'Magisterial . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.' TELEGRAPH March 1945. Allied troops are poised to cross the Rhine and sweep on into Germany. Victory is at last within their grasp. But if they believe this victory can be easily won, they face swift disillusionment. The final I 00 days of the Second World War will prove to be bitterly and bloodily fought, village by village, town by town. This is the extraordinary and gripping story of those final I00 days. _________________________________________________ 'Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflic.' JAMES HOLLAND 'This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.' MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE 'An impressive work. Lively, informative and comprehensively researched.' CAROLINE MOOREHEAD, SPECTATOR 'An important contribution to military history. A great read and powerful reminder of how the Second World War in Europe was definitely not over until the final surrender.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

'What a brilliant book this is... a terrific narrative of Hitler's Ardennes offensive of December 1944 - superb storytelling that achieves a skilful balance between drama and detail.' - James Holland The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive in the West. Launched in the depths of winter to neutralize the overwhelming Allied air superiority, three German armies attacked through the Ardennes, the weakest part of the American lines, with the aim of splitting the Allied armies and seizing the vital port of Antwerp within a week. It was a tall order, as the Panzers had to get across the Our, Ambleve, Ourthe and Meuse rivers, and the desperate battle became a race against time and the elements, which the Germans would eventually lose. But Hitler's dramatic counterattack did succeed in catching the Allies off guard in what became the largest and bloodiest battle fought by US forces during the war. In this book, Anthony Tucker-Jones tells the story of the battle from the German point of view, from the experiences of the infantrymen and panzer crewmen fighting on the ground in the Ardennes to the operational decisions of senior commanders such as SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich and General Hasso von Manteuffel that did so much to decide the fate of the offensive. Drawing on new research, Hitler's Winter provides a fresh perspective on one of the most famous battles of World War II.

The most comprehensive and authoritative history of D-Day ever published 'Extraordinary' Andrew Roberts 'Fascinating' Daily Mail 'Magisterial' James Holland ________________ 6 June 1944, 4 a.m. Hundreds of boats assemble off the coast of France. By nightfall, thousands of the men they carry will be dead. This was D-Day, the most important day of the twentieth century. In Sand and Steel, one of Britain's leading military historians offers a panoramic new account of the Allied invasion of France. Drawing on a decade of new research, Peter Caddick-Adams masterfully recreates what it was like to wade out onto the carnage of Omaha Beach, or parachute behind enemy lines in Normandy. He explores the year-long preparations that went into the invasion, overturning decades-old assumptions about Allied strategy. And he pays tribute to the remarkable individuals who made D-Day possible - not just soldiers on the beaches, but also paratroopers, sailors, aircrews, and women on the Home Front. The result is a compulsively readable account of the greatest battle of the Second World War. It will be the definitive work on D-Day for years to come. ________________ 'A hugely impressive book which makes full use of a lifetime of learning and experience.' Herald 'Peter Caddick-Adams' D-Day must surely go down as the definitive narrative of that pivotal moment in the history of the war.' James Holland 'This is a warts-and-all forensic examination of the Allied invasion, offering stacks of insight based on a decade of research.' Soldier

Peter Caddick-Adams's account of the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 matches the monumental achievement of his book on the Battle of the Bulge, Snow and Steel, which Richard Overy has called the "standard history of this climactic confrontation in the West." Sand and Steel gives us D-Day, arguably the greatest and most consequential military operation of modern times, beginning with the years of painstaking and costly preparation, through to the pitched battles fought along France's northern coast, from Omaha Beach to the Falaise and the push east to Strasbourg. In addition to covering the build-up to the invasion, including the elaborate and lavish campaigns to deceive Germans as to where and when the invasion would take place, Caddick-Adams gives a full and detailed account of the German preparations: the formidable Atlantikwall and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's plans to make Europe impregnable-plans not completed by June 6. Sand and Steel reveals precisely what lay in wait for the Allies. But the heart of the book is Caddick-Adams' narratives of the five beaches where the terrible drama played out--Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, and the attempt by American, British, and Canadian soldiers to gain a foothold in Europe. The Allied invasion of Europe involved mind-boggling logistics, including orchestrating the largest flotilla of ships ever assembled. Its strategic and psychological demands stretched the Allies to their limits, testing the strengths of the bonds of Anglo-American leadership. Drawing on first-hand battlefield research, personal testimony and interviews, and a commanding grasp of all the archives and literature, Caddick-Adams's gripping book, published on the 75th anniversary of the events, does Operations Overlord and Neptune full justice.

The five-month Monte Cassino campaign in central Italy is one of the best-known European land battles of World War Two, alongside D-Day and Stalingrad. It has a particular resonance now, because Cassino, with its multitude of participating armies - most notably the American 5th Army under the controversial General Mark Clark - was perhaps the campaign of the Second World War that most closely anticipates the coalition operations of today, with its ever-shifting cast of players stuck in inhospitable, mountainous terrain, pursuing an objective set by unknowing politicians in distant capitals, where victory is difficult to define. Monte Cassino was characterised by the destruction of its world famous Abbey: in retrospect, considered an unjustifiable act of cultural vandalism by the allies.The audit trail of decision-making to destroy an icon as well known then as the Eiffel Tower or Lincoln Memorial, is a chilling reminder that similar decisions are still being made in Iraq and Afghanistan and indeed Libya. To this day, reversing normal prejudice, German troops are welcome in the abbey, having rescued its treasures from allied destruction in February 1944. Cassino was an unusual campaign for World War II in that its outcome was not reliant on sweeping movements or the use of tanks or aircraft - but by old-fashioned boots in the mud, whether capturing the town of Cassino after months of grinding urban warfare (a Stalingrad in miniature) or scrambling up the steep mountain to seize the heights and the religious complex on top of Monte Cassino. Monte Cassino Abbey was painstakingly rebuilt after the war (its baroque chapel remains incomplete) and is now a World Heritage site. An hour south of Rome, it is visited each year by up to one million tourists and pilgrims from around the world.

Peter Caddick-Adams - one of the leading military historians of his generation - reviews one of the great final engagements of WW2: The Battle of the Bulge. Including specially commissioned maps, black and white photography, archive material and personal interviews, this is a riveting landmark study of a pivotal historical moment and perfect for readers of James Holland, John Keegan, Anthony Beevor and Max Hastings. 'A thought-provoking and compelling account of one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War. Brilliant' -- James Holland 'Caddick-Adams knows more about the Bulge than any other historian I have read...I admire his originality...Snow and Steel offers an authoritative narrative of the drama...' -- Max Hasting, The Sunday Times 'An encyclopaedic and eminently readable book' -- Times Literary Supplement 'A compelling read' -- ***** Reader review 'The definitive Bulge history' -- ***** Reader review 'Absolutely brilliant book' -- ***** Reader review 'Brilliant read. Captivating and informative' -- ***** Reader review 'Excellent, authoritative and very well written' -- ***** Reader review ******************************************************************************************** Snow and Steel is a huge reassessment of Hitler's last great throw of the dice: 'The Battle of the Bulge', the battle for the Ardennes from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. This is an utterly fascinating five weeks when for a time it looked like Hitler had outflanked the allied armies pushing toward the Rhine and might just throw them back to the Normandy beaches. It is also the context for the catastrophic events at Bastogne depicted so graphically in Band of Brothers. For military history fans this is one of those touchstone battles of World War Two, written by an author with a world-wide reputation. With specially commissioned maps, photographs, primary archival material and personal interviews, this is a truly controversial, commercial and landmark book.

Two men came to personify British and German generalship in the Second World War: Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel. They fought a series of extraordinary duels across several theatres of war which established them as two of the greatest captains of their age. Our understanding of leadership in battle was altered for ever by their electrifying personal qualities. Ever since, historians have assessed their outstanding leadership, personalities and skill. The careers of both began on the periphery of the military establishment and represent the first time military commanders proactively and systematically used (and were used by) the media as they came to prominence, first in North Africa, then in Normandy. Dynamic and forward-thinking, their lives also represent a study of pride, propaganda and nostalgia. Caddick-Adams tracks and compares their military talents and personalities in battle. Each brought something special to their commands. Rommel's breathtaking advance in May-June 1940 was nothing less than inspired. Montgomery is a gift for leadership gurus in the way he took over a demoralised Eighth Army in August 1942 and led it to victory just two months later. This compelling work is both scholarly and entertaining and marks the debut of a major new talent in historical biography.