The two-month period after the Allied breakout from Normandy was one of constant withdrawal (Rückzug) for the Wehrmacht. Ludewig, an officer in the German Army Reserve, presents an excellent operational study (here in uncredited translation from the German) of how the weakened German units managed to pull back while under attack, form defensive lines, and temporarily halt the enemy. He asserts that if the Allies had been better organized, they might have been able to drive across the Rhine River in late 1944, as the Germans feared, possibly ending the war several months earlier. The German withdrawal was characterized by better military doctrine, training, and experience of German officers and troops at all levels, while the Allies had logistical problems, political concerns, and a wider area to cover.
VERDICT Extensively documented from German sources, with this English edition edited by retired U.S. Army Major General Zabecki, this superior work is for all serious students of World War II military maneuvers.
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