Breaking the Siegfried Line: Rhineland, February 1945

During the 1945 Rhineland Campaign, the 3rd Canadian Division and 15th Scottish Division fought to clear villages and dykes, while the Guards Armoured Brigade, 79th Armoured Division, and Scottish infantry faced stiff German resistance. General Horrocks released 43rd Wessex Division and 8 Armoured Brigade into the corridor between the floods and the Reichswald, resulting in a terrible traffic jam. German reaction was to send their surviving panzer and panzergrenadier formations south to counterattack.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

In this second installment of Tim Saunders' comprehensive account of the opening stage of the 1945 Rhineland Campaign, the focus shifts to the northern region of the Reichswald, encompassing the flood plain of the River Rhine and a narrow strip of slightly higher ground. Amidst the rapidly escalating flood waters, the 3rd Canadian Division earned the moniker 'The Water Rats' as they valiantly battled to clear villages and dykes, while on their right, the 15th Scottish Division courageously fought through the German outer defenses, encountering severe bogging in their tanks before facing the formidable Siegfried Line defenses. Despite being misled by an inaccurate assessment of allied intent, German resistance to the Guards Armoured Brigade, the specialist assault vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division, and the Scottish infantry proved formidable as they breached the anti-tank ditches and bunkers. Seeking to maintain the momentum of their offensive, General Horrocks, the commander of XXX Corps, deployed the 43rd Wessex Division and 8 Armoured Brigade into the narrow corridor between the floods and the Reichswald, inadvertently resulting in a catastrophic traffic jam. Nevertheless, the resilient West Country soldiers and tanks swiftly advanced into the badly bombed ruins of Kleve, marking the first significant German city to fall under British control. In response to the attack on the 'Reichswald plug,' the German forces initiated a strategic move by sending their surviving panzer and panzergrenadier formations southward, intending to launch counterattacks to thwart the allied offensive that was poised to expand into the Rhineland.

Weight: 862g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399055284