Fall of the Reich:D-Day, Arnhem, Bulge and Berlin电子书

Chapter One

Preparations for D-Day

German preparations continue

Rommel’s minefields

Anti-paratroop defences

German confidence

British reluctance

The indirect strategy

British doubts

Sledgehammer

The main attack at Dieppe

Churchill’s response

Brittany

The Normandy defences

New landing craft

Rocket-equipped LCTs

Hobart’s ‘funnies’

The Mulberry harbours

The build-up continues

Eisenhower becomes commander

Montgomery’s appointment

Eisenhower’s first victory

Allied exercises

Churchill’s concerns

D-Day objectives

Allied precautions

Final preparations

Deteriorating weather

Overlord launched

Chapter Two

D-Day

Aerial armada

Chaos on the ground

Hand-to-hand fighting

Furious bombardment

German guns destroyed

Rangers forced back

Sitting targets

Beachhead established

Armoured attack

German resistance

Rommel alerted

Hitler’s reaction

Chapter Three

Bloodbath in the Bocage

Das Reich delayed

‘Looney’ Hinde

The Great Storm

Slow progress

‘Air pulverisation’

Hitler furious

Allied fears

Epsom outcome

Churchill under pressure

Shermans vulnerable

The American attack begins

Chapter Four

Breakout

Rommel responds

The Panthers strike

Eisenhower ‘livid’

Monty’s masterstroke

Napalm introduced

Collins’ gamble

Rapid progress

Hitler’s blunder

Canadians annihilated

A costly victory

Chapter Five

Operation Anvil/Dragoon

German intervention

Luftwaffe in action

Counter insurgency forces

Weakening German forces

Landing site predicted

British reluctance

American commitment to Anvil

Planning begins

Thorough preparations

Diplomatic gaffe

Commando landings

Le Muy captured

Main Anvil landings

German withdrawal

Truscott’s trap

Chapter Six

Paris

Fickle Parisian support

Food shortages

Violence escalates

Von Choltitz

Gunshots near Paris

Police disarmed

Power vacuum

Shots in the streets

Compromise

Battle casualties

Forces north of Paris

Arrival in Paris

Official surrender

De Gaulle’s moment of triumph

Chapter Seven

Arnhem

The Meuse crossed

Troops sweep ahead

‘Victory disease’

In-fighting for glory

Political naïveté

Eisenhower in the middle

Corruption rampant

Logistic muddle

Montgomery’s plan

British command snub

Airborne troops

Swift advance

Hitler alerted

Road clogged

Urquhart missing

Monty’s courage

Chapter Eight

The Long Hard Slog

The German recovery

Von Rundstedt recalled

Postwar plans

Formidable defences

Stomach division

Hard-won advance

Heavy bombing

Lack of progress

Chapter Nine

The Ardennes Offensive

Idea for a counteroffensive

Sichelschnitt in action

Secrecy vital

German preparations

Hitler’s bold plan

Stealth by night

Ghost front

Surprise attack

Chaos spreads

Shock offensive

Eisenhower astute

Panic measures

German problems

Defence takes shape

Patton’s counterattack

Battle unfinished

V1 and V2 attacks

Chapter Ten

Crossing The Rhine

Natural obstacle

Allied plans for the crossing

Operation Veritable

Lack of bridges

Cologne taken

US bridgehead

Patton pushes forward

Allied disagreements

Belt and braces approach

Overwhelming forces

Smokescreen

Opening bombardment

Anti-climax

Scottish attack

Five bridgeheads established

Parachute attack

Daylight attack

Landings begin

Issel bridges taken

Allied success

Strategic reassessments

Chapter Eleven

The Fight to the Elbe

Allied advantages

Spent force

Final mission

Berlin no longer important

New tactics

The Ruhr taken

The Elbe reached

Patton’s advance

Roosevelt’s death

Bremen crushed

Allied advance

German surrender in Italy

Hitler’s end

Allied victory