Patton's Ghost Corps

In December, Hitler launched an ambitious offensive through the Ardennes aimed at splitting the Allied armies and reaching the port of Antwerp. To counter this massive attack, all available troop units were rushed to the area, with Third Army counterattacking the "Bulge" from the south. Except for Maj. Gen. Walton Walker's XX Corps, "The Ghost Corps", Patton advanced north against the Germans, taking all the tanks with him. XX Corps was left behind to defend the entire Third Army frontline. Walker's primary combat force was the 94th Infantry Division, a "draftee" unit, new to the area. Facing them in the fighting in December and January were combat-seasoned and well-equipped German troops. When the Ghost Corps finally went on the offensive, it was the 94th Division that was called on to attack across the Saar River, dislodge the enemy from their excellent defensive positions, and open the Siegfried Line to other Third Army forces. The draftees of the 94th proved their mettle in a series of bloody and hazardous small-unit actions. Author Nathan N. Prefer, through indefatigable research in primary sources, takes the reader down to squad level and many times to individuals who distinguished themselves with heroic acts. In a situation in which the deck had been stacked against them, Prefer shows that the American draftees outfought their German foes even when outnumbered and outgunned.