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Walcheren 1944: Storming Hitler's island fortress (Campaign) Paperback – June 21, 2011

by Richard Brooks (Author), Graham Turner (Illustrator)

10 customer reviews

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Osprey's study of the Walcheren campaign of World War II (1939-1945). Walcheren is a saucer-shaped island in the estuary of the river Scheldt, commanding maritime access to Antwerp, the largest port in Western Europe. The Allies captured Antwerp intact on September 4, 1944, but their eyes were on the Rhine crossings at Arnhem, not the lower Scheldt. The failure of Operation Market-Garden later that month brought home the Allies' logistical weakness. As autumn gales drew near, every shell and petrol tin had still to be landed at Cherbourg or across the Normandy beaches. Complete US Army divisions were immobilized for lack of transport. It was vital to re-open Antwerp. The continued German presence on Walcheren, however, prevented Allied shipping from entering the Scheldt.

In the fall of 1944, Walcheren had the most heavily fortified coastline in the world. Its seaward defences consisted of 30 coastal and field batteries, mounting 50-60 guns from 75mm to 220mm in caliber, manned by high quality naval personnel behind massive concrete emplacements. Supporting strongpoints had anti-aircraft guns, flame-throwers rocket-launchers and Goliath remote controlled demolition vehicles. The sand dunes protecting the low-lying island from the North Sea were laced with barbed wire, mines and dragon's teeth. Defending infantry came from Generalleutnant Wilhelm Daser's 70.Infanterie-Division, a 'white bread division' consisting of men with gastric problems. Allied intelligence estimated the total garrison at 4,000, but 8,000 eventually surrendered.

On November 1, 1944, in a double-pronged attack, the men of 52nd (Lowland) Division plus No. 4 Army Commando seized Flushing (Infatuate I) while in the west 4th Special Service Brigade with three Royal Marine Commandos and No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando would take Westkapelle, and fight their way north and south along the dunes, taking the coastal batteries as they went (Infatuate II). All this was to be supported with HMS Warspite and two 15-inch gun monitors; the Support Squadron Eastern Flank (SSEF) with 25 specialized Landing Craft with guns and rockets; 350 Army guns south of the Scheldt, most of them heavier than 25-pounders; and the Typhoon and Spitfire fighter bombers of 84 Group RAF.

In fighting described by one survivor as 'worse than Dieppe and D-Day put together' the Army and Royal Marines forced their way ashore, supported by specialized armour and tracked vehicles, and over the next eight days cleared the positions of their German defenders in bitter street fighting.

The first Liberty ships unloaded at Antwerp on December 1, just over a fortnight before the Ardennes offensive began. If Walcheren had not fallen when it did, opening Antwerp just in time, the Allies would have been hard pressed to withstand the German attack, or replace the fuel stocks lost in its opening days, let alone cross the Rhine in the following spring, and meet the Russians on the Elbe. The Walcheren campaign was not merely a dramatic combined operation pulled off against the odds; it helped determine the course of the war and the shape of the post-war world.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Brooks is a freelance military historian with a BA in Modern History from Oxford University and an MSc in International Relations from Southampton University. With numerous published books and articles, his recent work includes Cassell's Battlefields of Britain and Ireland (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005) and The Royal Marines: 1664 to the Present (Constable & Robinson, 2002).

Series: Campaign (Book 235)
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing; First Edition edition (June 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1849082375
ISBN-13: 978-1849082372
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 9.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 10 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #324 in Books > History > Europe > Netherlands
- #3712 in Books > History > Military > Strategy
- #17237 in Books > History > Military > World War II

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Good analysis of an important battle

BySteven PetersonTOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon January 7, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a work in the Osprey Campaign series. Osprey has created a niche in works on history. The books are normally rather brief, published on slick paper, featuring many photos and drawings and maps. In short, for a person who wants to get a fairly quick overview of a subject, these books provide a useful contribution.

This volume focuses on the Allied success over German troops at Welcheren in 1944. Welcheren was the key to access to the ports of Antwerp. After D-Day, supplies to Allied troops had a long path--from the French landing zones to the front. If Antwerp could become a logistics center, supplying Allied troops would become much more efficient.

The format: An introduction to the strategic importance of Welcheren. As long as German forces held this spot of land, access to Antwerp was not practical. The book proceeds by looking at the actors and the battle itself. The Allied officers, it appears, were much better as a group than the German leaders. The opposing forces are described, with the order of battle appearing on pages 22-23.

What of the opposing plans of the Allies versus the Germans? The German forces were not as well integrated as desirable. The Allies developed a complex plan for amphibious landings. As part of their preparation, they bombed some dikes, leading to flooding in the low lying land. One advantage? Some German artillery ended up under water.

The heart of the book is the analysis of the various elements of the battle for Allies to seize Walcheren. There are many maps and other diagrams to help the reader make sense of the complex assault by the Allies. The book concludes with a view of the aftermath and a short summary of how the battlefield stands up today.

All in all, it does well what it does. If you want a detailed examination of this conflict, this volume will not do. For those (like me) who want a quick introduction to the battle but with enough detail to make sense of it, this is a nice work.

55 comments 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

For want of a nail...

ByHMS WarspiteTOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon December 5, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

When Montgomery's 21st Army Group captured the vital Belgium port of Antwerp in early September 1944, Montgomery's attention was focused east into the Netherlands and Germany, and not on a supply route from the North Sea. As a result, the German 15th Army escaped destruction and made a bastion of the island of Walcheren, blocking sea access to Antwerp and forcing the Allies to continue to rely on supplies brought over the Normandy beaches. Only after the failure of Operation Market-Garden would Montgomery attempt to rectify his error. The Canadian First Army was given the mission of clearing the Schelde Estuary and assaulting Walcheren.

"Walcheren 1944" is an Osprey Campaign Series book by Richard Brooks, with illustrations by Graham Turner. The campaign has been rather neglected in histories of the Second World War. This book provides an informative introduction to the campaign, an innovative combined arms effort involving the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and Royal Marines. The narrative moves quickly through the opposing commanders and their forces and plans to spend most of its length on a fairly detailed account of the Allied invasion. The invasion was a difficult one, requiring a great deal of tactical innovation. The text is nicely supported by period and modern photographs, maps, diagrams, and modern illustrations.

As other reviewers have noted, the narrative is Anglo-centric; many of the German units fought hard, but too many understood they had been left to die in place or surrender. On the other hand, this book sheds light on a neglected campaign that opened a supply line that was ultimately vital to Allied success Recommended to the general reader and the student of the conflict.

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The historical account of the brave men who stormed the ...

ByWillem Bynagteon February 17, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The historical account of the brave men who stormed the most fortified island in the Atlantic Wall. A combined effort of army, air and naval forces fighting under some of the most brutal condition imaginable. Their efforts helped open up the port of Antwerp so supplies could reach allied forces under the command of Patton, Montgomery and Bradley. Want to know "the rest of the story" following D-Day? This is a must read.

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Why ?

ByCHRISTOPHER DAYon May 22, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Why is a question that comes to mind constantly while reading this book.
A campaign that I had not heard of before , piqued my intrest.
An island that guards the estuary of Antwerp was fortified & armed during
Germanys occupation during WW2. The Allies to make Antwerp a viable port again
after the D Day invasion, had to clear & conquer the defenses.

The Whys then start coming thick & fast.
The ineptitude of the allied commanders in orginising this miny D Day invasion!
If ,instead of low grade garrision troops lead by similarly inept German commands had
been an expericed , resting ,German group it would have been Dieppe all over again.

In the End the campaign was succesfull .
It was only then that mine sweeping could begin & then the port rebuilt , could begin to recieve supplies.
Did it shorten the war ?
Not really.
Was it worth it ,in the lives lost, to attain it?
Debatable.
Is it worth reading?
If you need detail of every aspect of the European Campaign , yes.
If not , despite the excellent presentation & the information imparted , it is a dull read.

Chris D

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My Birthplace

ByAbe Vreekeon May 15, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I was born on Walcheren in October of 1944. I was born on the second floor of our house as the ocean sloshed downstairs. My parents told me about my birth, but this little book helped me greatly to understand the background and the details of the time surrounding my birth.

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Walcheren 1944

ByEdgar G. Villacortaon December 18, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Good book on late war british and commonwealth action. A source for commando action in the late war. The book also shows the challenges that 21st army group faced. And it shows what an allied pov in war in the west.

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Five Stars

ByWilliam Hazletton December 28, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

nice book

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Too Anglo-Centric of a Tale

This book follows the standard Osprey "Campaign" series of which it is a part. It starts off discussing the strategic picture immediately before the campaign started, each side's...Read more

Published on May 23, 2013 by Yoda

A Conventional, Anglo-Centric Account

Richard Brooks' Walcheren 1944 covers Operation Infatuate in Holland in November 1944. Although this is not a Second World War campaign that has received much attention compared...Read more

Published on August 21, 2011 by R. A Forczyk

Storming Hitler's Island Fortress

Walcheren 1944 was a vital campaign that was the responsibility of a joint British / Canadian task force.Read more

Published on June 27, 2011 by Dave Schranck

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