Battle of encirclement that took place in April 1945, on the Western Front near the end of the second World War, in the Ruhr Area of Germany
The encirclement and destruction of German Army Group B in the Ruhr pocket resulted in 317,000 prisoners, effectively ending organized German resistance in western Germany.
Key Facts
- German troops captured
- 317,000 prisoners
- Generals captured
- 24 generals
- U.S. casualties
- 10,000 casualties
- U.S. killed or missing
- 2,000 soldiers
- U.S. divisions deployed
- 18 divisions
- Organized resistance ended
- 18 April 1945
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The U.S. capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on 7 March 1945 allowed the 12th Army Group to push rapidly into Germany south of Army Group B, while the Allied 21st Army Group crossed the Rhine in Operation Plunder on 23 March. The two Allied army groups linked up east of the Ruhr on 1 April 1945, completing a massive encirclement of German forces.
Eighteen U.S. divisions of the First and Ninth Armies systematically reduced the encircled German pocket beginning 1 April 1945. After 13 days of resistance, the two American armies met on 14 April, splitting the pocket in two. The German 15th Army capitulated that day, and Field Marshal Model dissolved Army Group B on 15 April. Bulk German forces surrendered on 16 April, with organized resistance ending on 18 April.
Approximately 317,000 German troops and 24 generals were taken prisoner, destroying Army Group B as a fighting force. Field Marshal Walter Model, unwilling to surrender, committed suicide on 21 April 1945. The collapse of the Ruhr pocket removed the last significant German military formation capable of defending western Germany and accelerated the final Allied advance toward the Elbe.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Omar Bradley, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
Side B
1 belligerent
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model.