Operation PLUNDER was the overall name for 21st Army Group’s crossing of the Rhine but each of the major elements was known by its own codeword, TURNSCREW and TORCHLIGHT, the British assault river crossings; WIGEON, the attack by 1 Commando Brigade on Wesel and FLASHLIGHT, the crossing by XVI US Corps. Operation VARSITY, the airborne drop east of the river, was also a component of PLUNDER but 6th British Airborne Division’s part will be covered in a separate Battlegroundvolume, as will the American crossings immediately south of Wesel. Consequently, this book concentrates on the part played by the British XII and XXX Corps during Operation PLUNDER.
The Rhine Crossing was the last great set piece battle of the North West European Campaign. It was an immensely complicated operation launched in less than a month and just two weeks after the First Canadian Army reached the Rhine at Wesel. Second British Army, who were to command the crossing, was now a veteran formation, very different in character from that which landed in Normandy during June and July 1944. The headquarter staffs and the largely citizen officers and soldiers in the units they commanded, knew their jobs and realised that to finish the task they had to defeat the Germans.
Despite their mauling in the Battle of the Rhineland, defeating a resolute enemy whose only choice was unconditional surrender was never going to be easy. In addition, the Germans were defending their last strategic barrier, the mighty Rhine, which is three hundred yards wide between Rees and Wesel. The far bank was held by a mixture of troops, in the north, XXX Corps faced the fanatical II Fallschirmjäger Korps, while further south, XII Corps were opposed by the remains of 84th Volksgrenadier Division and the old men and boys of Germany’s last reserves. However, both German formations were supported by their own armour, as well as the reserve of panzers and panzer grenadiers from XLVII Panzer Korps, who could not be underestimated.
Operation PLUNDER is not without its controversies. Some critics of Montgomery’s battle have criticised the resources consumed and the casualties incurred, particularly amongst the airborne forces but this operation was General Eisenhower’s main effort. He had to get across the Rhine and deny the sustaining industrial capacity of the Ruhr to the enemy. ‘Sneak attacks’ across the river further to the south, could not deliver the knockout blow to Germany’s industry and nor it seemed, could the Allied bomber forces.
As usual, there are points of language that need explaining. Firstly, the terms referring to the earthen banks built to contain the Rhine floods, used in equal measure by contemporary authors, are ‘dyke’ and ‘bund’. The latter is one of many words taken into the British military lexicon as a result of service in India. Another interchangeable term is used to describe the amphibious landing craft used to take the infantry across the Rhine; the Landing Vehicle Tracked or LVT, which was also known in British service as the ‘Buffalo’. Finally, the term D Day is not confined to the landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944 but is used to indicate the day on which a specific operation is to take place. In the case of Operation PLUNDER, D Day was 24 March 1945, with preliminary operations taking place on the evening of D-1, the 23rd.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the Land Warfare Centre Library for access to their unrivalled collection of increasingly rare infantry regimental histories. These are absolutely essential in writing about an operation such as this. Kate – many thanks and a happy retirement.
Thanks and acknowledgements are due to Richard Hone, formerly of the REME and now of the xxxx Vehicle xxxx who helped me with armoured vehicle aspects of this book. I am most grateful for his expert assistance, in an area that is not my forte.
I would also like to thank those authors, publishers, regiments and corps who have allowed me to quote freely from their works. Without their generous support, a book like this would not be possible. Fellow Battleground author Andrew Rawson helped me with copies of maps from the US National Archive. His timely assistance with these helped me greatly.
Finally, thanks are due to the headquarters and museums of the British Army regiments who forced the crossing of the Rhine, for their help in putting me in touch with veterans and making available documents and maps that have not been previously published. As ever it is a pleasure to speak to Canadian military headquarters and museums, who see it as their job to actively promote and disseminate their regiments’ history. They give their time and resources freely, so many thanks are due to them and all those others who have helped make this book possible.
Whether at home or on the ground, enjoy the tour.
Tim Saunders
Warminster 2006
