Reichswald, battle of

The Oxford Companion to World War II | 2001 | 700+ words | Copyright

Reichswald, battle of. The Reichswald is a large tract of forest situated south-west of Cleves. In February 1945, during the battle for Germany, it was the scene of bitter fighting as Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian Twenty-First Army Group closed to the Rhine (see VERITABLE). The Germans had constructed no fewer than five lines of defences in the forest and matters were made worse by a sudden thaw, accompanied by heavy rain. Furthermore, the Germans had flooded much of the area, forcing the British and Canadian troops under the command of Crerar's First Canadian Army to advance on a narrow front. The result was slow progress and heavy casualties, in spite of much use of RAF Bomber Command to bomb objectives before they were attacked. Indeed, the battle bore marked similarities to the Western Front of the First World War. Not until 9 March was the Reichswald finally cleared.

Charles Messenger

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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Reichswald, battle of." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Reichswald, battle of." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Reichswaldbattleof.html

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Reichswald, battle of." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Reichswaldbattleof.html

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