Book Description
On December 16, 1944, the vanguard of three German armies, totaling half a million men, attacked U.S. forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg, achieveing what had been considered impossible -- total surprise. In the most abysmal failure of battlefield intelligence in the history of the U.S. Army, 600,000 American soldiers found themselves facing Hitler's last desperate effort of the war.
The brutal confrontation that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge, the greatest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army -- a triumph of American ingenuity and dedication over an egregious failure in strategic intelligence. A Time for Trumpets is the definitive account of this dramatic victory, told by one of America's most respected military historians, who was also an eyewitness: MacDonald commanded a rifle company in the Battle of the Bulge. His account of this unique battle is exhaustively researched, honestly recounted, and movingly authentic in its depiction of hand-to-hand combat.
Mingling firsthand experience with the insights of a distinguished historian, MacDonald places this profound human drama unforgettably on the landscape of history.
Customer Reviews:
The Comprehensive Account of the Battle of the Bulge.......2006-11-06
Charles MacDonald, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and later an official historian for the U.S Army, wrote "A Time for Trumpets" as the comprehensive account of that battle. MacDonald covers the battle from the foxhole to the highest headquarters on the Allied and German sides.
In late 1944, Hitler's armies were in retreat across Western Europe, only able to consolidate a defensive line at the German frontier thanks to the fact that Eisenhower's Allied Expeditionary Force had outrun its own supplies. Hitler gambled much of his remaining military resources on a lightning counter-offensive through the difficult terrain of the Ardennes to cripple the Allied armies and restore the military balance in the West.
As MacDonald recounts, the Allies had been lulled into dangerous complacency in the Ardennes sector and were taken badly by surprise. MacDonald's theme is how individual American units, often at great odds, nevertheless stood their ground and slowly fought the German offensive to a standstill, and eventually retook the area known as the Bulge. While famous units such as the 101st Airborne Division get their due, MacDonald does a superb job of capturing the action from the perspective of a variety of participants on both sides as the battle unfolded. Of note are the accounts from the green and unlucky 106th Infantry Division, many of whose small units fought surprisingly well despite being bypassed and cut-off in the opening hours of the German offensive. MacDonald also captures the fierce infighting at the Allied Command level, as Eisenhower's efforts to stem the tide in the Ardennes triggered a crisis of command among Allied leaders.
At over six hundred pages, MacDonald's account is not only exhaustive but verges on exhausting. The dedicated reader will be rewarded with an excellent account of the battle that holds up extremely well despite its 1984 publication date.
Outstanding Read........2005-06-03
I purchased this book in 1985 at the bookstore in the German Reichstag of all places. I was attending college in Germany and needed a good reference work on the battle prior to visiting Bastogne. This book more than fit the bill and prepared me well as my train traveled from Aachen along the Meuse to Namur, Liege, Libramont and finally to Bastogne.
One of the most interesting aspects of this particular work is that you quickly learn that the German timetable for success was disrupted right from the start. The American combat infantryman put up a serious fight from start to finish. MacDonald's accounts of indiviual American efforts, especially those of the CCR's is particularly informative.
Overall, just a great and interesting read.
Best Book on the Bulge from a Soldier Who Was There.......2005-06-02
This is considered one of the four great books on the Battle of the Bulge. The others are John Toland's Battle, Hugh Cole's official US Army History: The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge and John Eisenhower's The Bitter Woods. I have read all but Hugh Cole's book and will review each of them.
If one wants to know what was happening at the individual soldier's level, this is the book. Charles B. MacDonald fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a company commander and wrote his personal account of the European Theater of War, Company Commander. He knows what it was like to fight in that bitter cold battle with units widely spread out. MacDonald was at the critical Elsenborn Ridge in the North and helped prevent the Germans from spreading and enlarging the Bulge.
His book takes you into action with the sometimes ragtag groups of units that fought overwhelming forces. In some cases platoons of around 20 men fought battalions of 500 and larger.
This detail requires the reader to really look at the many included maps to keep track of this battle that stretched almost 80 miles from north to south. While the other books mentioned above have details of individual soldiers fighting, this is the most extensive. It is about twice the size of John Toland's book.
MacDonald builds on and cites the earlier books by Toland and Eisenhower. Because his book came out around the 40th anniversary of the Bulge he was able to incorporate the information released on the German Enigma intercepts. While this information builds on how the Germans conducted the deception that led to the Bulge, it does not greatly change anything previously known. It is interesting, though. What did the intelligence officers really know?
Because MacDonald concentrated on the soldier level so much he does not concentrate as much on the senior leadership level as Eisenhower. He does have some telling comments on the issue of Field Marshall Montgomery's belief that he should take control of the entire ground battle from General Eisenhower, the overall commander. MacDonald generally demolishes Montgomery's arguments.
MacDonald also does not spend much time on the strategic context, before or after the battle.
If you are looking for the best book on the Battle of Bulge that gives you the view of the battle from the soldiers' level and someone who was there, A Time for Trumpets is the best book.
Battle of the Bulge comes to life in this book's pages.............2004-02-02
On December 16, 1944, elements of four German armies -- 14 infantry and five panzer divisions in all -- attacked part of the American First Army along an 80-mile front along Germany's border with Belgium and Luxembourg. The sudden and unexpected counteroffensive hit the Americans in an area the Allies thought would be a nice, quiet sector for combat-weary divisions to rest and refit while green divisions fresh from the States could be acclimated to life on the line: the dark and deep forests of the Ardennes. Planned and ordered by Adolf Hitler himself, this massive onslaught was launched with one objective in mind: penetrate the American lines, pass through the "impassable" Ardennes Forest, cross the Meuse River, and capture the vital port of Antwerp. At the very least, the Allied supply situation would deteriorate enough to slow the Anglo-American advance to the Reich's industrial heartland by a matter of months and buy time for Hitler and his tottering empire. At the very best, a German victory would split the Grand Alliance in three, trap the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group on the northern sector of the front, and the Fuhrer could attempt to convince the Soviets that further fighting was useless now that the Western Allies had been defeated at the Reich's very doorstep.
For a few snowy, foggy, and bitterly cold days, things seemed to be going Hitler's way. Caught off-guard by the sheer size of the counteroffensive, hampered by bad weather which prevented Allied air power to provide ground support to the tankers and infantrymen along the front, confused and misdirected by a small number of English-speaking German commandos wearing American uniforms, and, at some points along the 80-mile "Ghost Front," isolated, outnumbered, and forced to surrender, GIs fought a seemingly losing battle against hundreds of thousands of German soldiers. But even when some units panicked or were overrun, many American soldiers -- sometimes in dribs and drabs -- stood fast and delayed the enemy, giving Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, and his generals valuable time to plan a riposte and turn what seemed to be a disaster into a strategic opportunity. And sure enough, after a month's of heavy fighting in the awful cold of a European winter, the German counteroffensive was slowed, halted, and gradually pushed back to where it had started.
The late Charles B. MacDonald, one of America's premier military historians and himself a company commander in the Ardennes campaign, captures the chaos, misery, bravery, and drama of the U.S. Army's largest battle in history in A Time For Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. The author of such acclaimed works as Company Commander and The Mighty Endeavor, MacDonald uses his skills as a writer and his knowledge of the infantryman's combat experiences to paint a vivid picture of Hitler's last gamble to gain even a temporary victory in the West and the efforts of over 600,000 U.S. and several thousand British troops to contain the salient or "bulge" that gave the Ardennes counteroffensive its popular moniker.
A Time for Trumpets not only covers the well-known episodes of the small teams of German soldiers wearing American uniforms (they actually did very little material damage, but their very existence caused jumpy GI's to quiz each other about baseball teams, state capitals, even popular singers and bandleaders), the heroic stand of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne and the infamous Malmedy massacre, but delves into the Allies' biggest intelligence failure of the war and the bitter recrimination between British and American commanders when Eisenhower placed the northern half of the "bulge" under the command of Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery. Attention to detail is also given to the German high command's reluctance to execute Hitler's plan by the letter, knowing in their professional soldiers' hearts and minds that the Nazi dictator was overreaching.
Despite the complexity of the battle, A Time For Trumpets is highly readable and engrossing. There are helpful maps and many pages of photos to help the casual reader keep his or her bearings in this sprawling month-long battle, and the various appendices are valuable tools that illustrate the composition of a standard U.S. infantry regiment and the various Orders of Battle for the Allied and German forces engaged in the Battle of the Bulge.
SUPERB !!!!!!!!.......2004-01-20
FAR AND AWAY THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ ON THE BULGE. IT GIVES AN OVERALL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE,IT'S ORIGINS PRIOR TO IT'S EXECUTION,AND THE AFTERMATH,FROM BOTH A STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL VIEW.MACDONALD OBVIOUSLY DID HIS RESEARCH WELL. FOR AN OVERALL ACCOUNT OF THE U.S ARMY IN ACTION IN WW II, THIS IS THE BOOK YOU MUST HAVE.
Book Description
Casualties are mounting when a murder calls widow Narcissa Powers and herbalist Judah Daniel, a former slave, away from tending to wounded soldiers. A colonel on leave comes home to find his family butchered and his servants clutching knives and raving about spirits, but the weapons don't match the wounds. Are rebellious slaves to blame for this crime, or could it be the work of an avenging angel? Aided by their friend, the British journalist, Brit Wallace, Narcissa and Judah investigate. When another murder makes Judah a prime suspect, finding the killer becomes frighteningly urgent. Set against a fascinating historical background and graced with richly developed characters, Angel Trumpet proves that McMillan is a writer to whom any reader will come back again and again.
Customer Reviews:
It's a little scary..........2002-09-03
Well, maybe just the beginning is scary. The plot is well developed and intriguing. The characters are interesting and hook you into the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and the rest in the series. I have recommended it to many friends and they also enjoyed this book. (I haven't gotten the book back yet.) I hope you find this a good read.
Immersed into History, Once Again.......2001-04-11
At last! It finally came into paperback! I am too cheap to buy hardcover fiction, so I am very testy and impatient to get paperback editions. Ann McMillan did not disappoint me. Thank you, Ann! You set me back a century or two and I was oh, so comfy and fascinated. What an interesting interaction between black and white culture during "The Great Conflict," played up by the author quite believably. One reviewer here did point out that there was little to the mystery part of the story, but I think if a reader is more interested in the historical atmosphere and characters, they will not be disappointed. I picked this series up for a variety of reasons, least of all the mystery aspect. I am not a "mystery lover," thus I am unsure of what "mystery" conditions apply; but I recommend this book to anyone looking for a well written tale of women, race relations, plantations and murder all set during the Civil War.
Good ideas, poor execution.......2001-02-21
McMillan has some wonderful, dramatic ideas in this book. However, she doesn't convey them well on paper. Her work lacks dramatic tension and emotional impact, and important plot twists go by so rapidly the reader's left going "Huh?". I like that she deals with the issue of race in 19th century America without resorting to stereotypes, and I thought her battle scene was reasonably well done. Still, the shallow nature of the writing ended up leaving me cold.
Tyler's Review on Angel Trumpet.......2001-02-10
This was a wonderful book that starts off in the beginning slow and boring but as you read on everything starts to unfold, and you will see how the life and times of Virginia in the 1860s really were. For instance, the people in this story treated blacks as though they were dogs, with little if any respect at all, but back in Cival War times, that's how it was. Civil War fans should enjoy ANGEL TRUMPET. The plot of the mystery is well written but a little complex as many people have motives and opportunities to commit the murders. Ann McMillan has written an awesome story that to me was very good. I have read better stories in my life-time, but I did love the novel, because I am a fan of the fascinating facts of Cival War History.
Excellent Civil War Mystery.......2000-05-01
I love Ann McMillan's two Civil War mysteries (Dead March and Angel Trumpet). The author gives a fascinating glimpse of life in Virginia at the start of the Civil War. McMillan has great respect for both her white and black heroines, and she doesn't take a simplistic view of the whites or blacks of the era. Along with the historical detail there is a great mystery to be solved and lots of continuing characters. I can't wait for book number three.
Book Description
Clear and concise, this is a masterful history of America's war in Vietnam.
Customer Reviews:
Must read!.......2007-08-14
As a Vietnam veteran, I am often surprised at the mythology that surrounds the Vietnam war to this day. This is "must reading" for anyone seeking fresh insight into that struggle. I found this book consistent with my own experiences and observations from my tour of duty in Vietnam (1968 to 1969). For this reason, I highly recommend it to any serious student of history.
Excellent!.......2006-02-16
This is one of the best books (if not the best) I have ever read on the Vietnam War. The author develops his arguments with such clarity and eloquence that the book is a real joy to read. Palmer does not describe many battles but only those which were characterized as turning points of the conflict, like Ap Bac (1963), Ia Drang (1965) and Tet (1968) but the depth of the political and military analysis is fantastic. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the military logistics of the US forces in Vietnam as well as the role of the air power in the conflict. It is astonishing to realize that the US actually defeated the insurgency in Vietnam and lost the war only because of the persistent commitment of numerous regular North Vietnamese divisions, which were also mauled badly in battle in many cases! The `Ahilles heel` of the US was the Vietnamization program which the communists didn't allow to mature. Very highly recommended!
Excellent overview of Vietnam War.......2004-08-15
Palmer's book was one on the first I have ever read on Vietnam, and remains one of the best. It is mostly concerned with overall strategy and campaigns; less with individual battles and operations. The book severely criticizes the Johnson Administration (with a particular venom for Robert McNamara) but is much more positive about Nixon. The author's attitude towards the South Vietnamese government and Army is critical but quite fair, and he gives the North Vietnamese their due. This is not really a book about American military performance, and does not really mention problems within the military, such as drug abuse, racial incidents, massacres, etc., but he does believe that any problems were a result of having a bankrupt political/military strategy. A few OK maps, no photographs or footnotes, but a nice bibliographical essay. All in all, a very good short introduction but certainly not a complete history of the war.
Very Good Overview.......2002-08-29
I was looking for a good overview book of the Vietnam War and this really fit the bill. The author put together a well thought out, easy to read and well-written book that does a good job of giving the reader the high points. The author was a solder in the combat and spent a number of years in the military so he has an authoritative position to speak from. He does a great job of keeping the book away from being overly laden with military jargon or the Rambo style of combat writing. The book is focused on the American effort and thus skims the pre U.S. troop entry into the war. If you are looking for a deeper history on the start of the war with the French or the overall American involvement in Asia then this book will disappoint.
The treatment he gave to the major battles was good. He presented an easy to follow account of the battle, what lead up to it and the outcome. He also touched on some of what was happening back home with the politics, but only briefly. I think the most interesting parts of the book for me was the details of the air war, more specifically how the bombing kept escalating and then the final bombing push by Nixon. My only complaint with the book is that it was an overview that was a bit too light on the facts for me. The book was only 270 pages long, and book size do not necessary determine quality, this book could have been a little bit more in-depth. It seemed to me that to get a better understanding a few more pages could have been added without the overview turning into a in depth study.
One word: Excellent.......2002-08-10
Summons Of The Trumpet definately stands out as one of the best books written about America's role in Vietnam. This book doesn't deal with what the French did, it's about America In Vietnam.
Palmer presents a view that very few writers on the war in Vietnam present in other histories about America's involvment in Southeast Asia.
If you're a student or someone just interested in America's involvment in Vietnam, this is the best place to start.
Book Description
When the Supreme Court declared in 1954 that segregated public schools were unconstitutional, the highest echelons of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish religious organizations enthusiastically supported the ruling, and black civil rights workers expected and actively sought the cooperation of their white religious cohorts. Many white southern clergy, however, were outspoken in their defense of segregation, and even those who supported integration were wary of risking their positions by urging parishioners to act on their avowed religious beliefs in a common humanity. Those who did so found themselves abandoned by friends, attacked by white supremacists, and often driven from their communities.
Michael Friedland here offers a collective biography of several southern and nationally known white religious leaders who did step forward to join the major social protest movements of the mid-twentieth century, lending their support first to the civil rights movement and later to protests over American involvement in Vietnam. Profiling such activists as William Sloane Coffin Jr., Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Eugene Carson Blake, Robert McAfee Brown, and Will D. Campbell, he reveals the passions and commitment behind their involvement in these protests and places their actions in the context of a burgeoning ecumenical movement.
Customer Reviews:
Exelent, Verry Factual.......1998-09-16
I Loved the Book!
Book Description
When Megan Juddman learns that "friendly fire" killed her husband in the Gulf War, guilt and bitterness consume her -- guilt over a shameful secret she harbors and bitterness over a suspected government cover-up. After escaping to her hometown, Twisp, in eastern Washington, she meets Tharon Marsh, a decorated officer in the Gulf War who has also come to the valley to bury a painful past. Their friendship grows towards something deeper until Megan discovers Tharon's terrible secret: he ordered the fire that killed her husband. Their personal turmoil increases when the disasters of the September11, World Trade Center attacks, thrust the country into a new war and Tharon is recalled to active duty. Tension reaches the breaking point when, over Megan's protests, her troubled eighteen-year-old son enlists. Will Megan be able to relinquish her hold on the past and find a way to forgive?
Product Description
Originally published in 1960 selling half a million copies at the time and first reissued as a Nonpareil paperback in 1991, this immensely popular work of fiction has attracted, informed, and been embraced by a whole new generation of readers.
Customer Reviews:
Sprawling western novel.......2006-05-17
A big, sprawling historical novel set mainly in the Arizona Territory after the Civil War about an army officer, Matthew Hazard, and his wife, Laura. It begins when Hazard as a child meets Abraham Lincoln during the war after his father has been killed and is told by the President to go to West Point and become a soldier. He does, meets and marries Laura, and both go to Arizona to deal with the Indians. Other major figures include General Alexander Quait and the Indian White Horn. The major event of the book concerns Hazard, with the help of White Horn as his Apache scout, and his triumph over the Apache renegade Rainbow Son. For this he is given the Congressional Medal of Honor, which Hazard refuses because White Horn has been sent as a prisoner to Florida with the other Apaches. The book is overly long mainly because Horgan gives a complete biography of his three main characters, and some of it feels like padding. But he writes well and his characters are intriguing and definitely noble. If you like historical fiction and/or the Old West, you will surely enjoy this novel.
Great read..........2005-09-19
This book was recommended to me by my uncle, a former active duty officer. I am also in the military, and thought this to be an excellent read. It is well written, and captures modern-day aspects of miltary life. I think anyone who enjoys history and has a liking for a romantic epic will enjoy Paul Horgan's story immensely. Happy reading.....
Worth reading.......2002-02-12
Because the other books I have read by Paul Horgan (Conquistadors in North American History [read 2 Oct 1974], Lamy of Santa Fe: His Life and Times [read 1 May 1976], Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History Volume One: Indians and Spain [read 25 Nov 1993], Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History Volume Two: Mexico and the United States [read 27 Nov 1993], and Things As They Are [read 8 Feb 1994])were all great reading, I decided to read this book, and it held my interest. It is good to read fiction wherein the characters--even the bad ones--have a conscience. The book tends to be a bit long, but it is action-filled and while not as good as the other books by Horgan it still is, as indicated by my caption, worth reading.
The Perfect Combination.......2001-10-05
I grew up in southern Arizona, on an army base that had started as a calvary post in the 1800s. I picked up "A Distant Trumpet" in a used book store for no other reason, since I generally have no interest in western-themed books. It turned out to be wonderful. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a couple of days. It goes from civil war hospitals to the parlors of Washington DC's elite to the mountains of Arizona, in a perfect combination of military, social and personal history. If the book has any fault, it's that the good guys are always very good and the bad guys are very bad. But, though they lack something in complexity, the characters are exciting and vividly drawn.
A far cry from conventional "Cowboys and Indians".......2001-05-07
When my grad school exams concluded last week, I found myself restlessly searching for something "fun" to read. Paul Horgan's "A Distant Trumpet," a historical novel about 1880s cavalry duty in Arizona, sat on my bookshelf where it had been for over two years, unread. Cautiously, I skimmed the preface and then began to read the first chapter. I'm glad that exams were over, because the novel quickly enthralled me with its stately style, vivid characterizations and rich evocation of the physical--and moral--landscape of the American southwest following the Civil War. Military, social and spiritual codes of behavior provide the psychological framework for the novel's characters and scenario. And Horgan evidently writes from experience as a former Army officer and military school instructor. He also does a superb job of balancing historically accurate attitudes regarding the campaign to "pacify" the Apache natives with a classical sense of morality that transcends race and religion. Eccentric Major General Alexander Upton Quait is the central character in matters of policy and commentary, while a triptych of officers and their wives allow Horgan to explore, with devastating clarity, the costs, rewards and consequences of love, ambition, duty and honor. I would encourage fans of Larry McMurtry--particularly those who have read Comanche Moon--to discover this alternative, somewhat more sophisticated, approach to Western fiction. In my enthusiasm, I finished this lengthy novel as quickly as I could. In recollection, the characters of "A Distant Trumpet" will probably remain with me for a lifetime.
Average customer rating:
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The Certain Trumpet: Maxwell Taylor and the American Experience in Vietnam (Ausa Book)
Douglas Kinnard
Manufacturer: Potomac Books
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