THE BATTLE OF THE RUHR POCKET April 1945

March, 1945, the end of the war in Europe is in sight. It is now that crucial decisions must be made - decisions that will affect the future security of unborn generations. Everyone is weary, exhausted by war. At every level mistakes are made. The military leaders are jostling for position and prestige, their thoughts now turning to their post-war careers. And one soldier in particular has his sights set on the position of highest authority in the western world. But history still eludes the Allies. One last battle remains to be fought: the battle of the Rhur Pocket. Why does the author describe this as the battle that should never have been fought? Why did Eisenhower let Stalin's armies seize what he himself had called "the glittering prize" of Berlin? Why were Churchill's warnings ignored and Montgomery's plans over-ruled? Why, above all, did the Allied victory produce a divided Germany, with repercussions so obvious and still so painful today? Leo Kessler retells the story of that last battle, in all its tragedy and horror: the fear, the gallows humour, the moments of supreme courage or final desperation, the errors of judgement that led to so many deaths.