“A Calculated and Terrible Efficiency:” The Operation Veritable Fire Plan, February 1945

Authors

David Grebstad

Abstract

The First Canadian Army’s Operation Veritable, launched in early February 1945, aimed to drive the Germans from between the Maas and Rhine Rivers in order to establish the jumping off point for the Allied assault into the Rhineland. To support this attack, over a thousand guns were assembled from Canadian and British artilleries to smash and suppress the German defenders as the Anglo-Canadian manoeuvre forces advanced. Through innovation, guile and the use of new and more effective equipment, the gunners in support of First Canadian Army overcame challenging terrain and a weakened but nonetheless resolute enemy to enable the largest offensive operation of Canadian arms in the Second World War with what one Canadian Army historian referred to as a “calculated and terrible efficiency.”

Recommended Citation

Grebstad, David "“A Calculated and Terrible Efficiency:” The Operation Veritable Fire Plan, February 1945." Canadian Military History 30, 1 (2021)