In Spring 1945 the outcome of the war was ritually certain but the mighty River Rhine still stood in the way of the Allies. Eisenhower's strategy was to guarantee a crossing in the Ruhr area by allocating the main effort to Montgomery's 21st Army Group. Monty's task was to envelope and take out the last German war production and open the way onto the North German Plain. << On the morning of 24 Maech 1945 the Normandy veterans of 6th British Airborne Division were to land just three to six miles in front of XII Corps, within supporting distance of their artillery, with the aim of linking up with the ground forces on day one. First in were two parachute brigades, who benefited from the numbing effect of the Allied bombardment but by the time 6th Airlanding Brigade came in aboard their gliders, the German anti-aircraft gunners were recovering and, on the DZs, resisting and even counter-attacking the British and Canadian paratroopers. << Casualties were heavy, not least because the Airlanding Brigade were gliding in amidst an armoured kampfgruppe. << AUTHOR: Tim Saunders recently retired from the Army to concetrate on writing and working as a battlefield guide. He has written 12 Battleground Europe books as well as West Country Regiments in The Great War. He lives in Wiltshire. SELLINF POINTS: Covers the decisive phase of the last grewat set-piece battle of WW2. << Will delight followers of the Airborne Forces - the Paras. << VARSITY was the final airborne operation of the war. << Written by the best known and highly respected author in the Battleground series. 120 b/w photos