Trumpets" by Charles MacDonald as my guides. I had a fascinating vacation, but spent too much time trying to figure out where the actual battle positions were located. For example, it took me several tries to discover the real Peiper Kampfgruppe attack route (I think). I only discovered the remaining WWII foxholes on the Prumerburg near St. Vith by accident. I never did find the dragon's teeth at Losheim, despite lots of looking.Happily, this type of problem is now solved by the Cavanagh book (which was not available to me last year}. He shows you where to find the interesting routes and places mentioned in "Company Commander" and several other books, plus there are lots of interesting historical bits of information that were new to me, even though I have read most of the well known books on the Battle of the Bulge (including Danny Parker's book, "Battle of the Bulge", another must-buy for any newcomer trying to understand what happened). Cavanagh throws in extras too, such as the Medal of Honor action descriptions for each of the soldiers who won it during the Battle of the Bulge.I actually followed all the tour routes in the Cavanagh book during my second two week Ardennes vacation in August 2002. The directions were mostly easy to follow, and I really enjoyed reading the guide's historical information as I went along. This guidebook uses the popular "then and now" approach to provide a captivating sense that you can find history where it was made, even with all the changes to the landscape in 60 years. You won't regret buying this book. It's a winner in all respects, and inexpensive too.

If you are considering a self-guided tour of the area in Belgium and Luxembourg where the Battle of the Bulge was fought, look no further than this book. Will Cavanagh knows the area over which the battle was fought like no one else. The only thing better is to look the author up and arrange a tour! Either way, this book is invaluable.