Key Facts
- Date of crossing
- Night of 23 March 1945
- Artillery barrage
- 5,000 guns
- Royal Navy landing craft
- 36
- Smoke screen began
- 16 March 1945
- Crossing points
- Rees, Wesel, south of River Lippe
Strategic Narrative Overview
On the night of 23 March 1945, the British Second Army and the U.S. Ninth Army crossed the Rhine at Rees, Wesel, and south of the Lippe under cover of a massive smoke screen and a five-thousand-gun artillery barrage. Simultaneously, Operation Varsity delivered U.S. and British airborne divisions to the east bank near Wesel, while the Special Air Service conducted Operation Archway in support.
01 / The Origins
By early 1945, Allied forces had fought their way to the Rhine, the last major natural barrier before Germany's industrial heartland. Field Marshal Montgomery planned a large-scale, coordinated assault to breach the river, combining ground forces with an airborne operation. Preparatory actions including Operation Grenade in February helped secure the western bank and set conditions for the crossing.
03 / The Outcome
The successful Rhine crossing shattered German defensive lines along the river and allowed Allied forces to fan out into northern and central Germany. The breach accelerated the collapse of organized German resistance in the west, contributing directly to Germany's unconditional surrender in May 1945 and the end of the war in Europe.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey, Lieutenant General William H. Simpson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.