The Rhineland 1945: The Final Push into Germany (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

By Ken Ford

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275982696
• ISBN13: 9780275982690
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Praeger Pub Text
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 0.5" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Good overview of the operations before the Rhine in 1945

The clear intention of The Rhineland 1945 book is to provide neophite military buff or the beleagured student of history with a barebones generalized overview of the operations leading up to the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945. Anyone familiar with this period, wanting more specialized or in-depth studies would, I would presume, know well enough that based on the format of the series, that one is not to expect all that much from such a slim volume. That said, I find this book to be an very good introduction to this period of the war in Western Europe. The book is written in such a way that it can stand alone or act as a continuation of the books dealing with earlier campaigns. I found the format logical, the layout and design excellent, and the selection of pictures suitable for evoking the realities of the fighting conditions.