How the Western Allies raced to cut Germany in two before the war ended

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In early 1945, the Western Allies launched a final, massive campaign to overrun Germany. While Field Marshal Montgomery prepared a meticulous, artillery-heavy assault in the north, American commanders in the south pushed forward with aggressive, improvised river crossings that fundamentally shifted General Eisenhower’s strategy for the final drive to victory.

By early 1945, the Allied position in Europe had transformed. Following the failure of the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge, the German Army’s strategic reserves were exhausted. As the Western Allies prepared to cross the Rhine, they faced a weakened enemy, with Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring commanding a force reduced to just 26 divisions. Meanwhile, the Soviet Red Army was rapidly advancing from the east, reaching striking distance of Berlin by March.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower initially planned for a northern pincer movement led by Montgomery’s 21st Army Group to envelop the industrial Ruhr area. However, the momentum of American forces changed these priorities. On 7 March, the U.S. 1st Army captured the intact bridge at Remagen. Shortly after, General George S. Patton’s 3rd Army executed a bold, rapid crossing of the Rhine at Nierstein and Oppenheim on 22 March, days before Montgomery’s massive Operation Plunder. These successes convinced Eisenhower to place greater responsibility on his southern forces.

As the Allies pushed deeper into Germany, they encountered a collapsing administrative structure. In captured towns, soldiers often found residents signaling surrender with white flags. Military government units, such as the Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS), were tasked with maintaining order, removing Nazi officials, and managing the civilian population under Eisenhower’s Proclamation No. 1. By 25 April, known as Elbe Day, American and Soviet forces made contact, effectively cutting Germany in two.

The final weeks of the campaign were marked by the abandonment of the rumored 'national redoubt' in the Alps, which had been a ruse of war rather than a genuine Nazi plan. With the Soviets closing in on Berlin, Eisenhower focused on mopping up resistance in western Germany. Unconditional surrender followed on 8 May 1945, leaving the Western Allies in control of the majority of the country.

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