Book Description
Traditional histories of the hard-fought Battle of the Bulge routinely include detailed lists of the casualties suffered by American, British, and German troops. Conspicuously lacking in most accounts, however, are references to the civilians in Belgium and Luxembourg who lost their lives in the same battle. Yet the most reliable current estimates calculate the number of civilians who perished in the Ardennes in six weeks of fighting at approximately three thousand. In gruesome detail, The Unknown Dead tells the story of ordinary people caught up in the maelstrom of war. Renowned historian Peter Schrijvers, a native Belgian, describes the horrific war crimes committed by German military units on the front lines and by Nazi security services behind the battle lines, as well as the devastating effects of Allied responses to the enemy threat, including massive bombings of small towns. Schrijvers also examines postwar concerns such as reconstruction, the formidable problem of abandoned land mines and explosives, and the occasionally emotional nature of relations between civilians and veterans. Based on recently discovered sources including numerous personal testimonies, municipal and parish records, and findings of the Belgian War Crimes Commission, The Unknown Dead vividly recounts the experiences of innocents in the chaos of battle.
About the Author
Peter Schrijvers has taught at universities in Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States, and he is currently a lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He is the author of several books, including The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II.
Unknown Dead: Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Traditional histories of the hard-fought Battle of the Bulge routinely include detailed lists of the casualties suffered by Americans, British, and German troops. Conspicuously lacking in most accounts, however, are references to the civilians in Belgium and Luxembourg who lost their lives in the same battle. Yet the most reliable current estimates calculate at approximately three thousand the number of civilians who perished during the six weeks of ferocious fighting." "Telling the harrowing stories of noncombatants caught up in the maelstrom of war, The Unknown Dead surveys this crucial battle and its consequences from an entirely new perspective. Peter Schrijvers, a native Belgian, describes in detail the horrific war crimes committed by German military units on the front lines and by Nazi security services behind the battle lines. He also reveals the devastating effects of Allied responses to the enemy threat, including incessant artillery barrages and massive bombings of small towns." During the offensive, inhabitants of the villages of this region of Belgium lived in a state of chaos. Countless men, women, and children were killed in cold blood for aiding American soldiers, whereas the GIs themselves were often highly suspicious of civilians so close to the German border. Local services ground to a halt, and citizens formed volunteer groups to obtain water and meet other basic needs. Even after the violence had ended and the postwar reconstruction had begun, the small communities remained in turmoil. The countryside was dotted with abandoned land mines and explosives. The emotional relations forged in battle between civilians and American veterans continue today.
Art & Photography
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