Rhine River Crossing: Operation PLUNDER (Images of War)

After the Normandy break-out, the Allies' headlong dash east came to a halt in the autumn with the ill-fated MARKET GARDEN operation and over-extended supply lines short of the Rhineland. After repulsing the Nazis' daring Ardennes offensive, Montgomery's and Bradley's Army Groups cleared the Reichwald and Rhineland and closed on the Rhine. With both sides aware of the strategic significance of this physical barrier, the stakes could not have been higher. Eisenhower's plan involved a vast airborne assault by General Ridgway's XVII Airborne Corps (codename VARSITY) and the simultaneously coordinated river crossing by Monty's 21 Army Group codename PLUNDER with Dempsey's British Second Army and General William H. Simpson's US Ninth Army.

The assault crossing in March 1945 involved naval amphibious craft, air and artillery bombardment, and a diversionary attack by the British 1st Commando brigade at Wesel. In concert with VARSITY and PLUNDER, Patton's US Third Army Group crossed further south. This superbly illustrated and researched book describes the assault crossing, showcasing the triumph of strategic planning and tactical execution, sealing the fate of Hitler's 'Thousand Year Reich'.

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