Bloody Aachen (West Wall Series)

Rating:
Summary: Aching for a Better Aachen
Review: Aachen was the first major German city captured by American forces in WWII, and therefore rates more attention than it has so far received by the writers of military history. From this persepective, Whiting's book is valuable. There seems to be no other book currently available on the subject. Having noted this, the book is somewhat of a disappointment. There is no source documentation (bibliography or foot/endnotes), although by the introduction, Whiting makes it obvious that he used some personal interviews (but apparently not always conducted by himself). Readers looking for a reasonable amount of detail will also be disappointed. Whiting rarely descends below the division level in reporting the engagements, and when he does, it is not always easy to identify the parent organization to which the soldiers belong, when he describes them in combat. Aachen was a major engagement for the 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), yet Whiting spends far more time reporting the activities of the 30th Infantry Division and the 3rd and 5th Armored Divisions. The 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division was assigned to assault the central city, yet Whiting gives no specifics on the difficulties and experiences of the American forces (or individual soldiers), as they encountered their first major urban street fighting in Germany. This is incomprehensible, since fighting in the city itself was a major component of the battle. Some maps and photos are included, but many of the photos show participants as they appeared in the mid 1970's (when the book was written), and not as they appeared at the time of the battle. Since Whiting reports that a number of correspondents came to Aachen after its capture, it is disappointing that he failed to include more of the photographs that must have been taken; they would have served to enhance the "feel" of combat. The maps are adequate, but again lack detail, and do not always include places mentioned significantly in the text (for example, Crucifixion Hill). Neither do the maps contain indications of troop movements--they show cities and topographcal features only, so they don't help to clear up confusion regarding the maneuvering of the soldiers. Finally, Whiting's style is uneven, and it lacks the poetry in prose that some authors (notably Bruce Catton) can employ to describe war. Sometimes Whiting's prose is turgid and declamatory; other times it borders on the sensational. It is frequently banal and cliche ridden. This is not a great book, but since there is no alternative, it is marginally adequate. The reader will come away with a general idea of how Aachen was captured, and some idea of the horror the troops experienced, but the reader will finish the book wishing that some other author would take up the challenge to report the capture of Aachen in a manner that the event truly deserves. I give it three stars--two for the book itself, and one because it is the only available book on the subject, so far as I know.

Rating:
Summary: Aching for a Better Aachen
Review: Aachen was the first major German city captured by American forces in WWII, and therefore rates more attention than it has so far received by the writers of military history. From this persepective, Whiting's book is valuable. There seems to be no other book currently available on the subject. Having noted this, the book is somewhat of a disappointment. There is no source documentation (bibliography or foot/endnotes), although by the introduction, Whiting makes it obvious that he used some personal interviews (but apparently not always conducted by himself). Readers looking for a reasonable amount of detail will also be disappointed. Whiting rarely descends below the division level in reporting the engagements, and when he does, it is not always easy to identify the parent organization to which the soldiers belong, when he describes them in combat. Aachen was a major engagement for the 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), yet Whiting spends far more time reporting the activities of the 30th Infantry Division and the 3rd and 5th Armored Divisions. The 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division was assigned to assault the central city, yet Whiting gives no specifics on the difficulties and experiences of the American forces (or individual soldiers), as they encountered their first major urban street fighting in Germany. This is incomprehensible, since fighting in the city itself was a major component of the battle. Some maps and photos are included, but many of the photos show participants as they appeared in the mid 1970's (when the book was written), and not as they appeared at the time of the battle. Since Whiting reports that a number of correspondents came to Aachen after its capture, it is disappointing that he failed to include more of the photographs that must have been taken; they would have served to enhance the "feel" of combat. The maps are adequate, but again lack detail, and do not always include places mentioned significantly in the text (for example, Crucifixion Hill). Neither do the maps contain indications of troop movements--they show cities and topographcal features only, so they don't help to clear up confusion regarding the maneuvering of the soldiers. Finally, Whiting's style is uneven, and it lacks the poetry in prose that some authors (notably Bruce Catton) can employ to describe war. Sometimes Whiting's prose is turgid and declamatory; other times it borders on the sensational. It is frequently banal and cliche ridden. This is not a great book, but since there is no alternative, it is marginally adequate. The reader will come away with a general idea of how Aachen was captured, and some idea of the horror the troops experienced, but the reader will finish the book wishing that some other author would take up the challenge to report the capture of Aachen in a manner that the event truly deserves. I give it three stars--two for the book itself, and one because it is the only available book on the subject, so far as I know.