A Small Town in Germany

The occupation of the Groningen bulge made it possible for the British Second Army to drive into northern Germany. The Allied advance did not go smoothly. Small "stay-behind" forces resisted bitterly. One example occurred when the Canadian 4th Armored Division, advancing to cross the River Ems, tested the …

1945-04-08

U47

The occupation of the Groningen bulge made it possible for the British Second Army to drive into northern Germany. The Allied advance did not go smoothly. Small "stay-behind" forces resisted bitterly. One example occurred when the Canadian 4th Armored Division, advancing to cross the River Ems, tested the savage resistance the Wehrmacht was still able to offer. Flank elements of the Division, moving into the village of Friesoythe, encountered fierce opposition from a scratch group of students and German regulars who resolutely stood their ground in the face of the oncoming armor.

Friesoythe, Germany

The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied invasion of Germany, a series of offensive operations were designed to seize and capture the east and west bank of the Rhine River: Operation Veritable and Operation Grenade in February 1945, and Operation Lumberjack and Operation Undertone in March 1945. The Allied invasion of Germany started with the Western Allies crossing the Rhine on 22 March 1945 before fanning out and overrunning all of western Germany from the Baltic in the north to the Alpine passes in the south, where they linked up with troops of the U.S. Fifth Army in Italy. Combined with the capture of Berchtesgaden, any hope of Nazi leadership continuing to wage war from a so-called "National redoubt" or escape through the Alps was crushed, shortly followed by unconditional German surrender on 8 May 1945. This is known as the "Central Europe campaign" in United States military histories.

Canadian

German

Scenario Type = Standard