Battle of the Bulge Graphic Novel

The Ardennes in Pictures

This illustrated history by Willy Harold Vassaux covers the Battle of the Bulge, the German counteroffensive launched in the Ardennes on December 16, 1944. It follows the fighting from the opening of Operation Wacht am Rhein through the encirclement of Bastogne and its relief by General Patton's armored divisions. The book suits WWII readers, reenactors and collectors who want the campaign told as a visual narrative rather than a text-heavy history.

Features

• 96-Page Single Volume — The whole account of the battle runs in one 96-page book, so there are no follow-on volumes to track down.
• Written and Drawn by Willy Vassaux — Vassaux is a history enthusiast and draftsman whose panel layouts take their cue from motion-picture framing.
• Operation Wacht am Rhein — The story opens with the German plan, code-named "Watch on the Rhine," to push through to the river Meuse and the port of Antwerp.
• Siege of Bastogne — Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe's encircled garrison and his famous one-word reply to the German surrender demand, "Nuts!", are central to the book.
• Allied Commanders Featured — Portraits of Generals Hodges, McAuliffe, Eisenhower, Patton and Bradley appear on the back cover.
• Detailed Period Hardware — The full-color artwork shows M4 Sherman tanks, P-51 Mustang fighters and GIs in M1 helmets and winter kit across snowbound forest.
• English-Language Text — The book is written in English and published by B.H.P. Editions.
• ISBN 9782960020021 — Use this number to confirm you have the right edition.

Story and Artwork

Vassaux treats the Bulge as one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles the Americans fought on the Western Front after D-Day, and the story covers more than 45 days of fighting in hard winter conditions. Each illustration sets out to show the men on the ground as accurately as possible, from frontline riflemen to the commanders directing the campaign. The cover pairs a snow-dusted Sherman and infantry with a P-51 overhead, and that level of equipment detail runs throughout the book.