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Title: A Tour of the Bulge Battlefield
ISBN: 0850528348
Author:
William Cavanagh
Publicate Date: 2001-11
Publish: 2001-11
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $15.55
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $9.98
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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| Customer Review: |
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1: If you can't take Cavanagh, take his book
My Father (a WWII veteran) and I made an extraordinary trip with Cavanagh through the Ardennes in 2005 and we both have re-lived our trip with the aid of this book many times since then.
No one knows the Ardennes battlefields like Will Cavanagh ... No one. "A Tour of the Bulge Battlefield" makes that very evident.
If you have any interest at all in the Battle of the Bulge, I would highly recommend allowing Will Cavanagh to guide you, either in person or by way of this book.
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2: One Excellent Guide Book
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.
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3: Take this book with you when you go
I was a battlefield tour guide in Europe for over three years. One of our most popular tours was the Ardennes Offensive aka "The Battle of the Bulge". Since we only had a day, we would drive up from Luxembourg City, paralleling the 3rd Army's relief route, and tour the Bastogne perimeter. If I had this book, I would've recommended this to my customers who wished to visit other sites of the battle. "A Tour of the Bulge Battlefield" is designed for the tourist who wishes to tour the battlefield(s) for himself/herself. Well researched and written, one could almost use this book as a secondary source in itself. The six chapters cover the entire battle, from the north around Stavelot, to the south in the Ettlebruch/Diekirch area. Each chapter is in itself an excellent capsulation of the battle and movements, both German and American. However, this is not a guidebook in the traditional sense, there is nothing about lodging, and very little regarding food, and other questions most tourists have. Also, what few maps there are inadequate, surprising considering this book is designed for auto-touring.
If you get several maps, the excellent Michelin series comes to mind, plus a traditional guidebook, and some `net research regarding transport, renting a car in Belgium/Luxembourg/Germany, this book would make for an outstanding historical vacation.
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4: Excellent guide
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.
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5: A TOUR OF THE BULGE BATTLEFIELD
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.
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