Fall Gelb 1940 (2): Airborne assault on the Low Countries (Campaign, 265)

"Fall Gelb 1940(2)" is the second of a two part examination of Fall Gelb, the German offensive in the West that inflicted a stunning defeat on France, Britain and their Allies. The offensive has been extensively studied, but this Osprey Campaign Series book provides a clear and concise explanation of a complex military operation. Author Douglas Dildy is clearly conversant with the operational level of warfare, as his excellent narrative demonstrates. Fortress Holland and Belgium fell as a result of good German planning and adaptive execution, and a failure on the Allied side to do the same."Fall Gelb 1940" follows the standard Osprey format, with an introduction, a comparison of the opposing forces, and a fairly detailed account of how the campaign in the Low Countries unfolded. The author explains how close the airborne assault into the Netherlands came to failing, and how, conversely, the Allies seemingly walked into a trap in Belgium. The narrative is much enhanced by a terrific selection of photographs, maps, diagrams and illustrations. This book is best read in sequence with the earlier volume on the Panzer breakthrough in the Ardennes, which provides the necessary context for the operation into the Low Countries. The two volumes are a very good introduction to the campaign in the West. Strongly recommended to the general reader; the student of the conflict will find much of value.

Great read, illustrations, & historical photos!

Nice book

thank you

In Fall Gelb: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries, veteran author Doug Dildy provides the second installment on Osprey’s latest coverage of the 1940 Western Campaign. This volume covers the German invasion of Holland and Belgium in May 1940, which played a major role in deceiving the Allies about the German main effort (which was actually coming through the Ardennes). The campaign in the Low Countries only lasted 17 days and resulted in a major Allied defeat, but has not received anywhere near the coverage that the fighting at Sedan has received. The author skillfully weaves together both German, French, Belgian and Dutch sources to describe the campaign from both sides and sheds light on aspects which are often glossed over in larger histories. Overall, this volume is well-crafted and delivered in an attractive format with maps, charts and color artwork that enable the reader to gain insight into this important campaign. Fall Gelb (2) begins with an excellent synopsis of Allied, Neutral and German planning. The Dutch belief in “Fortress Holland” was based on the anachronistic assumption that the Germans would have great difficulty in crossing water barriers, but lacked the forces necessary to adequately defend these barriers. While the French Dyle Plan has been discussed in many books, including Fall Gelb (1), the inherent weakness in the plan is most evident here when the lack of Dutch and Belgian preparations is exposed. The German Heeresgruppe A was essentially a supporting attack, with a novel use of Kurt Student’s 7. Fliegerdivision to conduct large-scale airborne operations in Holland. The section on Opposing Forces, which is 13 pages long, is also excellent and includes a detailed Order of Battle. The campaign narrative begins with excellent overview of initial Luftwaffe air strikes in Holland and Belgium, including a superb map that depicts Luftwaffe bases, units and their targets. Student’s airborne drops are depicted in some detail, including a 3-D BEV map and a table listing drop times/units/number of aircraft and results. Although very interesting, these German airborne operations were far too dispersed and failed miserably. The AOK 18’s invasion of Holland and AOK 6’s invasion of Belgium is depicted in a number of maps, including a 3-D BEV map that shows the tank battle at Hannut on 12-13 May 1940. This volume concludes with the Belgian surrender and the Allied retreat to Dunkirk. Overall, a very attractive and well-written campaign history.

Fall Gelb 1940 (2) Airborne Assault on the Low Countries, Osprey Campaign, 265.Written by Douglas C. Dildy, Illustrated by Peter Dennis. Co. 2015, Osprey Publishing. 96 pages, widely illustrated in black and white with color prints.Scope – A single CampaignCompleteness – HighAppeal - LowAccuracy - *Osprey has released a pair of books describing how the Nazis over ran the democracies of western Europe in 1940. This book, the second of two volumes, tells more of the story. Previously, I wrote a review of the first volume. Basically what I wrote was that although a target audience for the book existed, and that target audience would be quite pleased with the volume, I thought, I was not part of that target audience and had difficulty judging the quality of the work. I found the scope too large and the text too detailed and too fact filled to easily follow the events that were described. I did, however, feel that to a reader with a better background in the campaign and the history, the book would be easier to follow and more useful. In short, it was not a beginner’s book and I was a beginner in understanding the period and the conflict. But what about volume two? Good news. For whatever reason I found this one easier to understand. Therefore, I enjoyed it more. Of course, it has the same great illustrations as its predecessor, the sorts of illustrations that Osprey is well known for. These include paintings, color photographs of modern battle sites, monuments, and museum displays, many black and white period photographs, as well as maps. In conclusion, this is a good book for those seeking information on this campaign.

For folks who share my civilian outdoors working experiences, which include summertime unloading of a Boeing 247, Fall Gelb 1940 is superb! The Logistics problems, and the constraints thus forced on the Assault, actually made my teeth itch. The advantages gotten, by getting so many radios into the field, parallel the improvements we Seismic Surveyors saw, once we got FM communications radios in all our vehicles, followed by Walkie Talkies capable of using the same 10, or 20 Frequencies.The Dutch, still not out of peaceime thinking and acting speeds, were beaten by the intelligent use of radios, as well as by superior technology and superior numbers.Get some good maps off of the 'Net (Texas has a University with an excellent electronic Library), which help follow the action.

An excellent companion to the first book on the subject of the Blitzkrieg in 1940. Maps, profiles of key military personnel, colour paintings and plenty of photos and analysis help put the events of that time into perspective.

a great summary of a big part of the 1940 invasion of western Europe that is not well covered.

Another Great Osprey Book!

Compared to, let's say, Nieuwpoort 1600 this little book doesn't measure up. Not at all. It's only one star better than the first one on Fall Gelb. My question is to Osprey military books: why, oh why, not more little books in your campaign seris on such a crucial period of manoeuvring and fighting?A one-day battle like Waterloo 1815 got three little Campaign books, so why not four on Fall Gelb?The Dutch airforce and AA-units performed well enough for yet another one little book on what the airforces and auxiliaries did on their own. Not forgetting that the Germans were actually afraid of the Belgian combat vehicles and the French giant tanks, why then not yet another little book on the big and lesser tank battles in Belgium and North France? Please, tell the full story on the tank battles for Antwerp, De Gaulle's Fourth division, etc.No, I'm not giving it one or two stars only because it's a lot better than the original little Campaign book for Fall Gelb 1940. Oh yes, I bought that one too once but I don't review them all.