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The Battle of the Reichswald - Rhineland February 1945 (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R559
Discovery Miles 5 590
You Save: R127
(19%)
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The Battle of the Reichswald - Rhineland February 1945 (Hardcover)
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List price R686
Loot Price R559
Discovery Miles 5 590
You Save R127 (19%)
Expected to ship within 9 - 15 working days
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During winter 1944/45 few German officers believed that the Allies
would attack the wooded Reichswald Plug on the narrow neck of land
between the rivers Rhine and Maas. Consequently, relying on the
natural defences of the forest, the vaunted Siegfried Line had been
allowed to peter out. The 84th Infantry Division held field
defences that had been worked on all autumn, but the defenders were
thinly spread, and most German soldiers now faced the certainty of
defeat. Originally hoping to use the frozen winter ground for a
speedy assault, days before Operation VERITABLE began a thaw set in
and the Allies faced attacking in the worst possible ground
conditions. On the morning of 8 February, after protracted
bombardment, delays multiplied as vehicles became bogged in
saturated fields and shell holes, and roads broke up under heavy
armour. However, just enough assault engineer equipment reached the
outer German defences, where they found the enemy infantry largely
stunned by the bombardment. It took all of the first day to break
through the mud and defences into the Reichswald, while to the
north, Canadians and Scots struggled across equally sodden open
country with the Rhine floods rising fast. Despite the conditions,
overnight the Canadians took to the flood waters to seize what were
now island villages and the Scots dashed to capture the vital
Materborn, which overlooked Kleve. With heavy rain compounding
difficulties, mud and flood waters made movement of men and
supplies increasingly difficult. Despite this and the arrival of
German reinforcements, the Allies fought their way forward, forcing
the Reichswald Plug and opening the way into the Rhineland and the
final phases of the war.
General
Imprint: |
Pen & Sword Military
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Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
February 2023 |
Authors: |
Tim Saunders
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Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
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ISBN-13: |
978-1-399-01086-3 |
Categories: |
Books
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LSN: |
1-399-01086-7 |
Barcode: |
9781399010863 |
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