Featured battle : Battle of Stamford Bridge

Part of War of the Confessor's Succession

Date : 25 September 1066

Harold Godwinson marched the Saxon army from London to Tadcaster in six days. Without pausing he marched on through York and took Hardrada and Tostig by surprise. An attempted defence of the Derwent crossing soon failed and battle was begun. The combat was long and hard but eventually the Saxon's succeeded. Only 24 ships were needed to carry the survivors of the Norse army which had arrived in 300 ships.

Hitler's Ardennes Offensive

Danny S Parker Ed.
This second book from the same stable [see 'Battle of the Bulge, a German view' reviewed earlier] follows on to deal with the period of attack and its ultimate failure. I felt a privileged and fascinating insight into the Battle of the Bulge. I particularly valued the detail about the attempts to take Bastogne. I have come to realise that the seemingly exaggerated American accounts of the 'glorious defence' are neither exaggerations nor understatements. The book suffers from the same fault as its predecessor in being short on maps, the reader needs a fairly large scale map to fully understand the detail of the manoeuvres. Reading with a map really rewards the effort.
Our view is that this a very good piece of work by the editor and is thoroughly recommended to all who who wish to gain greater insights into the Second World War in Europe.

Frontline Books. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2016