Final Allied Advance into Germany

In late March 1945 Allied armies crossed the Rhine in strength and broke into the German interior. British, Canadian, American and other Allied formations advanced through northern and central Germany while German forces, short of fuel, equipment and reserves, increasingly fragmented.

The advance encircled the Ruhr, liberated towns and camps and brought Allied forces to the Elbe and the Baltic. With Soviet armies closing on Berlin from the east, organised German resistance collapsed and the war in Europe ended with Germany’s unconditional surrender in May 1945.