Glenn Flickinger marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge with historian Walter S. Zapotoczny, author of The 28th Infantry Division and the Battle of the Bulge: Combat, Faith, and Perseverance. The book is a close study of how the men of Pennsylvania’s “Keystone Division” held the line in the Ardennes in December 1944–January 1945, and what kept them fighting when the odds were against them. Drawing on extensive firsthand accounts, he follows the 28th as it stretches across the 25-mile front on the German border, absorbs the shock of Hitler’s last offensive, and defends key positions in Belgium and Luxembourg.

Zapotoczny is less interested in re-telling the battle map than in examining motivation, morale, and belief. The book looks closely at how soldiers understood “the American way of life,” how Army chaplains ministered under fire, and how faith and camaraderie shaped endurance in combat. Based in part on his doctoral research on the 28th Division at the Bulge, the study blends operational history with social and religious history to explain why these citizen-soldiers kept going when retreat seemed like the only rational option.

It’s a focused, 240-page narrative—illustrated with photos and maps—well-suited to readers who want to understand what the Battle of the Bulge looked and felt like from the foxhole level, especially in one hard-hit American division.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!