A Time for Trumpets

The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge

By: Charles B. MacDonald

Narrated by: Traber Burns

Length: 28 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

On December 16, 1944, the vanguard of three German armies, totaling half a million men, attacked US forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg, achieving what had been considered impossible - total surprise. In the most abysmal failure of battlefield intelligence in the history of the US Army, 600,000 American soldiers found themselves facing Hitler's last desperate effort of the war.

The brutal confrontation that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge, the greatest battle ever fought by the US Army - a triumph of American ingenuity and dedication over an egregious failure in strategic intelligence. A Time for Trumpets is the definitive account of this dramatic victory, told by one of America's most respected military historians, who was also an eyewitness: MacDonald commanded a rifle company in the Battle of the Bulge. His account of this unique battle is exhaustively researched, honestly recounted, and movingly authentic in its depiction of hand-to-hand combat.

Mingling firsthand experience with the insights of a distinguished historian, MacDonald places this profound human drama unforgettably on the landscape of history.

©1985 Charles B. MacDonald (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Outstanding history

This is a highly detailed account of the Battle of the Bulge, perhaps the greatest single battle in American history. It incorporates grand strategy with individual accounts of soldiers and small units to make it both interesting and comprehensive.

The Battle of the Bulge 201

Being a Baby Boomer (1948), and having the honor of knowing many of the veterans of the Big One (WW II); I have had a burning curiosity of the war in the European and the Pacific fronts. Most veterans would not discuss their experiences when I was younger but would very occasionally tell of the heroics of others.
I knew some heroes from the Bulge campaign so it has held a special place. I thought I knew a lot about it until I listened to this book.
The history is direct, straightforward with just enough insight into heroes and goats to hold your interest. One of the best features is that it was written by a well published author who actually led a rifle group in the Bulge. He spent years in research. As a historian, this version is complete and outstanding. Enjoy.

Very detailed

Would you consider the audio edition of A Time for Trumpets to be better than the print version?

Have not read the printed version.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

You would have to be a serious historian of The Battle of the Bugle to keep up with all of the locations mentioned. Printed might be better so you could take the time to look at WWll maps of the battle.

Buy the written version

This book was well written and the audio version was well narrated BUT if you aren't in front of a map or are not intimately familiar with the geography and towns around the Ardennes you will find yourself completely lost. I'm usually out for a walk, run, or even on a stair climber while I listen to audiobooks and that did not work with this book.

Very detailed and insightful!

Great read, especially if you're new to the subject or have studied it for years. I highly recommend this book and author.

Outstanding book about the Battle of the Bulge

Well done book by Charles McDonald about a part of WWII history I did not have a good understanding of.

Read like a text book

I might need to listen to it again. I love Ww2 books and stories but this read like a documented account rather than a story. That said it was good enough for me to finish it and I still gave it 4/5 stars.

Captivating!

Loved it! A great tribute to the men and women who fought in the Ardenes in WWII. You can easily visualize every movement thanks to the skill of the narrator.

Reader struggled with French and German

Reader had a hard time with French and German words, detracted somewhat and was distracting

Boy does this book ever need a map.

I looked all over the internet to find a compatible map to go along with all the wonderful detail in this book and just could not come up with anything. If it had a map and a calendar I would would read it again and recommend it to any and all military historian. As it is it is still great, although with out a map it does tend to get a little tedious.