A furious all-or-nothing German winter counterattack caught the Allies by surprise. Their lines shattered, American soldiers fought with guns and guts and bayonets to slow down the onslaught; fought to separate their comrades from Germans dressed in US uniforms; fought to survive the horrors of such battle sites as Baraque de Fraiture, Elsenborn Ridge, or the infamous Malmedy massacre of unarmed POWs. When it was over, the Allies had suffered 81,000 casualties; the Germans, 125,000.

A Blood-Dimmed Tide sweeps readers into the most cataclysmic World War II land battle—from tank duels to hand-to-hand combat and guerilla warfare. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, private diaries, and reports, historian Gerald Astor recreates the battle fought in the snowy hills of Belgium and reveals the conflict as an astonishing battle for survival against atrocious conditions and a determined enemy.