The Battle of the Bulge; (Abridged version of Dark December, originally published by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company)
New York, N.Y. Ballantine Books, 1957. Second Printing [stated]. Mass market paperback. viii, 182, [2] pages. Maps. Some page browning. Foreword, and chapters on Wacht am Rhein: The German Plan; Eisenhower's Great Decision; All Quiet; The Penetration; The Crisis (December 18-26); The Dying Gasp (December 26-January 16); and An Inventory. Also includes 8 black and white maps. Based on German and Allied Sources, the true story of an amazing battle. The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last, desperate bid for victory in the West. From the time when Hitler first conceived the plan for the Ardennes offensive to the day when the last, isolated Panzer units were destroyed, here is the detailed amazing story of a great battle: Why American commanders were taken by surprise; How Companies and Platoons stood off Panzer brigades; What really happened as Bastogne--and what the press reported; and Why the Allies, though badly mauled, were able to snatch victory from defeat. Robert Edward Merriam (October 2, 1918 – 1988) from 1942 to 1946, was a captain in the United States Army. From 1946 to 1947, Merriam authored Dark December: the Full Account of the Battle of the Bulge. From 1947 to 1955, Merriam was an alderman in Chicago and chairman of the Commission on Housing and Emergency Commission on Crime. During this period he co-authored The American Government: Democracy in Action. From 1955 to 1958, Merriam served as an assistant director at the US Bureau of Budget. He authored Going Into Politics in 1957. Merriam ended his government career after serving as deputy assistant to the president under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1958 to 1961. More