Bounce the Rhine

In September 1944, Field Marshal Montgomery predicted that his armies would easily "bounce the Rhine" to strike a final, killing blow at the exposed heart of Hitler's Reich. Over the next eight months, nearly 20 major attempts would be made to breach the "Fatherland"—beginning with the disastrous Allied defeat at Arhem—only to be repulsed by an exhausted but resilient Wehrmacht. Montgomery's words seemed a hollow boast until, in April 1945, the hard-fought goal was finally achieved—at the staggering cost of thousands of British and American lives. From the foxhole to the command tent, here is an in-depth and personal account of the last great Allied assault of World War II—an unforgettable story of extraordinary courage and military folly, when strategic considerations took second place to the glory-seeking of top commanders.