Blood and Steel : the Wehrmacht archive: Retreat to the Reich, September to December 1944

Blood and Steel 3, The Wehrmacht Archive: The Ardennes Offensive, December 1944 to January 1945 is an extensive and colorful collection of translated German military documents, private letters and diaries relating to one of the most hard-fought battles of the Second World War.

This rare material was gathered by the intelligence section of the American, British and Canadian armies and ranges from orders issued by Feldmarschall von Rundstedt down to jokes told by the ordinary German soldier, often at the expense of his superiors. The infamous use by the Germans of troops disguised as Americans, driving captured US vehicles, to sow confusion behind enemy lines, is described as it happened, including a desperate plea by two Germans captured in US uniforms to be spared execution.

This unique collection gives an unparalleled insight into German tactics, organization, morale and attitudes to their opponents during the Battle of the Bulge, the last desperate gamble by Hitler to defeat the Allied offensive in the West, and is required reading for all historians and enthusiasts of the period.