Guillemot, Philippe/Bernage, Georges Ardennes 1944-1945. Les Panzer de la dernière chance

On 12 December 1944, Field Marshal Model, the head of Army Group B, asked Colonel von der Heydte whether his airborne operation had a ten per cent chance of success. Von der Heydte replied in the affirmative and Model added that the Ardennes offensive also only had a ten per cent chance of success. This 10 per cent had been mentioned before the German offensive in May 1940, which was an overwhelming victory for the armies of the German Reich. Since then, however, these have been exhausted. On the basis of little-known documents and a meticulous study, the author highlights the grains of sand that finally completely blocked the German offensive apparatus, suffocating the offensive and causing it to collapse. A precise dismantling that surprises the reader with the help of archive material, theses that have been valid since the end of the fighting, showing that neither the Third Reich nor Model had the famous "10% chance" in the end. Following Jean-Paul Pallud's 1994 book La Bataille des Ardennes, which was widely read on both sides of the Atlantic, Christer Bergström's book on the actual losses suffered by the US Army was published in 2017. This work by Philippe Guillemot contributes to enriching the knowledge of this battle with new aspects, which is what makes it so relevant: No, the large German headquarters did not jealously keep the fuel too far from the front, east of the Rhine, quite the contrary. No, the bridges over the Rhine were not cut off. No, the railway network in the west was not destroyed and, "last but not least", yes, there was enough petrol for the attacking forces, who nevertheless encountered a real shortage during the battle. The author draws on the study of thousands of pages of archives, some of which have obviously proved crucial in rethinking what we have taken for granted about this unique and fateful battle.

Based on little-known documents and careful study, the author highlights the grains of sand that finally blocked the German offensive apparatus completely, suffocating it and causing it to collapse. A precise dismantling that surprises the reader with the help of archival material, of theses that have, however, held true since the end of the fighting, showing that the famous "10 % chance" in the end neither the Third Reich nor Model had more.