Figure 1.--Here American forces are moving through a cleared village, we think in the Saarland, as the Alies are moving toward the Rhine abd the heart of the Reich, probably in February or March 1945. .

The Bulge changed the strategic ballance in the Rhineland. German losses in rgw Bukfe were huge. They came out beyonf the rstWall defensdes and were exposed to to the massive superiority of Allied fire powr. The Germans had the bettr tnks, but not very many of them or much fuel to operate them. The Allies not only had many more tanbks, but a decided superiority in air powr and artillery. And now the Germans no longer had a stratergic reserve. Supplies from the Reich were momlonger avilable. The Allies now had ports, especially Antwerp, and theor forces were being fully supplied. Losses were rbeing eplaced. Advanves were limited in the closing months of 1944, but important objectives were taken and they were now ready for a race to the Rhine. Clearing the Rhineland west of the Rhine was part of Eisenhower's Broad Front strategy. And finally after the Bulge with the supply problem solved and the Germans, fatally weakened, real progress could be made in cracking the West Wall wide open. Defensive enplacments are one thing, but withiythout adequate forces to man them and supplies, they lose their value. After months battering away at the West Wall, now real advances were schieved. It should not be thought that it was an easy slog. Making war on the Germans, even a defeted Germn army is no easy undertaking. Serious losses continued to be taken even as the Reich began to collspse. But for the first time German forces and civilan refugess began streaming acoss the Rhine before authiorities blew the bridges. Allied forces racing forward aginst declining German reistance dreamed about capturing an intact bridge. Few thought that they would find one. German forces west of the Rhine during operations Veritable, Blockbuster and Grenade lost soame 90,000 men (more than 50,000 wre gaken as POWs), a sihn that the Germans were finally convinced hec War was finished. The Allies sustained sone 23,000 casualties.

Northern Rhineland: Operation Veritable/Blockbuster (February 1945)

Operation Veritable was the Allied plan to clear the northern Rhineland. It was conducted byb Montgomery's 21st Army Group. The First Canadian Army provided the norther Allied shoulder iof the Bulge. After the Bulge was reduced, their winter positions in The Netherlands, the First Canadian Army under General Henry Crerar reinforced by elements of the British Second Army under General Miles Dempsey, began the drive east from their winter positiions in the Netherlands (first week of February). The Meuse/Maas River is the principal river in the Belgian/French Ardennes before entering the Netherlands. The Canadian First Army pushed into the area between the Meuse/Maas and Rhine Rivers. Operation Veritable lasted several weeks, and left the Allies on the west bank of the Rhine in the northern Rhineland. The supporting operation by the First US Army, Operation Grenade, was planned to coincide from the River Roer, in the south. This was delayed for two weeks however, by German flooding of the Roer valley. Operation Blockbuster was the final phase of Operation Veritable by the First Canadian Army, reinforced by the XXX Corps from the British Second Army (late February-early March, 194)5. Veritable unfolded slower and was more costly than expected. Rather thn withdrawing across the Rhine. The Grmans fought it out wwst of the Rhine. Canadian commander, General Harry Crerar, orghanized bew start for the offensive tgo reach the Rhine. Three British and Canadian divisions pushed southeast, surprisung and taking unprepared German positions in the Hochwald forested ridge and than moving on Xanten. They succeded in linking up the Ninth U.S. Army still undr Montgomry's contol at Berendonk. Thusd leared th northern Rhineland. Link up with the First Army occurred near Geldern/Düsseldorf (March 3). Montgomery ordered them not to attempt a Rhine crossing. [Chalfont, p. 272.] He was planning one of the largest British offensives pf the War to force a spectacular Rhine crossing.

Rohr Valley: Operation Grenade (February-March 1945)

The First Army seized the key Rohr River dams, but were unable to prevent the Germans from flooding the Rohr Valley. These floods delayed the American Ninth Army's advance. Operation Grenade was set to coincide with Operation Veritable further north, but was delayed when the Germns blew the Rohr River dams. The U.S. Ninth Army led by Lt. Gen. William Hood Simpson crossed the Roer river between Roermond and Düren (February 1945). This marked the beginning of the Allied invasion of Germany. At the time, the Ninth Army was still operating aspart of Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group a transfer thatboccurred during the Bulge. The vobjective was to cross the Roer and link up with the Canadian First Army movuing east from the Nijmegen area of the Netherlands as part of Operation Veritable (February 8). This was when the Germans opened the sluice gates of the upstream dams (Rur Dam and Urft Dam). This stopped the Americans from making the planned crissin. It had been hoped thatv the U.S. 12th Army Group would capture the dams and prevent, but the Geramsn suceeded in flooding the area which lasted about 2 weeks. Dieks Marshall von Rundstedt wanted to use this opportunirt to withdraw his forces in ngood order behind the Rhine. Hitler was bincensed, he ordered von Rundstedt to stand and fight. As a result the Gernan 15th Army, commanded by Gustav-Adolf von Zangen, and the 1st Parachute Army, commanded by Alfred Schlemm. stood in palce and wauted for the water to receed, basically negarung the calue of flooding the area. The Ninth Army as the waterlevels fell,crossws the Rohr (February 23) and drive toward the Rhine which other Allies forces were approaching.

Worms

Worms is a German city on the western bank of the Rhine in the southern Rhineland a few kilometers north of Mannheim and 25 miles south of Mainz. It was one of the last pockets in the Rhineland that remained in German hands. To reduce the German resistance, the city was heavily bombed by the Royal Air Force (February 21 and March 18, 1945). The RAF February 21 attack centered on the main train station to prevent supplies from reaching German troops still fighting in the southern Rhineland. There were also chemical plants southwest of the inner city. Large areas of the central city were destroyed. The historic Worms Cathedral was badly damaged. The second raid occurred just before the Americans entered the city (about March 21). By this time the Allies had crossed the Rhine at several points to the north and south and were pouring into the Reich. The 6th Army Group made an assault across the Rhine (March 26). At Worms the Seventh Army's XV Corps established a bridgehead which it consolidated with the southern shoulder of the Third Army's bridgehead (March 27). The initial resistance resulted in some hard fighting, but German resistance soon disipated. The XV Corps began moving east. There was no longer an organized German front line. There was only isolated resistance in village strong points. Heavily damaged Worms became a rear area.

The Saar

The American 70th Infantry Division played the major role in the Saar campign. Part of the diuvision had landed agt Marseille (December 1944). Units took over defensive positions along the west bank of the Rhine (December 1944) as Ptoim movd tgh Third Army into the Bulge. The Division wsas involved in actoin on the souhern shouldr of the Bulge. By the time the Bulge was reduced, part of the Division was just south of Saarbrucken. Prepartion was bgun for an offnsive when the remainting units of the Diividsion arrives. The Dividsion struck from positions south of the Saar Rivr (February 17). The Division drove onto ther elevated terraine overlooking Saarbrucken. They took both Forbach and Stiring-Wendel before continuing across the Saar to take Saarbrucken (March 20). This carrid them through the West Wall defenses built along the north bank of the Saar River. The Division ovrran Volklingen and other Saarland cities and towns. After th Rihine Crossings, the Divusion remained in the Saar to reduce pockets of German resistanc in the Saar Basin.

Colmar

The Americans drove toward the Rhine in the southern sector as it liberated northeast France. Here the Rhine was the border between France and Germany. Some Free French divisions fought with the Allies after the breakout from Normandy. As Paris and other areas of France were liberated, a Provisional Government was formed under Genderal DeGualle. The French set about reforming the French Army. And as a result the Americans in the south were joined by the new French Army fully equipped with American tanks, vehicles, and arms. After the Bulge, the Allied needed to take Colmar, to approach the Rhine in the south. Beforr crosding the Rhin, isdenhower wntd total contril of the Rhine from th Netherlsns south gtol Switzerland. Franco-American firfces attacked (January 20). The cornered German fgorcs imn Colmar put up a real defense. The result was the battle of the Colmar Pocket. The the French First Army reinforced by the U.S. XXI Corps cleared the Pocket of the weakebned German force. The Colmar Pocket was finally cleared snd tghe Allies reached the Rhine (February 9). Nevertheless, the pocket was gradually reduced in size, and in February 1945 the Germans were forced to evacuate. The Allied victory at Colmar meant that Eisenhower’s armies now had control of the west bank of the Rhine from the Swiss border to well north of Strasbourg.