Summary of John Toland's Battle

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The American front was held by six American divisions. The 3,300 citizens of Echternach, a medieval town in Luxembourg, were evacuated behind the hills to the west. The town was being held by a single company of riflemen. At 10:30 p. m. , all but a few of them were asleep.

#2 The front crossed the Our River at 11 p. m. on December 19, and the Golden Lions took over from the 2nd Division. They were the newest American division on any front, and they were excited about their safe deployment.

#3 The three generals were worried that the finger sticking into the Siegfried Line would be a valuable bridgehead when Germany was invaded. They insisted that it could be bitten off, but Jones was also worried about the Losheim Gap, a seven-mile-wide corridor that led from Germany to Belgium.

#4 The 2nd Division, just moved up from the Schnee Eifel salient, was attacking through the 99th Division lines in a narrow two-mile corridor. They were trying to break through and knife north to the Roer Dams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822504646

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on John Toland's Battle

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The American front was held by six American divisions. The 3,300 citizens of Echternach, a medieval town in Luxembourg, were evacuated behind the hills to the west. The town was being held by a single company of riflemen. At 10:30 p. m. , all but a few of them were asleep.

#2

The front crossed the Our River at 11 p. m. on December 19, and the Golden Lions took over from the 2nd Division. They were the newest American division on any front, and they were excited about their safe deployment.

#3

The three generals were worried that the finger sticking into the Siegfried Line would be a valuable bridgehead when Germany was invaded. They insisted that it could be bitten off, but Jones was also worried about the Losheim Gap, a seven-mile-wide corridor that led from Germany to Belgium.

#4

The 2nd Division, just moved up from the Schnee Eifel salient, was attacking through the 99th Division lines in a narrow two-mile corridor. They were trying to break through and knife north to the Roer Dams.

#5

The front was much like a state-side garrison behind the Losheim Gap. The division command posts and rest camps were similar to stateside garrisons. The men were excited to see Marlene Dietrich perform next morning, and they tried to postpone their return to the front till noon.

#6

The German buildup was a decoy to draw American units away from the Saar and Roer areas, where the real attack would happen.

#7

The Allied leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt, slept soundly that night, safe in the knowledge that there was nothing to fear from Germany. It was December 16, 1944. All was quiet along the 85-mile Ghost Front. Except for a slight mysterious rumbling a few miles to the east.

#8

Hitler was the man behind the German buildup. He had made a decision to take the offensive out of the Ardennes, across the Meuse River and on to Antwerp.

#9

On October 11, Jodl presented Hitler with the draft of the Ardennes Offensive, which called for the use of three armies: the Sixth Panzer Army, the Fifth Panzer Army, and the Seventh Army. It was based on two premises: complete surprise and weather that would ground Allied planes.

#10

Skorzeny was given the task of creating a special unit that would masquerade as Americans and work behind American lines. They would seize bridges over the Meuse, spread rumors, and give false orders.

#11

On October 27, Hitler met with Rundstedt and Model to hear their objections to the plan. He explained that the Ardennes would be like Rossbach and Leuten, a victory over far superior forces. He approved the final draft on December 7.

#12

The most difficult and dangerous part of the plan was already complete. Thousands of troops and tons of material had to be transported secretly from assembly areas to terminals just behind the front lines. The trainsload returned to the Rhine by three o’clock in the morning.

#13

Hitler chose Dietrich to lead the Sixth Panzer Army because he knew his weaknesses, fault by fault. But his name was magic with the troops. Hitler wanted the great victories of the Sixth Panzer Army to be won by a good Nazi.

#14

On December 11, the buildup was complete. The three attacking armies were: the Sixth Panzer Army, led