It was Hitler's last gamble. Codenamed Herbstnebel-- "Autumn Mist" --the operation was a massive counter-offensive involving half a million German soldiers in an attempt to recapture Antwerp, encircle the four Allied armies, and force a treaty that would allow Hitler to turn his attention to the Eastern front. Planned in complete secrecy and playing out between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945, the Battle of the Bulge, as it has come to be known, was ultimately the bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and indeed the largest land battle in American history. Fighting amid freezing temperatures, deep snow, and dense fog, some 89,000 of the 610,000 American servicemen committed to the campaign were wounded or killed. The legacies of Bastogne and Malmedy--heroism and horror--continue to reverberate in the imagination of generations. -- From the publisher.

In the eagle's nest -- The machinery of command -- I have made a momentous decision! -- Adolf Hitler -- Unconditional surrender -- A bridge too far -- A port too far -- Heroes of the woods -- Who knew what? -- The cloak of invisibility -- This is a quiet area -- Brandenberger's grenadiers -- The Baron -- We accept death, we hand out death -- Null-tag -- The bloody bucket -- The Baron's blitzkrieg -- Golden lions -- They sure worked those two horses to death -- 'A 10 per cent chance of success' -- Stray bullets whined through the trees around us -- The conference -- The tortoise has thrust his head out very far -- A pint of sweat and a gallon of blood -- A man can make a difference -- No more zig-zig in Paris -- The hole in the doughnut -- Nuts! -- Head for the Meuse! -- The river of humiliation -- Roadblocks -- Malmedy -- The northern shoulder -- Those damned engineers! -- End of the bulge -- The performance of a lifetime -- Beyond the Bulge -- On to Berlin! -- Punctuation marks of history -- Reputations.