Full Description
The battle for the Rhineland was brutal in the extreme. Eisenhower's broad front policy called for the whole of the Rhineland to be taken before pushing his troops across the Rhine and into Germany itself. The Germans opened the Roer dams in a vain bid to temper this massive Allied offensive, and this called for a drastic change in tactics. The ensuing battle was characterized by amphibious assaults on the fortified villages of the flooded Rhine lowlands, frontal assaults on the vaunted Siegfried Line and grim fighting for the Reichswald Forest. It was to be the last great killing ground in the west.The battle for the Rhineland was brutal in the extreme. Eisenhower's broad front policy called for the whole of the Rhineland to be taken before pushing his troops across the Rhine and into Germany itself. The Germans opened the Roer dams in a vain bid to temper this massive Allied offensive, and this called for a drastic change in tactics. The ensuing battle was characterized by amphibious assaults on the fortified villages of the flooded Rhine lowlands, frontal assaults on the vaunted Siegfried Line and grim fighting for the Reichswald Forest. It was to be the last great killing ground in the west.
Contents
Origins of the battle; opposing commanders; opposing armies; opposing plans; operation "Veritable"; operation "Grenade"; the final battle; aftermath; the battlefield today; wargaming the Rhineland battles.
