In December 1944, the Allied forces thought their campaign for securing Europe was in its final stages. Hitler’s army had retreated, and Eisenhower and his generals expected to finish him off once the snow melted. Yet Germany had one last great surprise attack still planned. Hitler’s secretly massed forces suddenly broke through Allied lines in the Ardennes Forest and threatened to recover much of Belgium and beyond. This was the start of some of the most intense fighting in World War II: the Battle of the Bulge.

Alone in a chapel on December 23, 1944, after ten days of horrific weather conditions and warfare, General Patton famously asked God, “Sir, whose side are you on?” For the next four days, as the skies cleared, the Allied could fly again, the Nazis were contained, and the outcome of the war was ensured.

Renowned historian and author Stanley Weintraub weaves together the stories of ordinary soldiers and their generals to recreate the dramatic, crucial narrative of a miraculous shift of luck in the midst of a ferocious battle. 11 Days in December is an extraordinary and unforgettable chapter from the most significant war of the modern era.