WORLD WAR II CLOSE UP

A soldier’s-eye view of the snowy Battle of the Bulge—“the largest single battle ever fought by the U.S. Army.”

Sticking entirely to the Allied side (but consulting a great range of reports and oral histories), Hopkinson presents a kaleidoscopic view of the immense conflict, which stretched out over six weeks beginning in December of 1944 and involved (on both sides) over 1,000,000 soldiers. Voluminous backmatter joins sheaves of battlefield photos and drawings and a few schematic maps and general comments to provide glimpses of the big picture, but rather than attempting to tell the full story, her goal is to “share the true stories of just a few soldiers who were there.” This emphasis on localized, personal stories brings two main themes into sharp focus: the fog of confusion and uncertainty as unready GIs suddenly found themselves facing (and sometimes surrounded by) massive numbers of German troops and tanks, and the courage, cohesion, and optimistic spirit that fueled the eventual Allied victory. The veteran, much-lauded author of nonfiction and historical fiction draws various kinds of servicepeople (including women, immigrants, and Black people) into her large cast of eyewitnesses and participants; some she follows all the way to the ends of their (often long) lives, reinforcing the personal angle and providing a valuable complement to traditional military and political histories.

A thoroughly researched, unusually close-to-the-ground glimpse into one of World War II’s most notoriously brutal battles.