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Tim Saunders

In Spring 1945 the outcome of the war was ritually certain but the mighty River Rhine still stood in the way of the Allies. Eisenhowers strategy was to guarantee a crossing in the Ruhr area by allocating the main effort to Montgomerys 21st Army Group. Montys task was to envelope and take out the last German war production and open the way onto the North German Plain. 

On the morning of 24 March 1945 the Normandy veterans of 6th British Airborne Division were to land just three to six miles in front of XII Corps, within supporting distance of their artillery, with the aim of linking up with the ground forces on day one. First in were the two parachute brigades, who benefited from the numbing effect of the Allied bombardment but by the time 6th Airlanding Brigade came in aboard their gliders, the German anti-aircraft gunners were recovering and, on the DZs, resisting and even counter-attacking the British and Canadian paratroopers. 

Casualties were heavy, not least because the Airlanding Brigade were gliding in amidst an Armoured kampfgruppe. Despite their presence, the glider infantry of the Ox and Bucks and the Ulster Rifles took their bridges and the Devons fought a desperate battle for the key village of Hammelkeln. By evening, despite heavy losses, General Bolss 6th Airborne Division had linked-up with XII Corps, the airborne objectives had been taken and the gateway onto the North German Plain and final victory was open.

Pen & Sword Aviation

Battleground The Rhine Crossing

Operation Varsity: The British & Canadian Airborne Assault

By late March 1945, Second British Army and Ninth US Army were poised to carry out an assault crossing of the Rhine. In the British part of the operations, Montgomerys best assault divisions were assembled to carry out the British and Canadian part of the attack between Emmerich and Wesel. 

A commando brigade and two Scottish divisions carried out the initial assault under cover of darkness and a tremendous bombardment on the evening of 23rd March. Despite the best efforts of the German first Parachute Army they had established a bridgehead by dawn. 

During the following morning 6th British Airborne Division dropped around Hamminkeln, in the immediate rear of the Germans, in an operation codenamed VARSITY. By 27 March, after some heavy combat, the Allies were prepared to launch their final drive to the Baltic. The Rhine crossing, though by no means the final battle, sealed the fate of Nazi Germany.

Pen & Sword Military

Operation Plunder: The British & Canadian Rhine Crossing

Andrew Rawson

A detailed account of “the last great set piece operation carried out by the western Allies during the Second World War … surprisingly comprehensive. ”—Pegasus Archive

By Spring 1945, with the Russians closing fast on Berlin from the East, the US and British Armies of Patton and Montgomery were faced with one major hurdle, the Rhine. Heavily defended by the Nazis, this obstacle would only be crossed by a massive operation requiring meticulous planning and bold execution.

The resulting operation involving 29 divisions was outstandingly successful. This book follows the river crossings by 30th and 79th US Divisions, codenamed Operation FLASHPOINT and the airdrop by 17th US Airborne Division (VARSITY). While covering quite different sectors, this book can be read in conjunction with its sister volumes Operation Varsity and Operation Plunder by Tim Saunders.

The Rhine Crossing: Operations Flashpoint & Varsity