DEATH OF A DIVISION

by Charles Whiting ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 13, 1980

A serviceable account of the encirclement of the newly arrived 106th Infantry Division at the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944--focusing, like Whiting's Massacre at Malmedy and Decision at St. Vith, on one small but important aspect of the Ardennes campaign. The 106th Division was perched on a dangerous salient in the Schnee Eifel. The successful German surprise attack quickly caved in their flanks and reduced the bulk of the division to a desperate pocket, without air support or supply because of the poor weather. Since the American commander, Major-General Alan Jones, was expecting quick armor reinforcements to extricate his troops, the order to break out was delayed until it was too late. Though Whiting successfully conveys the chaos of the fighting, he adds little to what is already known about the battle. Moreover, the maps he uses fail to put across the rapidly shifting situation during the early stages of the battle. Heavily dependent on secondary sources, finally, he does little but dramatize events whose course is already well established--without adding to our understanding of them.

Pub Date: Feb. 13, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Stein & Day

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION