The book comes in three distinct sections ? the first is an in-depth analysis of the German 'Westwall' defence system built between 1936 and 1944. This includes the build phases, the organisation of the workforce and the political background. The second section looks at the Allied campaign to overcome the defences of the Siegfried Line through the winter of 1944/45, focussing on three major operations by the US, British and Canadian armies. The third section deals with the perception of the Westwall in the eighty years since the war and then outlines a battlefield tour guide of those elements that still survive. 147 colour illustrations, 51 mono illustrations