One of three books in the Battleground series about the Rhine Crossing of March 1945, focusing on the landing of the 17th Airborne Division and the crossing of the 9th US Army, in what was the last great set piece operation carried out by the western Allies during the Second World War. The 9th Army quickly secured a foothold on the eastern bank against relatively little opposition and made steady progress towards the airborne troops, who, landing on heavily defended drop zones overlooked by anti-aircraft weapons, had a much more eventful experience, but despite very heavy casualties were able to secure all of their objectives within a few hours. As with all books in the Battleground series, the concise narrative succeeds in cramming an impressive amount of detailed information, first hand accounts, as well as a great many photographs and maps, into a remarkably small space. As such while it can be used solely as a battlefield guide, it also makes for an easy to read and surprisingly comprehensive introduction to the subject.

Pegasus Archive, Mark Hickman