THE ARMY THAT GOT AWAY: THE GERMAN 15. ARMEE IN THE SUMMER OF 1944

Book Type: C,O

by Jack Didden and Maarten Swarts, 528 pages, Over 900 b+w wartime photos, over 100 maps

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the epic struggle against Germany in the West during the summer of 1944. The prevailing story in books and television documentaries always follows the same, incomplete sequence: first we have Operation Overlord (D-Day), next there is the fighting in Normandy, resulting in the breakout, and finally we get Operation Market Garden. But what happened between Normandy and Market Garden is glossed over in a few paragraphs, at best. This period which saw the Allies racing east and the German troops in the West on the brink of collapse found the German 15th Army under General Von Zangen trapped against the Channel coast following the capture of Antwerp on 4 September 1944.

Surprisingly the history of this army has never been told so far. This is ironic because at the time 15. Armee figured prominently in the minds of Allied commanders in the weeks following the breakout from Normandy. They were all too aware of this potential threat to their left flank, but decided to run the risk anyway. Similarly, the German High Command, had only one question: how do we save Von Zangen’s army and stop the Allied avalanche? It seemed an impossible task for soldiers on foot or with horse-drawn transport against a highly mobile opponent. Nevertheless, the army made it out of the pocket largely intact and lived to fight another day. This book tells the day-to-day story of an army whose survival was to have a huge impact on subsequent operations especially, including Operation Market Garden.

Readers of our books will know that the text is based on primary sources only and that the Allied units and their actions are also discussed in detail. The story of how the army managed to get away, but also how it initially took part in the battle for Normandy, is now told in full for the very first time and a major gap in the story of World War Two is finally addressed.

This book follows the formula of our previous two books, ‘Autumn Gale’ and ‘Kampfgruppe Walther’ and so will again be of interest to modelers and military historians. It also serves as a kind of prequel to the other two books completing the trilogy. There will only be one limited printing run.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1 The Lull before the Storm (15 February 1942- 5 June 1944)

2 Into battle (6 June – 20 June 1944)

3 An army in waiting (21 June – 25 August 1944)

4 New Masters and a New Threat (25 – 28 August 1944)

5 Supercharge (29 August 1944)

6 Grave Danger (30 August 1944)

7 Disaster on the Somme (31 August 1944)

8 Into the breach (1 September 1944)

9 A golden opportunity? (2 September 1944)

10 Operation Sabot (3 September 1944)

11 Antwerp, the Turning Point (4 September 1944)

12 Change of Plan (5 September 1944)

13 Break Out! (6 September 1944)

14 Fall Back! (7 September 1944)

15 The end of a phase (8 September 1944)

16 Firming up (9 - 11 September 1944)

17 Slowing down (12 - 16 September 1944)

18 New Assignments (17 - 23 September 1944)

Conclusions

Sources

Appendix I 15. Armee Order of Battle 1943-1944

Appendix II 15. Armee changes in Order of Battle

Appendix III Divisions

Appendix IV Security Units

Appendix V The Scheldt Crossings Separate texts:

The Army Headquarters in Tourcoing (Chapter 1)

The Montes-Gassicourt bridgehead (after Chapter 3)

The French Resistance (after Chapter 7)

The Flying Bomb Threat (after Chapter 8)

The Pocket at Mons (after Chapter 9)

German Forces in Antwerp (Chapter 11)

Frogmen in the Night (after Chapter 11)

The Channel Ports (after Chapter 14)

The Channel Guns (after Chapter 14)

The Air Effort over the Wester Scheldt (Conclusions)

The peregrinations of an artillery unit (Conclusions)

Allowing an army to escape (after Conclusions)