Operation Plunder — 1945 operation, part of a coordinated set of Rhine crossings during WWII
Operation Plunder enabled Allied forces to cross the Rhine in force, opening the final campaign into the German heartland in March 1945.
Key Facts
- Operation date
- Night of 23 March 1945
- Commanding officer
- Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
- Artillery strength
- 5,000 guns used in barrage guns
- Naval craft transported
- 36 Royal Navy landing craft craft
- Smoke screen start
- 16 March 1945
- Crossing points
- Rees, Wesel, south of River Lippe
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By early 1945, Allied forces had fought to the west bank of the Rhine and required a major coordinated assault to breach Germany's last significant natural defensive barrier. Montgomery planned a combined arms operation involving ground forces, airborne troops, and massive artillery and air support to ensure a successful crossing.
On the night of 23 March 1945, the 21st Army Group launched Operation Plunder, crossing the Rhine at Rees, Wesel, and south of the Lippe under British Second Army and U.S. Ninth Army. It was supported by a 5,000-gun barrage, Anglo-American bombers, and Operation Varsity's airborne landings on the east bank near Wesel.
The successful Rhine crossing broke through Germany's western defensive line, allowing Allied armies to advance rapidly into the German interior. Combined with concurrent operations, it contributed directly to the collapse of organized German resistance in the west and the end of the war in Europe within weeks.
Work
Operation Plunder
Operation Plunder was a large-scale WWII military crossing of the Rhine in March 1945, coordinated by Field Marshal Montgomery, combining ground assault, airborne operations, and massive artillery support to breach Germany's last major western barrier.