Title:BATTLE FOR THE RHINELAND PART 1: OPERATION VERITABLE - THE FIRST THREE DAYS [Main Title]
Film Number:DRA 1561
Other titles:
Summary: First part of a historical overview of the Battle for the Rhine, 1945.
Description: The battle started on February 8th, 1945 and ended 31 days later on March 10th. It was a converging attack to close the west bank of the Rhine between Nijmegen and Düsseldorf by the 1st Canadian and 9th US Armies of Field Marshal Montgomery's 21st Army Group. The three-part film concentrates on the Northern pincer and the operations of the 1st Canadian Army, which had British 30 Corps under command. Its plan was for a lightning blow in massive strength to blast a way through the German West Wall defences South-East of Nijmegen and race to the Rhine opposite Wesel in about three or four days. In the event British and Canadian troops experienced some of the toughest fighting of the North West European Campaign, something their commanders planned to avoid. - Describes the background, planning, concentration and final assembly for the last set-piece battle on the Western front in World War II and in particular, the first three days fighting by 30 Corps in appalling conditions, using special task armour to overcome some of the difficulties.
