Synopses & Reviews
The West Wall (or the Siegfried Line as the Allies called it) played a crucial role in the bitter fighting of 1944 and 1945 in North-West Europe. Constructed in the period immediately after the remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936, the Wall stretched for 300 miles from Cleve in the north to the Swiss Border and consisted of some 14,000 pillboxes. The Wall initially blunted the US attack, and Hitler used it as a foundation from which to launch the Ardennes Offensive. This title takes a detailed look at the development and form of this key fortification, examining the principles of its defence in visual depth, and discussing its fate in the wake of the Allied onslaught.
Synopsis
Design, technology and history of key fortresses, strategic positions and defensive systems. Each book examines the history, evolution, military architecture and natural setting of the world's most important fortification systems. Cutaway artwork and exploded diagrams reveal the key features of each subject. This book examines the development, construction and defensive principles of this remarkable fortification, detailing the part it played in blunting the initial US attack, and in the launch of Hitler's Ardennes Offensive.
About the Author
After completing an Honours Degree in History at the University of Lancaster, Neil Short gained a Master's Degree in Military History at the University of Leeds. He is a fully qualified Management Accountant working for the Ministry of Defence, but in his spare time undertakes research on World War II. Neil lives and works in Bristol, UK.