Antony Beevor, Ardennes, 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble

Internationally acclaimed author and World War II historian Antony Beevor, recipient of the 2014 Pritzker Literature Award, returns to the Museum & Library to share his latest bestseller—a history of the Battle of the Bulge that brings realism to the battlefield and coherence to the larger story of the Second World War. As part of the 2015 ON WAR Military History Symposium, this program was made possible by sponsors of the 2015 Liberty Gala.

On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his 'last gamble' in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes region of France. He believed he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp, Belgium, and then force the Canadians and the British out of the war.  Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east.  Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.  The Ardennes Offensive, with more than one million men involved, became the greatest battle of the war in western Europe. 

The Allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies.  Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge.  Panic spread—even to Paris.  While many American soldiers fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance. 

The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the eastern front. And after massacres by the Waffen-SS, even American generals approved when their men shot down surrendering Germans. The Ardennes was the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht.

ANTONY BEEVOR is a renowned British historian and bestselling author best known for his writings on World War II, which have been published in more than 30 languages and have sold more than six million copies worldwide. He is the author of Crete – The Battle and the Resistance, (Runciman Prize); Stalingrad (Samuel Johnson Prize, Wolfson Prize for History and  Hawthornden Prize for Literature); D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, (Prix Henry Malherbe and the Royal United Services Institute Westminster Medal); and The Second World War. A former chairman of the Society of Authors, Beevor has received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Bath, East Anglia, York, and Kent, where he is also a visiting professor. He is the recipient of the 2014 Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.