Reading the History: Battle of the Bulge.

In the winter of 1944–1945 , Hitler sought to divide Allied forces in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Luxembourg and Belgium. He deployed more than 400,000 troops in one of the last major German offensives of the war, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge, in a desperate attempt to regain the strategic initiative in the West.

Hitler's effort failed for a variety of reasons, but many historians assert that Lieutenant General George S. Patton Jr.'s Third Army was ultimately responsible for securing Allied victory. Although Patton has assumed a larger-than-life reputation for his leadership in the years since World War II, scholars have paid little attention to his generalship in the Ardennes following the relief of Bastogne.

In this book, Captain John Nelson Rickard explores the commander's operational performance during the entire Ardennes campaign, through his "estimate of the situation," the U.S. Army's doctrinal approach to problem-solving. 

Advance and Destroy

Patton as Commander in the Bulge

by John Nelson Rickard Ph.D.

University Press of Kentucky, 2018

Out of the Past
Book List
Artwork: General George S. Patton

Now Exploring "Elkhorn"

Driven by topophilia (love of place), former Kentucky Poet Laureate Richard Taylor focuses on the eight-mile stretch of the creek from the Forks of the Elkhorn to Knight's Bridge a few miles outside of Frankfort to provide a glimpse into the economic, social, and cultural transformation of Kentucky from wilderness to its current landscape. 

Taylor explores both the natural history of the region and the formation of the Forks community. He recounts the Elkhorn Valley's inhabitants from the earliest surveyors and settlers to artist Paul Sawyier, who memorably documented the creek in watercolors, oils, and pastels. Interspersed with photographs and illustrations ― contemporary and historic ― and intermixed with short vignettes about historical figures of the region, this book delivers a history that is by turns a vibrant and meditative personal response to the creek and its many wonders.

Elkhorn

Evolution of a Kentucky Landscape

by Richard Taylor

University Press of Kentucky, 2018

Book Notes Wild
Nature Writing and Natural Histories
The Nature Pages