An extensively illustrated look at what daily life was like for a regular American soldier fighting in this major World War II battle. On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched operation Wacht am Rhein in the Ardennes, an all-out gamble to regain the initiative in western Europe. American troops and the local population were caught completely unprepared. Over the following month, a million men and thousands of tanks and aircrafts set southern Belgium and Luxembourg ablaze. Towns including Bastogne, Malmédy, and La Gleize dominated the front pages of newspapers across the world and will forever be associated with some of the bloodiest fighting and harshest conditions of the war.  Through collections of artifacts, photos, letters, and testimonies, this book takes a fresh and immersive look at the day-to-day conditions of American soldiers in the Ardennes, and at the circumstances that drew them there from a world away.Through historical documents, Denis Hambucken has managed to accurately reconstruct the daily life of an American soldier in impressive detail. The author also takes a closer look at the weapons, equipment, and personal belongings of the soldiers who fought at the Western front, while sharing numerous personal anecdotes and moving stories.