Transcripts For CSPAN2 BOOK TV 20151213

The Royal United Services Institute Westminster metal. In fact, if you look at all of his books on world war ii, paris after the liberation or the fall of berlin, all of them have garnered awards because of the work he has done. His latest book, 1944, hitlers last gamble was published in may. It went straight to number one in the sunday times bestsellers list and it stayed there for about five weeks. His former chairman of the society of authors, he is received honorary doctorates from the university, he is a visiting professor at the university of kent. Please try me in welcoming him. [applause]. Thank you. After the liberation of paris at the end of august 1944, the allies indulged and to create euphoria as they raced towards the german frontier. Spoken formations were falling back in holland and entered germany be behind the line. Americans, british and canadian generals were convinced that this was just like the german army collapse in the late summer of 1918. Then, in midseptember the allies launched operation market garden, the attempt to jump and captured the bridge and all the others leading to it. Field Marshal Montgomery was obsessed by the idea of being the first to cross. He wanted eisenhower to give him the bulk of supplies and command over american formation. Montgomery possess an armored complacency which made him totally unable to see how others responded to him. Eisenhower cut chief of staff, was much a news by his conviction that general bradley admired and liked him and they absolutely loved him. Unfortunately the british pressed was make commander wrote Ground Forces over bradley. Montgomery pushed himself forward for this appointment even telling his Supreme Commander on numerous occasions, that he had won the world ready. Tensions came to a head during the battle of the art and when montgomery claimed it was winning the whole thing himself. This caused great anger on the american side and contributed to britain losing all influence and allied councils for the rest of the war and even in the postwar period. Eisenhower at the end of his life was outraged at montgomerys behavior. Hes a psychopath, dont forget that eisenhower exploded. Is such an egocentric, he is never has never made a mistake in his life. A monument a bad plainly turned into a disaster. It was a predictable disaster since success depended on everything going according to plan and on the german army. A mouse extremely unlikely. It ignored the role that made plans to device contact with the enemy. Also general myrtle was putting the backbone in the german army in the west. Once again, the alleys had woefully underestimated the german armies capacity to recover from defeat. The American British and Canadian Army soon found themselves bogged down in autumn rain. We have change in all the jeeps but this mod is like thick lou, dark brown and deep. This so deep that war trying to go offroad in the field one jeep will get stuck and we send another jeep to pull it out, in the end we need to get tanks to have them come over to have them pull the jeeps out. Its all very humiliating. The general who commanded the first army decided to go forward towards the river and in the right, through some of the most hostile territory on the whole of the western front. Southeast the hooked in forest was a mountainous expanse of dense pine woods. Before the noise of war dominated its eerie piece the sounds had been those of the wins in the tree and the buzzard circling above. The forest diagonally by ravines had all too many slopes. There are two steeper tanks and exhausting for heavily laden if a tree slipping amongst the roots, stones, and the mud. The pine forest was so dense and dark that it seemed like a curse. Men thought they were intruders and conversed in whispers as of the force might be listening. At night anyone leaving the foxhole would get can be lost within 100 yards, they would have to wait until dawn it to find out where they were. Both sides suffered from the chilling autumn rains. Even when it was not pouring down, the trees dripped ceaselessly. Rusty ammunition calls stoppages, uniforms and boots rotted. You could have debilitated and the need to amputate your feet. Getting trench foot and being sent back to hospital sounds like a special kind of heaven. I sat sleeping in wet socks and boots, hoping and praying. Most thought losing a few toes was a small price to pay. Resilient, constitution both mental and physical when needed. Especially when snow began to fall at the higher altitude in november. Men over 30 are too old to stand up under combat conditions all men under 20 are not matured enough. Unfortunately the vast majority of replacements were either under 20 or over 30. They had no experience and very little training. Just before dawn the machine gun a large bombardment began hitting, be a night and dangerous the new troops became anxious and started moving around in panic. I try to hold onto one or two of them say and stay in your foxhole or you may get killed. This was the first time i saw a battlefield panic and could understand why some men get very traumatized and shellshocked. Isolation in the forest was dangerous. Especially for the badly wounded. One of the most horrific incidents, three german soldiers stripped a badly wounded wounded american of his possessions then placed a larger booby trap charge under him which would explode when he moved. He he lay there motionless for three days and three nights, hardly daring to go to sleep so he could warn any rescuers of the explosive charge. Fortunately, he had just enoughs week strength to speak when he was found. Both sides relied more and more on our tillery. The result was a chaotic nightmare of trees smashed, gashed and shredded by shell fire mortars. Abandon helmets and rusty weapons, burnedout vehicles, ammunition containers, gas math and mud encrusted overcoats which have been abandoned because of their weight. Especially distressing was the personal clothing of those soldiers. The german commander admitted in the wet coat is meant to stop her from hypothermia, trench foot, frostbite, and illness. Yet mortar rounds was the cause of most wounded. Many officers believe the fighting in the forest was worse than the in the First World War the Eastern Front. One described it as an open wound, there are miles call that the death Ernest Hemingway attached himself once more witness the scenes of snow, mud, and smashed pine. He said hemingway, again armed with a machine gun despite a recent inquiry into this illegal martial activities as a generalist was also carrying two canteens, 11 with cognac and one with snaps. Journalism was not high on his priorities, his famous american correspondent hemingway referred to himself as a hemorrhoid, the poor mans pile. They came back under fire because he was determined to write the Great American novel of the war. As his biographer observed, Ernest Ernest gloried in the role of senior counselor friends, both officers and men. He was fascinated by the nature of courage and the psychiatrists views of a mans breaking point. Jd salinger, with the fourth infantry continue to write short stories throughout the whole battle. He later said his readers whenever he could find an empty foxhole. This in tense activity which included part of capturing the rise seems at least to have disposed salinger zone last until the end of the war. Combat exhaustion that military euphemism and psychiatric breakdown spread rapidly. After after five days up there you talk to the trees, on the sixth you start getting answers back. Perhaps cynical exaggeration. The young telling commanders who came out or near gibbering idiots as men could get without being locked up. Physical casualties also saw. You drive by the fence in the morning and there are two or three on the ground with the same officer. In in the afternoon there are 30 or 40. New Company Platoon commanders survive for such a short time, the bad men never even learn their names. Will some of the veterans from normandy enjoyed the parties back to paris. A constant stream of replacements for those killed in the fighting. Most were teenagers freshly arrived from the United States. Many older men reassigned to the battalion. Just about the only improvement was to change the name replacement to reinforcement, in an attempt to take away the impression that they were just filling dead mans boots. The enemy. Sometimes treated little better than expendable slaves, and the whole system bread asceticism which was deeply troubling. In her novel she repeated it clearly common piece of dark humor. Potter issued replacements. Just waste time carrying all those bodies back. Hemingway repeated a very similar remark. Breakdown in their marriage. The reason for the germans desperate defense through october, november, and in early december, just to the north of the ardennes where hitler planned is great offensive. On the 12th december 4 days before the offensive was due to begin hitler summoned to his underground bunker in the last all divisional commanders. The attack had to be carried through with the greatest brutality. No human is permitted. The battle which followed was considered to be the western front counterpart. Focused on the city of the savagery of the fighting and the terrible weather conditions certainly prompted comparisons. The german onslaught on the 16th of december 1944 got the americans particularly unprepared. The intelligence failure was complete. The allies could not imagine that the germans were capable of assembling to panzer armies and an Infantry Army for a major Strategic Offensive without them realizing. Having relied almost entirely, they become complacent. They could hardly be all knowledge of complete radio silence was imposed. Perhaps most important of all intelligence analysts made mistake to examine an options. Of view. It is always judging your enemy by herself. They neededyourself. They needed to put themselves into the mind of adolf hitler. Thinking is often distorted by a megalomania. To the despair of his most senior commanders hitler would not tolerate any opposition. This was to breakout through the ardennes much are just attendance went north to take brussels and mentor. This series and would cut off the british and canadians in north and force another dunkirk. The simple truth was that he preferred a while gamble to the relentless crushing of German Military might from east and west. Success depended on creating a shock and not brutality and the surprise attack in maintaining the momentum. Hitler put his faith in the 6th panzer army commended. Even mapped out all the routes himself. They were little more than contracts. The growls waterlogged after the autumn rain. They chewed up to grab in the trucks would only follow. It was greatest was to underestimate the u. S. Army in its command structure. Firstly you soon general eisenhower would have to consult before acting. He sensed immediately that this attack was a strategic counteroffensive in spoiling operation. It failed to appreciate a vast transport potential of the United States army and its organization to bring in reinforcements and ship fuel supplies out of the threatened area. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly hitler and his generals despise the u. S. Army. Although the shock of the attack certainly created a good deal of panic among the four infantry divisions along the ardennes front a Critical Mass of officers and soldiers held key villages and crossroads with the determination and courage that the germans had simply not seen. This completely wrecked the german timetable and gave the allies enough time to bring in the formations needed to hold that advance. The cinematic version is always try to imply it with the allied air forces which won the battle once the skies cleared with the arrival of the socalled russian. But the after action studies show clearly that they did not kill anything like the number of Armored Vehicles as they claim. They did didclaim. They did achieve a tremendous amount in attacking the supply chain to the rear end and starving the German Forces of fuel and ammunition. Some of them on the allied side is a rich subject for debate. Im sure well have a thoroughly enjoyable argument. So let me put in my 0. 10 was now the joke was selected as vital. Identifiedidentified the key feature to create. He was of course fortunate that he did not ignore hitlers instruction in his forces to the south side as he had been told mother then swing around to the north. Monitored by the Division Montgomery wasted no time in reinforcing even before eisenhower gave him command over the northern sector. And patents redeployment of the 3rd army constituted one of the greatest feats of stuff work. The counterattack after christmas when things did not go so well for as well as they could have, patton and bradley especially for far too impatient and those whether conditions. From montgomerys ghastly thoughts he was actually much more practical in his approach to the circumstances. Patton wanted to charge up to german front to cut off the balls. Collins also wanted to launch a rapid counterattack toward the base of the bulge. Bradleys judgment was seriously affected by the humiliation he felt that eisenhowers decision to give montgomery command over 1st army, a situation made far worse by montgomerys insulting behavior. And bradley was greatly worried by the idea that there would be a senate inquiry. He thought he would be held responsible. And other american generals wanted an immediate and overwhelming attack to crush the bulge and wipe out the embarrassment. They were all exasperated with montgomery for delaying the counterattack into three january. On this occasion the little man with the varian the bark as one of bradley Staff Officers called and was actually misplaced. Montgomery realized that infantry attack through deep snow into heavy casualties, especially when the supporting sherman tanks could not keep up. In any case patents advance from the south was not well handled as he admitted in his diary. It was farmore difficult than he expected and he acknowledged that his impatience led to large numbers of unnecessary casualties. Any idea of cutting off the base was also the utterly Wishful Thinking in this chromatic conditions. The conditions under which they fought in the snowbound for stills and ravines were far worse than harsh. Nights lasted for 16 hours. The temperature was minus 24, 25 degrees centigrade. Water bottles for solid, rations could often only be by cutting the contents into little pieces frozen and then thawing them out in your mouth one by one for chewing. Many soldiers already filthy and bearded were suffering from dysentery. Trenches in the rockhard soil was demanding work of lost love. So in some cases they rang the bell and summoned the populace to bigger women to hand over the precious linen sheets so that they could be torn up, uses no capes or as camouflage. Tanks and tank tank destroyers had to be rapidly whitewashed. The german offense had reversible khakis and trousers with white on the inside which could immediately be used to snow camouflage. But while american troops often when hungry they were never as badly start is the germans. That. American army doctors operating on american soldiers and german prisoners had begun to notice a striking contrast. The surgeons observed that the german shoulder chosen aptitude for recovery far above that of the american soldier. This difference was apparently due to the simple surgical fact that american soldiers generally have a thick layer of fat on the which may surgery not only more difficult and expensive but delays healing. The german soldier is vastly leaner and therefore more operable. The American Military authorities also decided that the men must be trained on what to do when shutting different partsshut in different parts of the body so that they could look after themselves until a medic arrived. The order was clear, and attack no fighting men should stop to help the wounded. Each wounded. Each man takes care of himself until the medical men arrive. It badly wounded men left in the snow without any help or are likelyunlikely to survive for very long. The bitter frost and the routine of skirmishes and dangerous patrols and night continued. The commander still wanted intelligence on the enemy units, so they had to go out at night on a tiger patrol. Moving silently at night was impossible as every single step made a noise as the foot broke through the crust of ice on the surface, and white kids frozen stiff crackled as they moved from even wearing white did not conceal them. Moonlight cast shadows darkly on the snow. Within the line infantry there were a number of cases of dogging it and soldiers did not venture far. It would agree amongst themselves on the story and then returned to their own lines after a suitable time. Many soldiers are, of course, brutalized by war or at the very least rendered cynical. Paratroopers are inculcated with aggressive martial value so not surprising to find the 82nd airborne using sandbags on top of the trenches while 101st airborne corrected petrified bodies in the snow in front of their positions as dummies to confuse any german waiting parties and night. On the northern side of the perimeter american paratroopers adopted a good luck reaching each morning of shaking the hand of a frozen german corpse outside their bunker. General George Patton drove out whatever he could to see the troops in advance north. Came across a german machine gunner to have been killed and instantly frozen as he was in a half sitting position with his arms extended holding a little both ammunition. A lot of black object sticking out of the snow and on investigating founder with the toes of dead men. Like most soldierslike most soldiers patton was surprised to discover that the faces of men who died in that extreme cold did not have the usual gray tinge. He turned a claret color. There were other reminders. Atreminders. At the end of the battle to the north Sergeant Robert reiter noticed an ordinary german soldier taken prisoner looked as if he was grinning. He raised his rifle to shoot him for another paratrooper said sarge, hes got no lives her eyelids. The german had lost them through frostbite. The shooting the principles of war had always been far more common practice that historians have been prepared to acknowledge, especially when writing their own countrymen. Ms. Need prisoners were not shut out of range of revenge but because taking them back was simply too much trouble, especially if they were wounded in which case the captors claimed the reporting them out of their misery. Armoredmisery. Armored troops are more likely to shoot prisoners. Others were shot by men will you mourn his words would probably consider themselves to be avenging patriots, patriots, often not frontline infantryman but others deserve further back in order to see themselves as ardent combatants. Although there are no accurate statistics the practice of shooting prisoners clearly reached a terrifying level. The cycle began almost immediately following hitlers order to create the shock and brutality. Brutality. The spearhead of the six panthers army, and armored country were killed american prisoners and belgian civilians and village after village as they charged west on the Eastern Front papers unit of the 1st Ss Panzer Division have been known as the blowtorch battalion because of its reputation for burning down villages and killing inhabitants. The ss and the civilians had shot them. In fact, the young members of the belgian resistance knowing of the germans were going to take revenge during the retreat through the yard in september were the 1st to escape west across the river. They knew the germans would seize all young men for slave labor. The ss divisions in the offensive closely followed by the death squad. A gang of european nazi sympathizers. Sympathizers. Include belgian, dutch, infringement using newspapers with photographs of villages they sought to identify as many as they could kill them. Just northeast of us live on the homemade american flag. After a savage beating he was taken outside and killed. The crew moved on to the next village to village schoolmaster. The commander as the congregation came out of church on Christmas Eve and in select of the younger one. They they marched and down the hill and executed 36. Only oneonly one escaped having punched a garden the face. The priest showed them the badly concealed pile of frozen bodies. They have painted on the wall the words revenging the honor of our german heroes killed by the belgians. The most famous massacre of the ardennes was the coldblooded slaughter of american prisoners at the crossroads. On the 17th of december the 2nd day of the offensive pipers long column had turned west picking up speed. By midday was close to the crossroads. A mixture of half tracks and panzers to recognize it. His troops were a part of the us 7th Armored Division on its way south to support the defense. Oblivious to the thread ahead thethreat ahead the next unit of the 7th Armored Division followed on as the men were driven and open trucks locals who knew of the southern german advance tried to warn them by pointing ahead but the soldiers did not understand. The vehicles motored on tour the crossroads and there they ran straight into the ss panzers in half tracks. The german tanks opened fire contracts are set on fire, some tried to seek shelter in the forest, and the panzer grenadiers rounded up some 130 prisoners and heard them into a field by the road. The ss took the rings, cigarettes, watches anything like that from them and suddenly one of the officers opened fire and they all begin to shoot and even the tanks opened up with their machine guns. Some survivors made it to the trees and others feigned death, although many were later shot through the head with pistols by the ss. Altogether 84 americans died as well as several civilians. An american policeman on traffic duty at the crossroads witnessed the whole incident and was taken rapidly to the 1st Army Headquarters not very far away, and then the Staff Officers were shaken and furious. Immediate publicity has been given to the story. Word spread like wildfire to all commanders for eisenhowers headquarters and riverside in the 12 group in luxembourg were barely recorded that the news took their breath away from the room for an instant as though the room had suddenly become a vacuum. The desire for revenge is overwhelming. When soon afterwards general Bradley Herod the troopers from the 12th Ss Panzer Division had been interrogated he raises eyebrows. Prisoners from the 12 ss. Oh yes, sir. We needed a few samples. The 9th Army Commander was proud of his divisions ruthless fight back. American troops are now refusing to take any more prisoners and it may will spread to include all german soldiers. Well we cannot order such a thing the commanding gen. Himself hopes every g. I. Will here the stories and make that about. He was pleased to here the germans now call the division roosevelts butchers. The termination spread rapidly not to take any ss alive. Jazz often only assume that anyone wearing a black uniform was aa member of the ss, yet all army panzer units were black overalls and the badge as aa gesture of dissent. But in many cases there was little distinction between ss and army. The line troops about the note prisoners would be taken. Taken. Across a 50yard gap in the woods a white flag appeared about us are just sit up and motioned in advance. After advance. After they advanced closer to the line sergeant gave the command opened fire. The official u. S. Army historian from an armored infantry battalion, the practice with prisoners was after saving two for questioning and shoot to rest. The massacre was chilly in the indiscriminate killing of civilians even more so. They especially have been egged on to avenge the allied coming german cities. It was also on the surprising that american soldiers retaliated in kind, but it is shocking that a number of generals from army Group Command downward hopefully approved of the shooting of prisoners in retaliation. This took place on the 1st of january after the old trains and badly bruised left Armored Division was mourned. The 11th armor is green and took unnecessary casualties to no effect. In fact, the division was shaken to the core. Even its commander was close to cracking up under strain, an officer seemed unable to control their men. After bitter fighting to take the ruins on the 1st of january about 60 german prisoners rounded up and shot. These american soldiers baffled vengeance was similar to the coldblooded executions but it still reflected badly on the officers. They were unfortunate incidents. I hope we can conceal this. It would have been embarrassing. The unsung victims of the fighting for the belgian civilians. On the northern shoulder that provided the americans with perfect fire position. They were able to hammer villages and crossroads up to 16 kilometers into the german rear. The unfortunate belgians trapped there said the prayers as the ceiling shook it was impossible to bury the dead will the battle raged. Wrapped in blankets when the temperature drop suddenly two days before christmas that we could dig graves in the frozen ground. Many soldiers closed their minds to the suffering of the belgians and focused on the priority of killing the enemy. Those who did care were marked for life by the horrors of the request. Eating christmas brought little joy. In a village where the fighting had died down the family decided to come out of their seller to celebrate christmas day. The light was blinding with the sun reflecting off the snow as they sat at the kitchen table, father, mother, and the daughter. Suddenly it was a sliver of shrapnel sent through the window. American medics came to a raid that there was nothing they could do. The girl was buried in 29 december. Five years old. What. Five years old. What can one say to the mother . She cries and cannot understand. In all armies it was not so much the fear of death is the fear of mutilation which played on minds. The german Field Hospital was little more than the production line of reputation. American doctors were horrified by the tendency of german origin to five german Army Surgeons to cut off limbs. Appalled when taken in to a german operating theater inside a large tent. I nearly gagged. All the tables were occupied with german wounded three buckets on the floor held toes, fingers, and other appendages. They were screaming. American Field Hospitals could also be a grizzly spectacle. A senior nurse nurse described award known as the chamber of horrors. It stank of gore and sweat. She recounted a night shift tending the soldiers who have been dying all day yesterday and all night now. In a coma. A good thinga good thing that mothers can see them when they die. One battle casualties were also met in november of december. Almost all alldecember. Almost all were combat infantryman. Neuropsychiatric cases rose to nearly a quarter of all hospital admissions. The german army refused to recognize the condition and suffered far fewer cases of factors that later attributed to the nazis marshall indoctrination of the young since 1933. Combat exhaustion produced recognizable symptoms of nausea, crying, gastric conditions. The effect could also be infectious. When one man cracked others will soon follow. If the sense of isolation often remained poor. Itit was vital to give men out of their foxholes and mixed with the others. Others. Continues, action not from the. Of isolation. It differed from the infantry version even though symptoms are similar with upset stomachs, nausea, dysentery and in some cases almost the state of hysteria. The 2nd u. S. Army division with unhealthy eating and extreme cold as well as physical exhaustion. They did not know what the germans have discovered after the battle of stalingrad and itwas the combination of stress, exhaustion, cold, and malnourishment which upset the metabolism and greatly reduce the bodys capacity to absorb calories and vitamins. The german army fought on. And so everyone thinks if only the time would come then comes the officer. That is what is tragic about the situation. American interrogators are from prisoners the german morale is suffering badly as the half starved soldiers struggled to vehicles and guns freezing conditions. The knowledge of the great offensive it failed. Are based on orders since the battle of normandy. They get no support. Sorted by the brave resistance small groups of american troops holding those key villages and crossroads when the Red Army Winter offensive began the german army was a shadow ofa shadow of its former self. Capable of resisting the headlong charge all the way from the vessel or to the river in less than two weeks. Needless to say russian historians never acknowledged. Together with the savagery of the fighting the harsh winter conditions were indeed similar to those on the Eastern Front. Thank you very much. [applause] questions . An opportunity to ask questions. It did not have the refax that hitler hoped. Hitler had summoned well before he told his chief commanders of the operation. Recruit these men and organize themselves for the operation just american uniforms and because chaos. It appears that the only thing they did achieve was the sonoran infantry regiment in the wrong direction and what they achieved was not planned at the time. As now was locked down. The security precautions germans in american uniforms stopped on one occasion because he was asked. Bradley get the answer wrong yet held up. The rest of most of the day. Because a lot of chaos but not in the way that had been intended. They never got through to capture as had been part of the plan. Whenplan. When they did reach there was only one who got to the bridge than they were killed by the british 8th rifle who were already on the stage. So there were a number of others or captured. In fact it was a disaster, and even the tank side of it which was slightly less dramatic although they were dressed up as american tanks, they realized that they could not achieve anything. They were sent into an attack and they suffered very heavy casualties. One casualties. One of the 1st moments from the american artillery started using their proximity, and there was yet another guest face as a result. So it was not a great success. Ii am a loudmouth. What did hitler have next . After the attack was his role is there anything next . Was paris next . What was to come after that . Certainly there was fear in paris. They thought the German Events was heading for paris. It wasparis. It was quite interesting the way the french collaborators have been locked up and other prisoners started sharing when they heard the news which was very unwise of them because the guards immediately set of the germans get anywhere close to hear will make sure we kill you first. That was certainly unwise, but hitler had no clear plan. Asplan. As soon as he realized that not only were they not going to cross it all the way that they wouldnt even get to the murders. He failed there even said it was symbolic but had his name and turned into a deathtrap. Similarly in the case of the ident hitler declared the chief objective when in fact of course there was a means to an end. So as aso as a result all of the forces were then sort of directed to the area which is why they became such an important battle after it had been relieved by pattons 3rd army. If i do not simply have a clear idea. The british and cancel the operation of the plan to assassinate hitler because by the states they realize they were going to win the war was more rapidly with hitler in command that without him. The ride the stall and i also canceled his plans to assassinate hitler. He was afraid that if it was bumped off in my do a deal with the successor government and allow them to concentrate all German Forces against the soviet union. And so salty. Basically was afraid that that might happen. Anyway, the. Was it was combat was disastrous from the start. They could not oppose it in any way. The assassination attempt of hitler. German officers did not object. In fact this is another example by the allies got the wrong end of the stick. The bomb plot of the 20th show a state of disintegration of the art. The real truth was the opposite. Now in a position to force germany to fight to the very death. A question. In the back. He spoke about the treatment of prisoners on both sides. Was that something that was primarily due to the harsh conditions of battle or something that was more systemic throughout the european theater or throughout the entire 2nd world war . It was certainly systemic on the Eastern Front. What we were seeing normandy and especially in the garden was a really dirty fighting coming to the west. The 1st example between the 12th Ss Panzer Division withwhere they massacred about 70 canadians including beheading one Company Commander and not surprisingly the canadians fought back and started killing in the ssany assess the captured. That was the 1st burst that we saw. Also on the us front and normandy where for example to american doctors were killed by the ss. And when we got to the ardennes this idea that hitler was some of the only way to make sure the American Army collapses was to basically a tactic of terror which is why they were shooting prisoners in all directions. So once word started to spread it was hardly surprising that there would be retaliation. Even i was shaken. A little revisionism if i may. Were it not for the bolts do you think the allies would have arrived early enough to be the soviets . The allies actually could have reached berlin anyway. It was eisenhowersit was eisenhowers deliberate decision not to. It was very interesting. The 9th on the other and acknowledged quite openly that the americans would have been straight through and most would have surrendered pressure. And all of the ss formations, the wellequipped formations were already facing the russians and could not have been brought back in time. Eisenhowers decision eisenhowers decision was based on the fact that why waste these casualties is going to be handed back anyway. You can understand it from that view. They want to shake hands. Because he was horrified by what was happening in poland the way the stalin and was imposing the worst form of dictatorship and so that is why churchill was trying to push roosevelt was in our and hope the patent would push way through prague and fighting eisenhower made the right decision. It was not a question of the casualties. But the real reason, stalin would have used. He was determined and in fact one of the interesting things we found was that have lined uplined up all of these rifle divisions to seal off the area to make sure they got the german scientists and the uranium. Uranium. But they did not know was the uranium have down to the black forest went into the ball dropped on japan. No. All of his forces were used in the ardennes offensive to have they been sent to the Eastern Front your quite right. The red army whatwould about it much more difficult time breaking through. One thing ii do know is very unpopular with russian historians they have been nowhere near berlin. And the other major influence was the Strategic Bombing campaign because the force of the luftwaffe the defendant reich in fact there was a critical difference. The 2nd world war and all the rest of it. A new unit to go into the archives to combat the fortification of world war ii history. I am liable to fight imprisonment in russia. Actually said this was tantamount to Holocaust Denial because it tarnishes the reputation of the red army. One mustnt underestimate. All of those archives, lucky for, lucky time. But since then things have gone far far worse. Your assessment of the army field commanders. You had hodgins and collins reporting to bradley. Tell us a little bit about them. They were actually reporting dodges, but he was not reporting to bradley it was reported to montgomery. The trouble was he was in a state of collapse. No doubt doubt about that the accounts of his own officers and he was incapable taking the decision of that particular time. Motorcycle riders to sort out the situation a crisis. The chum afraid to say showed the disastrous what he was doing. You know, he treated the american generals in such an offhand way. It was disastrous. I suggest in the book that montgomery had high functioning aspergers which is one of the reasons why he was completely incapable. And in fact it was a bit of a debate. Tom carver who live within committee was convinced, the only explanation. In another discovered a thought i would be be enrichment, professor of psychology, paper from montgomery but no, i mean, i do say i think actually is judgment the slightly better than that of columns and the others. A very admirable general, really gung ho and in intelligent man. Montgomery admired him a lot. And the two of them got along pretty well. It was oneone of the few who didntdid get on well. Hodges had very little imagination and certainly american historians are now far more critical of hodges and bradley than they were before. Eisenhower performed extremely well, very decisive right at the beginning of the crucial moment, and all you know bradley just simply could not believe what was happening a state of denial himself. Describing how he never left his room in the hotel off in luxembourg. So, you know, a lot of it depended on various people. Patented brilliantly redeploying his army but he did not handle the counterattack. The problem of the patients pushing his men totoo fast and too far when the 4th Armored Divisions tanks are completely tapped out and stood little chance of performing in the way that they should have. And the men were exhausted and making mistakes which caused a lot of casualties. As i say, some of that came from the anger about there being caught out by the german attack and they thought they had to cross the bulge in a conspicuous and rapidly. How do you explain the complete surprise from 1940 on1940 on were the german suspicious that altar was being read and therefore resorted to other forms of communication . No, the miracle was that they never suspected altar. The cover stories were quite effective, suggestions that there was somebody in the german staff passing information. And of course the gestapo was so paranoid after the bomb attack on hitler that they thought that was the most likely reason. German intelligence was very bad. They had copied operation fortitude which was the allied deception plan over normandy, they had set up dummy headquarters, make sure that it looked as if the 6th panzer army was still way to the north and gave up the impression that what they were doing was concentrating the forces to the north ready to counterattack the 1st armys attempt to cross the river. In this, most of the allies believe that. There was only one person, patents chief of staff for patents intelligence chief who was close to seeing what was happening, but he was not really listened to. People said it did predict, but it never really sank in heavy the problem was, it was a classic mistake of intelligence other like the iraq war and other things. If you are convinced of a certain scenario you within looking at the intelligence analysis and picking of stuff which supports your version of events. And it really was a major mistake to try to think that nobody would ever attempt a mad counteroffensive of that particular skill when actually it was right up in the street. The americans caps on referring to the ardennes offensive. Furious when he heard the americans are going. He thought that was an insult. So it is a question really of looking too much for the material. There were lots of indications and ultra about the transfer of ground attack aircraft from the Eastern Front of the west. You had so many different units doing so many things in so many places it allows the opportunity to go back and refresh your memory as you read more and more, giving you really a detailed look at the battle of the battle of the bulge. Lets thank Anthony Beaver one more time. [applause] he will be signing copies of his books in the lobby. Please join us in the lobby. Thank you so much. Heres a look at some authors recently featured on book tv afterwords, weekly interview program. The rise of big money in college football, her Successful Supreme Court argument in favor of gay marriage and Neil Ferguson talked about the early life of henry kissinger. In the coming weeks my goal report on the factors contributing to Americas Health and wellness. Pres. Wellness. President of the Goldwater Institute will take a critical look at the review period new medications must undergo to receive fda approval. Also karl rove will discuss the importance of William Mckinleys 1896 president ial campaign. This weekend theres and New York Times columnist will talk about the challenges patients face in the healthcare system. To give them a very tactile, detailed answer that in writing a book. They also make a great story, meet these people in the beginning of the day and then at the end of the day find out how they did but it lets people no what the shift is really like. Airing on book tv every saturday at ten pm and sunday at nine9 00 p. M. Eastern. You can watch all previous programs on our website. Amazon has come out with a list of but best books for 2015. Dreamland which faces the influx of drugs and to middle america. Amazon also recommends rinker bucks newest book which recounts his trip along the historic oregon trail. La times reporter julio be examines the murder of a young black man in los angeles and the detective who try totried to find the killer. Amazon also suggest john krakauers reporting on rape in the justice system. And any jacobsons discusses the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research project agency. And the scientists and engineers that i spoke with, almost all of them are incredibly gung ho and talk about how darpa find the solutions to things and allow scientists to push science in a way that the industry bosses would not allow them to. But thinking of the future, they like to say they make the future happen. A look at some of the books amazon recommends. Teesixteen has covered all of these authors command you can watch the full programs on our website, teethirteen. Nurse and New York Times columnist teresa brown is next. Discussing about the shift in which she talks about healthcare vendor firsthand experience in patient care and safety, interviewed by deborah hat maker