by Gregory Fontenot
Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri, 2019.. Pp. xxv, 350+.
Illus., maps, diagr., appends., notes, biblio., index. $26.95 paper. ISBN: 0826222226
The Defense of the “Fortified Goose Egg”
The author of a number of valuable histories on the U.S. Army, retired colonel Fontenot has produced an excellent account of the largely overlooked role of the 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge. While he covers the entire history of the division, Fontenot concentrates his account on the unit's stand at St. Vith (Dec. 16-22).
Fontenot necessarily includes the actions of the other units involved in the often chaotic fight in and around the “Fortified Goose Egg” at St. Vith, among them elements of the 9th Armored Division, 28th Infantry Division, and the most unfortunate 106th Infantry Division. His account runs up and down the chain of command, from Eisenhower to the GIs on the front line, on an almost hour-by-hour basis.
Fontenot explains why and how the Germans achieved nearly total surprise. He then covers how the defenders blunted the attack, and, within days, began throwing the enemy back. Fontenot has a lot of good battle pieces in here, excellent analysis, and a number of good profiles of soldiers, their officers, and their generals, many of the latter coming in for some serious criticism.
Altogether Loss and Redemption at St. Vith, a volume in the UMP series “American Military Experience”, is an outstanding treatment of some desperate fighting.
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Note: Loss and Redemption at St. Vith is also available in hardcover and e-editions.
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