Western Allied invasion of Germany — 1945 offensive by the Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II
The Western Allied invasion of Germany in 1945 ended Nazi rule in western Europe, culminating in Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945.
Key Facts
- Rhine crossing date
- 22 March 1945
- German surrender date
- 8 May 1945
- German casualties (Feb–Mar 1945)
- ~400,000 men
- POWs captured (Feb–Mar 1945)
- 280,000 men
- Remagen bridge seized
- 7 March 1945
- Key preparatory operations
- Veritable, Grenade, Lumberjack, Undertone
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By early 1945, Germany's strategic reserves had been exhausted by the failed Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge) and subsequent Rhineland campaigns. Additional Soviet pressure on the Eastern Front severely limited Germany's ability to reinforce Rhine defenses, leaving weakened and shattered units to hold the river's east bank against advancing Allied forces.
Beginning with the Rhine crossing on 22 March 1945, Western Allied forces fanned out across western Germany from the Baltic coast in the north to the Alpine passes in the south. A series of preparatory operations—Veritable, Grenade, Lumberjack, and Undertone—cleared both banks of the Rhine, while the capture of the intact Remagen bridge on 7 March established a critical bridgehead for the main invasion.
The Allied advance overran western Germany and linked up with U.S. Fifth Army forces from Italy near the Alpine passes. The capture of Berchtesgaden eliminated any prospect of a Nazi 'national redoubt.' Combined with Soviet pressure from the east, these operations forced Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945, leaving the Western Allies in control of most of Germany.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent