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Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge By Gregory Fontenot Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2020 290 pages $39.99
Ever since S. L. A. Marshall published his flawed 1947 bombshell, Men against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command, historians have debated the effectiveness of the US Army in the European theater of operations during World War II. Eminent scholars such as Russell F. Weigley and Martin van Creveld have credited the ultimate American victory to greater numbers, superior artillery and air support, and more abundant resources. Meanwhile a younger generation of historians-including Ohio State University alumni Michael D. Doubler, Russell A. Hart, and Peter R. Mansoor-have argued that while the more seasoned German Landser may have outclassed the American GIs in their initial encounters, the Americans learned from hard experience and eventually became a worthy opponent.
A former tank battalion commander and a distinguished veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Gregory Fontenot analyzes the trials and ultimate triumph of the 7th Armored Division from the perspective of a professional soldier. Loss and Redemption at St. Vith is a detailed operational history of the US 7th Armored Division during the Battle of...