232 ENDGAME AND AFTERMATH 1944–1955
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YBaltic SeaRhineRhineRhineSeineLoireRhôneRo
erCanadian
1st ArmyBritish 21st
Army GroupBritish
2nd ArmyUS 9th
Army7–21 Mar 1945German Army
Group VistulaGerman 1st
Para ArmyGerman
15th ArmyGerman
5th ArmyGerman Army
Group A (Center)German Army
Group BGerman
1st ArmyGerman
19th ArmyUS 1st ArmyUS 3rd ArmyUS 7th ArmyFrench
1st ArmyAmsterdamArnhemNijmegenRoermondMünchen-GladbachKasselAachenRotterdamBrusselsStrasbourgUlmStuttgartPilsenVeniceTriesteZagrebFrankfurtNurembergOppenheimMannheimGermersheimLilleReimsTroyesDachauMunichBonn
RemagenCologneWeselDüsseldorfHamburgBremenBergen-Belsen BerlinLeipzigTorgauStrehlaViennaGdyniaOsnabrückNordhausenElbeElbeMore than 1,310 ft (400 m) wide in places and fiercely defended on its
eastern bank, the Rhine was a formidable barrier to Allied progress
into Germany. The Supreme Commander of the Allied forces,
General Eisenhower, made careful plans for a coordinated assault
to storm across the river. In the end, the initial crossing took place
almost by chance over a bridge at Remagen that German defenders
had failed to blow up. The campaign then proceeded according to
Eisenhower’s plan, and by March 24 the Allies had established
three substantial bridgeheads on the waterway’s far bank.Germany now lay open before the Allies, but political considerations
imposed a degree of caution. It had been agreed at Yalta (see
pp.230–231) that the eastern approaches to Berlin were to remain
in the Soviet zone, so instead of hastening toward the German
capital, the Western Allied advance proceeded more haltingly.
British troops uncovered horrors when they liberated the Bergen-
Belsen concentration camp in mid-April, and US forces reached the
Dachau camp two weeks later.CROSSING
THE RHINE
After driving back the German counteroffensive in the
Ardennes, Allied forces met their next major challenge—
fighting their way over the Rhine. They then spent a
month advancing across Germany toward the Elbe to
meet Soviet troops advancing from the east.
GENERAL GEORGE PATTON 1885–1945
Born into a prosperous family in
California, George Patton graduated
from the US Military Academy at
West Point in 1909. He represented
his country in the modern pentathlon
at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912
and pioneered the use of tanks by the
US in World War I. He had already
established a formidable fighting
reputation in North Africa and
Sicily before taking charge of the US
3rd Army early in 1944. Under his
command the forces won a reputation
for highly aggressive action.“One of those rare and fleeting opportunities
which occasionally arise in war.”
GENERAL EISENHOWER ON THE CAPTURE OF REMAGENApr 29–May 8 Food drops
from Allied bombers help
alleviate the suffering of Dutch
civilians facing famine after the
Hunger Winter of 1944–1945.2 3 4 5 6 71TIMELINEPATHS THROUGH GERMANY
After crossing the Rhine, the way lay open
for Allied armies to advance across central
Germany and meet up with Soviet forces at
the Elbe River.KEY
German army groupsGerman armiesAllied army groupsAllied armiesAllied gains by Dec 15, 1944Allied gains by Mar 21, 1945Allied gains by Apr 18, 1945Concentration campSupplies delivered
by airJAN 1945 FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNTO THE RHINE’S BANK
JANUARY– MARCH 5, 1945
Before crossing the Rhine, Allied forces first
had to clear the approaches to the river. The
Canadian 1st Army advanced through the southern
Netherlands; US 9th Army troops moved through
München-Gladbach, their progress delayed as
German troops flooded the Roer valley; and US
1st Army troops entered Cologne on the river’s
west bank on March 5, 1945.1
Allied operations Allied advancesTHE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN
MARCH 7–21, 1945
On March 7, troops of the US 1st Army unexpectedly
found the Ludendorff railroad bridge at Remagen still
intact. They crossed the bridge under heavy enemy
fire and established the first Allied bridgehead on the
east bank of the Rhine. US engineers put additional
pontoon bridges in place, and by March 21 more than
25,000 troops had crossed. Infuriated, Hitler had four
officers executed for failing to prevent the breach.2
Battle of RemagenACROSS THE RHINE
MARCH 22–25, 1945
The Remagen crossing preempted an Allied assault
across the river planned for the night of March 23.
The British 21st Army Group under Field Marshal
Montgomery made a series of crossings in northern
Germany, by which time General Patton had crossed
at Oppenheim to the south. By March 25, two more
substantial bridgeheads had been established.3
Bridgeheads established March 23–25Bridgehead at RemagenUS_232-233_Crossing_the_rhine.indd 232 20/03/19 3:56 PM