Snow and Steel

Peter Caddick-Adams is a writer and broadcaster who specialises in military history, defence and security issues. He previously lectured in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy for twenty years, and in Air Power for the Royal Air Force. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, he also spent thirty-five years as an officer in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, and has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained first class honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. His previous works include Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives (2011), Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell (2012), and Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944–45 (2014).

"Caddick-Adams is probably the best military historian of his generation, and Snow and Steel is the definitive account of one of the key punctuation marks in history, when the western Allies thwarted Germany's last attempt to turn the tide of the Second Word War. Caddick-Adams combines a sweeping command of politics and strategy with authoritative detail worthy of Ian Fleming, and deep empathy for the individual characters in the story. His opening portrait of Hitler, turning in a moment from a 'broken man' to a passionate orator as he outlines the plans for Operation Autumn Mist is a masterly opening to a work combining scholarship and readability in perfect balance." Professor Chris Bellamy "Peter Caddick-Adams's SNOW AND STEEL offers readers, at long last, the entirety of the German Ardennes Offensive of 1944-5, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge. Until now the story of the Bulge has been recounted unevenly, in bits and pieces and with emphasis upon pockets of heroism and horror. This book's singular achievement is to offer a balanced view of the strategy and tactics of both sides. Writing with authority yet wearing his scholarship lightly, Caddick-Adams offers an encyclopedic and immersive narrative of the battle that was, in Churchill's words, "an ever-famous American victory." Andrew Roberts "Peter Caddick-Adams is fast emerging as one of our most authoritative and exciting military historians. His immense knowledge and understanding oozes off every page of his utterly absorbing book. Combining analysis with anecdote, this is a thought-provoking and compelling account of one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War. Brilliant." James Holland "Snow and Steel is a fresh re-telling of a widely known story. Throughout the narrative Peter Caddick-Adams transitions smoothly back and forth between the highest strategic and operational echelons, down to the level of the frontline GI and Landser. The result is a rich tapestry of the single largest battle in American history." Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, PhD "Snow and Steel tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge from foxhole to the Fuhrer's Command Headquarters leaving the reader with a new appreciation for the largest battle America fought in the Second World War. With a soldier's insight into the flow and fog of battle, Snow and Steel demonstrates why Peter Caddick-Adams rates highly among the new generation of battlefield historians. A must have and must read for students of the European War." LTC (Ret) Roger Cirillo, PhD