Rhineland: The Battle to End the War

by W. Denis Whitaker, Shelagh Whitaker

Book by Whitaker, Denis, Whitaker, Shelagh, Whitaker, W. Denis

Genres: World War II

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Norman Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written account of the battles that cleared the Rhineland in Germany in February and early March, 1945, leading to the breakout that finally saw the German armies in full retreat in the west. Denis Whitaker, who wrote this with his wife, Shelagh (whose name is on the cover of the book but not listed here on Goodreads), was Lt-Col commanding the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Canadian) during the battle and he brings a perspective to the fighting that most historians do not have. His focus is on the First Canadian Army (which had a very large British component) more than the US Ninth Army but there are plenty of historians who write about the US Army in the Second World War, so this is a somewhat different point of view.

In general, the Whitakers keep the reader well informed about what is going on. In many of these types of history, the reader can be left confused by the personal stories of Pvt X and Major Y and so on. The authors seem to be able to switch back and forth between the personal experience and overview rather well.

The very many stories of young men, Canadian, British, American, and German, being killed make for very tough reading at times; this is not a history that glorifies war.

And, they can be judgmental. The Canadian generals, Crerar and Simonds, don't come out of this looking like military geniuses, and the authors provide their reasons.

They also supplied a host of maps, which is something I find lacking in many histories, but that's a pet peeve.

[Maxwell Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

How one can learn a lot about the Rhineland Campaign, especially on its 80th anniversary!

The Whitaker couple wrote a great resource on the battles, strategies, tactics, orders of battle, and the people involved in the Rhineland Offensive in early 1945. To be honest, I did not really know a lot about this part of WWII, but after reading it, I am shocked to learn of its sheer bloodshed, vastness of armies, and strategic importance for both Allies and Axis.

A must read for WWII learners.

[Iain · Rating 1 out of 5]

After having read 90% of this title on-and-off over a period of months, I finally gave up, something I'd never done so deeply into a book.

The author's did an admirable job in capturing the sacrifice of so many in such a senselessly lead offensive. But making an engaging read out of such a miserable grind was too much for their talents.

[Patti St · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for more information about the Americans,especially 42nd Rainbow Division, which it did not have. It was mostly the British encounter. It was interesting and very sad at the same time. Lots of lost lives. Very brave soldiers.

[Karen]

couldn't finish it