Fall Gelb 1940 (2) Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

The "Matador's Cloak" unfurls in Osprey's sequel study of Hitler's 1940 (2) Blitzkrieg conquests.

Fall Gelb 1940 (2) (2): Airborne assault on the Low Countries – 265th installment in the publisher's popular "Campaign" series – chronicles Heeresgruppe B's drive through Belgium and Holland during the western Nazi Blitzkrieg.

The attack drew main Allied armies north in response. At that point, Heeresgruppe A's southern hook through the hilly, forested Ardennes struck – entrapping French and British formations.

Like Vol 1, contents commence with a campaign background and convenient chronology. Coverage then summarizes opposing commanders, plans and forces before recapping actions. "Aftermath" and "battlefield today" sections follow. And a glossary, selected bibliography and index neatly wrap things up.

I especially enjoyed notes on Belgian and Dutch participation – land and air. Armor action accounts proved illuminating, too. Germany's accelerated advance, for instance, produced the war's "first great tank battle" – a three-day slug-fest one historian, Dildy reports, called the "'most savage'" engagement of all Fall Gelb.

Photos, extended captions and maps again augment the account. Peter Dennis' paintings capture the combat. And a glossary, sources list and index conclude contents. Unlike the first installment, however, this one includes a unit symbols chart for battle maps – but still no annotations. So if you're seeking attributions for author contentions, expect disappointments.

In just 18 days of brutal, continuous battles, Heeresgruppe B "baited the trap that ... Effectively isolated the two most powerful Allied armies" – sealing France's fate.

Find out how it all happened. Grab this convenient little chronicle.

Recommended!

My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!