Theirs the Strife: The Forgotten Battles of British Second Army and Armeegruppe Blumentritt
By John Russell ISBN: 978-1914059391 (Helion & Company, 2020) - £19.99
Histories that focus on the last couple of weeks of the war in Europe in the West are hard to find, so Theirs the Strife is a welcome addition. In this book, John Russell examines the crossing of the rivers Weser and the Aller in Northern Germany by the British VIII and XII Corps in April 1945 as they advanced towards the Elbe. Although the end of the war was clearly nigh, their opponents fought unexpectedly tenaciously. At 502 pages this is a comprehensive study that will be of great interest to wargamers. As well as producing an excellent narrative of this campaign, the author complements this with an analysis of both sides’ strengths and weaknesses.
Russell begins with a concise overview of the strategic context, helpful
