Forgotten Victory : First Canadian Army and the Cruel Winter Of 1944-45 by Mark Zuehlke read online book PDF, MOBI, TXT
9781771621052 English 1771621052 During the Winter of 1944-45, the Western Allies Desperately sought a strategy that would lead to Germany's quick defeat. In the battlefields, the troops of First Canadian Army engaged in deadly patrols behind the German lines and fought short, sharp, often costly skirmishes to gain control of small patches of contested ground. Allied high command finally decided that First Canadian Army would initiate an attack to take the Rhineland, the launching point for crossing the Rhine and driving into Germany's heartland. But Hitler ordered an attack on Antwerp, which became the Battle of the Bulge, and in the time it took to drive the Germans back, the first thaws began. Anticipating the Allied attack, the Germans broke dams and dykes to inundate the Rhine's flood plain and deployed thousands of troops behind fortified defensive lines and under the cover of dense forests. On February 8, 1945. First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle that would last for thirty-eight days. For the Canadians who fought there, names of battlegrounds like Moyland Wood and the Hochwald Gap would forever call up memories of uncommon heroism, endurance, and tragic sacrifice. Book jacket., During the winter of 194445 the Allies desperately sought a strategy for Germany s quick defeat. From the Swiss border to the North Sea, hundreds of thousands of soldiers in trenches and dugouts suffered through the bitterest European winter in 50 years, while their generals debated and schemed in the war rooms. In this grim environment, First Canadian Army engaged in deadly patrols behind the German lines and fought costly skirmishes to gain control of small patches of contested ground. After much debate, the Allied high command decided that First Canadian Army would launch the pivotal offensive to win the war an attack against the Rhineland. Winning this land would give them a launching point for driving into Germany s heartland. On February 8, 1945, First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Advancing on the heels of the greatest artillery bombardment yet fired by the western Allies, thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle. Infantrymen were forced to fight relentlessly, alone and often at close quarters, for 38 grueling days. Their story is one largely lost to the common national history of World War II "Forgotten Victory" gives this important legacy back to Canadians.", During the winter of 1944–45, the western allies desperately sought a strategy that would lead to Germany's quick defeat. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in trenches and dugouts suffered through the bitterest European winter in fifty years. The Allied high command decided that First Canadian Army would launch the pivotal offensive to win the war—an attack against the Rhineland, an area of Germany on the west bank of the Rhine. Winning this land would give them a launching point for crossing the river and driving into Germany’s heartland. But before the Allies could strike, Hitler launched a massive offensive towards Antwerp, the Battle of the Bulge. By the time the Germans were driven back to their start lines, the first thaws had begun. Previously frozen ground, ideal for mobile warfare, had turned to quagmire. Anticipating the Allied attack, the Germans broke dams and dykes to inundate great swaths of the Rhine's floodplain. On February 8, 1945, First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Advancing on the heels of the greatest artillery bombardment yet fired by the western Allies, thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle under orders to surrender not an inch of German soil. Infantrymen were forced to fight relentlessly, with little support and often in close quarters, for thirty-eight gruelling and costly days.
9781771621052 English 1771621052 During the Winter of 1944-45, the Western Allies Desperately sought a strategy that would lead to Germany's quick defeat. In the battlefields, the troops of First Canadian Army engaged in deadly patrols behind the German lines and fought short, sharp, often costly skirmishes to gain control of small patches of contested ground. Allied high command finally decided that First Canadian Army would initiate an attack to take the Rhineland, the launching point for crossing the Rhine and driving into Germany's heartland. But Hitler ordered an attack on Antwerp, which became the Battle of the Bulge, and in the time it took to drive the Germans back, the first thaws began. Anticipating the Allied attack, the Germans broke dams and dykes to inundate the Rhine's flood plain and deployed thousands of troops behind fortified defensive lines and under the cover of dense forests. On February 8, 1945. First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle that would last for thirty-eight days. For the Canadians who fought there, names of battlegrounds like Moyland Wood and the Hochwald Gap would forever call up memories of uncommon heroism, endurance, and tragic sacrifice. Book jacket., During the winter of 194445 the Allies desperately sought a strategy for Germany s quick defeat. From the Swiss border to the North Sea, hundreds of thousands of soldiers in trenches and dugouts suffered through the bitterest European winter in 50 years, while their generals debated and schemed in the war rooms. In this grim environment, First Canadian Army engaged in deadly patrols behind the German lines and fought costly skirmishes to gain control of small patches of contested ground. After much debate, the Allied high command decided that First Canadian Army would launch the pivotal offensive to win the war an attack against the Rhineland. Winning this land would give them a launching point for driving into Germany s heartland. On February 8, 1945, First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Advancing on the heels of the greatest artillery bombardment yet fired by the western Allies, thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle. Infantrymen were forced to fight relentlessly, alone and often at close quarters, for 38 grueling days. Their story is one largely lost to the common national history of World War II "Forgotten Victory" gives this important legacy back to Canadians.", During the winter of 1944–45, the western allies desperately sought a strategy that would lead to Germany's quick defeat. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in trenches and dugouts suffered through the bitterest European winter in fifty years. The Allied high command decided that First Canadian Army would launch the pivotal offensive to win the war—an attack against the Rhineland, an area of Germany on the west bank of the Rhine. Winning this land would give them a launching point for crossing the river and driving into Germany’s heartland. But before the Allies could strike, Hitler launched a massive offensive towards Antwerp, the Battle of the Bulge. By the time the Germans were driven back to their start lines, the first thaws had begun. Previously frozen ground, ideal for mobile warfare, had turned to quagmire. Anticipating the Allied attack, the Germans broke dams and dykes to inundate great swaths of the Rhine's floodplain. On February 8, 1945, First Canadian Army launched Operation Veritable. Advancing on the heels of the greatest artillery bombardment yet fired by the western Allies, thousands of Canadian and British troops advanced into an inferno of battle under orders to surrender not an inch of German soil. Infantrymen were forced to fight relentlessly, with little support and often in close quarters, for thirty-eight gruelling and costly days.