ABSTRACT

This book, first published in 1952, gives a detailed first-hand account by its commanding officer of the French First Army, from its successful landings in the South of France through its liberation of Marseilles and breakout across the Rhine and victory beyond the Danube. It is a remarkable campaign, overshadowed by the armies of the British and Americans in Northern Europe, and detailed here with precision and passion by one of France’s leading military minds.

part One|40 pages

The Armed Vigil

chapter Chapter 1|11 pages

The Weapon is Forged

chapter Chapter II|12 pages

‘Brassard'

chapter Chapter III|15 pages

‘Anvil-Dragoon'

part Two|102 pages

From the Mediterranean to the Vosges

chapter Chapter IV|7 pages

Rendezvous With France

chapter Chapter V|47 pages

Victory in Provence

chapter Chapter VI|46 pages

Pursuit to the Vosges

part Three|6 pages

The Harsh Autumn Sowing

chapter Chapter VII|12 pages

The Amalgamation

chapter Chapter VIII|30 pages

The Battle of the Vosges

part Four|192 pages

The Liberation of Alsace

chapter Chapter IX|72 pages

First to the Rhine

chapter Chapter X|16 pages

The Colmar Pocket: The Operations of December 1944

chapter Chapter XI|33 pages

Strasbourg Saved

chapter Chapter XII|69 pages

The Victory of Colmar *

part Five|123 pages

Rhine And Danube

chapter |3 pages

Rhine And Danube

chapter Chapter XIII|12 pages

The Entry Into Germany

chapter Chapter XIV|19 pages

The French First Army Crosses the Rhine

chapter Chapter XVI|44 pages

Annihilation in Four Instalments

chapter Chapter XVII|24 pages

Victory in Berlin