Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944 by Ken Ford

Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944 by Ken Ford

The assault crossing of the River Seine by the British 43rd (Wessex) Division in August 1944 remains one of the most important operations of the closing stages of the Second World War. Once the obstacle of the great river had been overcome, General Horrocks unleashed the armour of XXX Corps on their historic dash across northern France and Belgium.Assault Crossing - Ken Ford's classic account of this critical battle - is the story of one British division pitted against one German division. On one side, a fully equipped, battle-hardened unit made up of soldiers from the ancient Kingdom of Wessex, backed by some of the best artillery in the world and supported by tanks. On the other side, a much-depleted, second-rate, static division of men of various nationalities conscripted to fight a war for Germany that was already lost. On paper the British were assured of success, but between the two opposing armies lay the Seine - 680 feet of open water, overlooked by high chalk cliffs riddle with defensive strongpoints. The Germans were waiting. In hindsight, the battle was described as an epic operation and used as an example to train future generations of soldiers. In reality, as with most battles, it was something of a shambles, lurching from crisis to crisis until the eventual bridgehead was secured. In his graphic narrative Ken Ford gives a fascinating insight into the planning of the operation and the confusion of the battlefield, and he records, using eyewitness testimony, what the battle was really like for the soldiers who were there.

This book is an interesting examination of how a well drilled army can successfully cope with setbacks and still achieve its objectivesThe book was written while many of the veterans were still alive, and so Ford is able to include many eyewitness accounts of the action, which give it an immediacy often lacking in more modern books. - History of War

Ken Ford was born in Hampshire, UK, in 1943. He trained as an engineer, but now spends his time as an author and a bookseller specialising in military history. Ken has made a long term study of many of the battles of World War II and has already published books on the Assault crossing of the River Seine in 1944 and the battle for Geilenkirchen.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781848845763
ISBN 10	1848845766
Title	Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944
Author	Ken Ford
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2012-06-01
Number of pages	208
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.