INFANTRY PLATOON BEING BRIEFED before making an assault (top). Soldiers taking a ten-minute break during a march to the front lines (bottom).
CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGN
CENTRAL EUROPE
The Allied Advance during the Central Europe Campaign 22 March 1945 to 11 May 1945
SECTION VII
Central Europe Campaign
The Central Europe Campaign began on 22 March 1945 with units of the First U. S. Army across the Rhine in the Remagen area. On the night of 22–23 March elements of the Third U. S. Army crossed the river at Oppenheim. As the First and Third Armies crossed the Rhine the Fifteenth U. S. Army took over the area west of the river from Bonn to Neuss. On 26 March the Seventh U. S. Army crossed the Rhine north and south of Worms and, after meeting stiff resistance on the river bank, broke through the enemy and quickly expanded the bridgehead. The Ninth U. S. Army crossed the river south of Wesel while the British Second Army crossed north of the city. Elements of the First Allied Airborne Army dropped east of the Rhine and linked up with the ground troops east of the river. In many respects this was the most successful airborne operation that had been carried out up to this time.
After the Allies were firmly established east of the Rhine the great German industrial area of the Ruhr was encircled and the defending troops captured. The advance through Germany was rapid and met with little opposition except in scattered areas. The Russians drove into Germany from the east and enemy troops in trying to escape capture by the Russians surrendered by the thousands to the western Allies. As the U. S., British, and Canadian troops in the north reached the line where it was expected they would meet the Russian forces, they halted. The Third and Seventh U. S. Armies continued their drives into Czechoslovakia and Austria where a junction was also made with the Russians.
On 2 May 1945 the German forces in Italy surrendered. Two days later elements of the Seventh U. S. Army met those of the Fifth U. S. Army, coming from Italy, at the Brenner Pass. On 9 May 1945 the surrender of all the German forces became effective, marking the end of the war in Europe.