The Last Line of Defense: Battlefronts along the Rhine

Adorned with medieval castles, wineries, and gorgeous landscapes, cruise along the spellbinding Rhine River. Gaze upon fairytale landscapes that were once the prime target during World War II for military planners looking to shorten the war and bring about the downfall of Nazi Germany. From 1944 through 1945, the Rhine was the most hotly contested body of water in all of Europe. 

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Sailing the Rhine River amazes and inspires with its majestic cathedrals, castles, and fortresses, as rural landscapes meld into historic cities such as Cologne and Strasbourg. In 1944, Allied military planners and soldiers thought of the Rhine in different terms—as the door to Germany and the end of World War II—and, hopefully, a ticket home. This extraordinary journey from Amsterdam to Basel will immerse you in the Allied struggles to reach and ultimately cross the Rhine, the western gateway into the heart of the Third Reich.

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