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vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Aftermath"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Aftermath</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Aftermath-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Aftermath subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Aftermath-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Casualties" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Casualties"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Casualties</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Casualties-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-References-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle References subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Citations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Citations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Citations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Citations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bibliography" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bibliography"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Bibliography</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bibliography-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruhr pocket</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 22 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-22" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">22 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1" title="جيب الرور – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="جيب الرور" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Рурска операция – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Рурска операция" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrkedlen" title="Ruhrkedlen – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Ruhrkedlen" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrkessel" title="Ruhrkessel – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Ruhrkessel" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsa_del_Ruhr" title="Bolsa del Ruhr – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Bolsa del Ruhr" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poche_de_la_Ruhr" title="Poche de la Ruhr – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Poche de la Ruhr" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantong_Ruhr" title="Kantong Ruhr – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Kantong Ruhr" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacca_della_Ruhr" title="Sacca della Ruhr – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Sacca della Ruhr" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A1_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%94%D7%A8" title="כיס הרוהר – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="כיס הרוהר" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertempuran_Ruhr" title="Pertempuran Ruhr – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Pertempuran Ruhr" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrkessel" title="Ruhrkessel – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Ruhrkessel" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9D%E3%82%B1%E3%83%83%E3%83%88" title="ルール・ポケット – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="ルール・ポケット" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrkessel" title="Ruhrkessel – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Ruhrkessel" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitwa_o_Zag%C5%82%C4%99bie_Ruhry" title="Bitwa o Zagłębie Ruhry – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Bitwa o Zagłębie Ruhry" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Рурская операция – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Рурская операция" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrin_motti" title="Ruhrin motti – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Ruhrin motti" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaget_om_Ruhromr%C3%A5det" title="Slaget om Ruhrområdet – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Slaget om Ruhrområdet" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF" title="ரூர் இடைப்பகுதி – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="ரூர் இடைப்பகுதி" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%9E%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%95" title="รัวร์พ็อตเก็ต – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="รัวร์พ็อตเก็ต" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhr_Cebi_Muharebesi" title="Ruhr Cebi Muharebesi – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Ruhr Cebi Muharebesi" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%80%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D1%96%D1%8F" title="Рурська операція – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Рурська операція" 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href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Ruhr_pocket&params=51_28_N_7_33_E_"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">51°28′N</span> <span class="longitude">7°33′E</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">51.467°N 7.550°E</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">51.467; 7.550</span></span></span></a></span></span></div></div> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Battle on the Western Front in 1945</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r963460841">@media all and (min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .desktop-float-right{box-sizing:border-box;float:right;clear:right}}.mw-parser-output .infobox.vevent .status>p:first-child{margin:0}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1034237262">.mw-parser-output .stack{box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .stack>div{margin:1px;overflow:hidden}@media all and (min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .stack-clear-left{float:left;clear:left}.mw-parser-output .stack-clear-right{float:right;clear:right}.mw-parser-output .stack-left{float:left}.mw-parser-output .stack-right{float:right}.mw-parser-output .stack-margin-clear-left{float:left;clear:left;margin-right:1em}.mw-parser-output .stack-margin-clear-right{float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .stack-margin-left{float:left;margin-right:1em}.mw-parser-output .stack-margin-right{float:right;margin-left:1em}}</style><div class="stack mw-stack stack-clear-right"><div><table class="infobox vevent" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Ruhr pocket</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;">Part of the <a href="/wiki/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Western Allied invasion of Germany">Western Allied invasion of Germany</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_II)" title="Western Front (World War II)">Western Front</a> of the <a href="/wiki/European_theatre_of_World_War_II" title="European theatre of World War II">European theatre of World War II</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;line-height:1.5em;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Remagen_enclosure.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Remagen_enclosure.jpg/300px-Remagen_enclosure.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="214" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Remagen_enclosure.jpg/450px-Remagen_enclosure.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Remagen_enclosure.jpg/600px-Remagen_enclosure.jpg 2x" data-file-width="614" data-file-height="437" /></a></span><br />An American soldier at <i><a href="/wiki/Rheinwiesenlager" title="Rheinwiesenlager">Rheinwiesenlager</a></i> guards a massive crowd of German prisoners captured in the Ruhr pocket</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><table style="width:100%;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;display:inline-table"><tbody><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th><td>1–18 April 1945<br />(2 weeks and 6 days)</td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th><td><div class="location"><a href="/wiki/Ruhr" title="Ruhr">Ruhr area</a>, <a href="/wiki/North_Rhine-Westphalia" title="North Rhine-Westphalia">North Rhine-Westphalia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a></div><span class="geo-inline"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1156832818">.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}</style><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><a class="external text" href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Ruhr_pocket&params=51_28_N_7_33_E_"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">51°28′N</span> <span class="longitude">7°33′E</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">51.467°N 7.550°E</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">51.467; 7.550</span></span></span></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th><td class="status"> <p><a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II" title="Allies of World War II">Allied</a> victory </p> <ul><li>Capitulation of the German <a href="/wiki/15th_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="15th Army (Wehrmacht)">15th Army</a></li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Belligerents</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom"><img alt="United Kingdom" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/German_resistance_to_Nazism" title="German resistance to Nazism">German resistance</a>)</td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <span data-sort-value="Germany"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Germany</a></span></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Commanders and leaders</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Omar_Bradley" title="Omar Bradley">Omar Bradley</a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom"><img alt="United Kingdom" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery" title="Bernard Montgomery">Bernard Montgomery</a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Courtney_H._Hodges" class="mw-redirect" title="Courtney H. Hodges">Courtney H. Hodges</a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/William_H._Simpson" class="mw-redirect" title="William H. Simpson">William H. Simpson</a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Leonard_T._Gerow" title="Leonard T. Gerow">Leonard T. Gerow</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Walter_Model" title="Walter Model">Walter Model</a> <a href="/wiki/Suicide" title="Suicide"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman','Old English Text MT',serif"><b>†</b></span></a><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Gustav-Adolf_von_Zangen" title="Gustav-Adolf von Zangen">Gustav-Adolf von Zangen</a> <span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Surrender_(military)" title="Surrendered"><img alt="Surrendered" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/14px-White_flag_icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="14" height="20" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/21px-White_flag_icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/28px-White_flag_icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="250" data-file-height="351" /></a></span><br /><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Josef_Harpe" title="Josef Harpe">Josef Harpe</a> <span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Surrender_(military)" title="Surrendered"><img alt="Surrendered" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/14px-White_flag_icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="14" height="20" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/21px-White_flag_icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/White_flag_icon.svg/28px-White_flag_icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="250" data-file-height="351" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Units involved</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <p><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Twelfth_United_States_Army_Group" title="Twelfth United States Army Group">12th Army Group</a> </p> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/First_United_States_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="First United States Army">1st Army</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Fifteenth_United_States_Army" title="Fifteenth United States Army">15th Army</a></li></ul> <p><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom"><img alt="United Kingdom" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/21st_Army_Group" title="21st Army Group">21st Army Group</a> </p> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><img alt="United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Ninth_United_States_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="Ninth United States Army">9th Army</a></li></ul></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <p><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Army_Group_B" title="Army Group B">Army Group B</a> </p> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/5th_Panzer_Army" title="5th Panzer Army">5th Panzer Army</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/15th_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="15th Army (Wehrmacht)">15th Army</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany"><img alt="Nazi Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-War_Ensign_of_Germany_%281938%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/1st_Parachute_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="1st Parachute Army (Wehrmacht)">1st Parachute Army</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Casualties and losses</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> 1,500 killed<br />8,000 wounded<br />500 missing<br /><b>Total</b>:<br />10,000<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> 317,000 soldiers captured<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZalogaDennis200687_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEZalogaDennis200687-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br /> About 10,000 people killed (including prisoners of war in German captivity, foreign forced laborers, <i><a href="/wiki/Volkssturm" title="Volkssturm">Volkssturm</a></i> militia and unarmed civilians)<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br /><b>Total</b>:<br />327,000</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist 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abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Template:Campaignbox Western Allied invasion of Germany"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Western Allied invasion of Germany"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Western Allied invasion of Germany"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Western Allied invasion of Germany"><span class="wrap"> Western Allied invasion of Germany </span></a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Blackcock" title="Operation Blackcock">Blackcock</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rhineland_Offensive" title="Rhineland Offensive">Rhineland</a> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Veritable" title="Operation Veritable">Veritable</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Grenade" title="Operation Grenade">Grenade</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Blockbuster" title="Operation Blockbuster">Blockbuster</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Plunder" title="Operation Plunder">Plunder</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint_(March_1945)" title="Operation Flashpoint (March 1945)">Flashpoint</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Varsity" title="Operation Varsity">Varsity</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Archway" title="Operation Archway">Archway</a></i></li></ul></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Lumberjack" title="Operation Lumberjack">Lumberjack</a></i> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Remagen" title="Battle of Remagen">Remagen</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cologne_(1945)" title="Battle of Cologne (1945)">Cologne</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Gisela" title="Operation Gisela"><i>Gisela</i></a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Undertone" title="Operation Undertone">Undertone</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Aschaffenburg_(1945)" title="Battle of Aschaffenburg (1945)">Aschaffenburg</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Task_Force_Baum" title="Task Force Baum">TF Baum</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Frankfurt" title="Battle of Frankfurt">Frankfurt</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Ruhr</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Paderborn_(1945)" title="Battle of Paderborn (1945)">Paderborn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_W%C3%BCrzburg_(1945)" title="Battle of Würzburg (1945)">Würzburg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kassel_(1945)" title="Battle of Kassel (1945)">Kassel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)" title="Battle of Heilbronn (1945)">Heilbronn</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Howard" title="Operation Howard">Howard</a></i></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Dortmund&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Dortmund (page does not exist)">Dortmund</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Razing_of_Friesoythe" title="Razing of Friesoythe">Friesoythe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Nuremberg_(1945)" title="Battle of Nuremberg (1945)">Nuremberg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lippach_massacre" title="Lippach massacre">Lippach</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_D%C3%BCsseldorf&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Düsseldorf (page does not exist)">Düsseldorf</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Stuttgart&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Stuttgart (page does not exist)">Stuttgart</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Capture_of_Hamburg" title="Capture of Hamburg">Hamburg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Castle_Itter" title="Battle of Castle Itter">Itter Castle</a></li></ul> <p><b>Logistics</b> </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/American_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="American logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany">American</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany">British</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div> <p>The <b>Ruhr pocket</b> was a <a href="/wiki/Encirclement" title="Encirclement">battle of encirclement</a> that took place in April 1945, on the <a href="/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_II)" title="Western Front (World War II)">Western Front</a> near the <a href="/wiki/End_of_World_War_II_in_Europe" title="End of World War II in Europe">end of World War II in Europe</a>, in the <a href="/wiki/Ruhr_Area" class="mw-redirect" title="Ruhr Area">Ruhr Area</a> of Germany. Some 317,000 German troops were taken prisoner along with 24 generals. The Americans suffered 10,000 casualties including 2,000 killed or missing. </p><p>Exploiting the capture of the <a href="/wiki/Ludendorff_Bridge" title="Ludendorff Bridge">Ludendorff Bridge</a> at <a href="/wiki/Remagen" title="Remagen">Remagen</a> on 7 March 1945, the U.S. <a href="/wiki/Twelfth_United_States_Army_Group" title="Twelfth United States Army Group">12th Army Group</a> (General <a href="/wiki/Omar_Bradley" title="Omar Bradley">Omar Bradley</a>) advanced rapidly into German territory south of <a href="/wiki/Army_Group_B" title="Army Group B">Army Group B</a> (<a href="/wiki/Generalfeldmarschall" title="Generalfeldmarschall">Generalfeldmarschall</a> (field marshal) <a href="/wiki/Walter_Model" title="Walter Model">Walter Model</a>). In the north, the Allied <a href="/wiki/21st_Army_Group" title="21st Army Group">21st Army Group</a> (<a href="/wiki/Field_marshal_(United_Kingdom)" title="Field marshal (United Kingdom)">Field Marshal</a> <a href="/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery" title="Bernard Montgomery">Bernard Montgomery</a>) crossed the Rhine in <a href="/wiki/Operation_Plunder" title="Operation Plunder">Operation Plunder</a> on 23 March. The lead elements of the two Allied army groups met on 1 April 1945, east of the Ruhr, to create the encirclement of 317,000 German troops to their west. </p><p>While the bulk of the U.S. forces advanced east towards the <a href="/wiki/Elbe" title="Elbe">Elbe</a> river, 18 U.S. divisions remained behind to destroy Army Group B. The reduction of the German <a href="/wiki/Pocket_(military)" title="Pocket (military)">pocket</a> began on 1 April by the <a href="/wiki/U.S._Ninth_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Ninth Army">U.S. Ninth Army</a>, with the forces of the <a href="/wiki/U.S._First_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. First Army">U.S. First Army</a> joining on 4 April. For 13 days the Germans delayed or resisted the U.S. advance. On 14 April, the First and Ninth armies met, splitting the German pocket in half and German resistance began to crumble. </p><p>Having lost contact with its units, the German <a href="/wiki/15th_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="15th Army (Wehrmacht)">15th Army</a> capitulated the same day. Model dissolved his army group on 15 April and ordered the <i>Volkssturm</i> and non-combatant personnel to discard their uniforms and go home. On 16 April the bulk of the German forces surrendered <i>en masse</i> to the U.S. divisions. Organized resistance came to an end on 18 April. Unwilling to surrender with his rank of field marshal into Allied captivity, Model committed suicide on the afternoon of 21 April. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>After <a href="/wiki/Normandy_landings" title="Normandy landings">D-Day</a> in June 1944, the <a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II" title="Allies of World War II">Allies</a> began pushing east toward <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Germany</a>. In March 1945, the Allies crossed the <a href="/wiki/Rhine" title="Rhine">River Rhine</a>. South of the Ruhr, the <a href="/wiki/Twelfth_United_States_Army_Group" title="Twelfth United States Army Group">U.S. 12th Army Group</a> (<a href="/wiki/General_(United_States)" title="General (United States)">General</a> <a href="/wiki/Omar_Bradley" title="Omar Bradley">Omar Nelson Bradley</a>) pursued the disintegrating German armies and captured the <a href="/wiki/Ludendorff_Bridge" title="Ludendorff Bridge">Ludendorff Bridge</a> across the Rhine at <a href="/wiki/Remagen" title="Remagen">Remagen</a> with the <a href="/wiki/9th_Armored_Division_(United_States)" title="9th Armored Division (United States)">9th Armored Division</a> (<a href="/wiki/First_United_States_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="First United States Army">U.S. First Army</a>). Bradley and his subordinates quickly exploited the crossing made on 7 March 1945 and expanded the <a href="/wiki/Bridgehead" title="Bridgehead">bridgehead</a> until the bridge collapsed 10 days later. </p><p>North of the Ruhr on 23 March 1945, the British Empire <a href="/wiki/21st_Army_Group" title="21st Army Group">21st Army Group</a> (<a href="/wiki/Field_marshal_(United_Kingdom)" title="Field marshal (United Kingdom)">Field Marshal</a> <a href="/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery" title="Bernard Montgomery">Sir Bernard Montgomery</a>), which incorporated the <a href="/wiki/Ninth_United_States_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="Ninth United States Army">US Ninth Army</a>, launched <a href="/wiki/Operation_Plunder" title="Operation Plunder">Operation Plunder</a> (with the airborne <a href="/wiki/Operation_Varsity" title="Operation Varsity">Operation Varsity</a> in support) crossing the Rhine at <a href="/wiki/Rees,_Germany" title="Rees, Germany">Rees</a> and <a href="/wiki/Wesel" title="Wesel">Wesel</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Battle">Battle</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Battle"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Encirclement">Encirclement</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Encirclement"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Having crossed the Rhine, both army groups fanned out into the German hinterland. In the south, while the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Army_Central" title="United States Army Central">Third Army</a> headed east, the First Army headed northeast and formed the southern pincer of the Ruhr <a href="/wiki/Double_envelopment" class="mw-redirect" title="Double envelopment">envelopment</a>. In the north, the Ninth Army, which since the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge" title="Battle of the Bulge">Battle of the Bulge</a> had been assigned to the 21st Army Group, headed southeast, forming the northern pincer, while the rest of the 21st Army Group went east and northeast. Even before the encirclement was complete, Allied activity against the Ruhr had a critical impact on Germany's economy—on March 26 <a href="/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels" title="Joseph Goebbels">Joseph Goebbels</a> noted in his diary that no more coal was coming from the Ruhr.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Ruhrpocket.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Ruhrpocket.png/220px-Ruhrpocket.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="185" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Ruhrpocket.png/330px-Ruhrpocket.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Ruhrpocket.png/440px-Ruhrpocket.png 2x" data-file-width="780" data-file-height="655" /></a><figcaption>Encirclement of the Ruhr area</figcaption></figure> <p>Facing the Allied armies were the remnants of a shattered <i><a href="/wiki/Wehrmacht" title="Wehrmacht">Wehrmacht</a></i>, a few <a href="/wiki/SS" class="mw-redirect" title="SS">SS</a> training units and large numbers of <i><a href="/wiki/Volkssturm" title="Volkssturm">Volkssturm</a></i> (militia units for aging men, including some World War I veterans), <i><a href="/wiki/Hitlerjugend" class="mw-redirect" title="Hitlerjugend">Hitlerjugend</a></i> (Hitler Youth) units, composed of boys as young as 12 as well as <a href="/wiki/Combat_service_support" title="Combat service support">combat service support</a> forces and <i>Luftwaffe</i> flak crews.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Lead elements of the two Allied pincers met on 1 April 1945, near <a href="/wiki/Lippstadt" title="Lippstadt">Lippstadt</a>. By 4 April the <a href="/wiki/Encirclement" title="Encirclement">encirclement</a> was completed and the Ninth Army reverted to the command of the 12th Army Group. Within the Ruhr pocket some 370,000 German soldiers, 14 divisions of <a href="/wiki/Army_Group_B" title="Army Group B">Army Group B</a> and two corps from the <a href="/wiki/First_Parachute_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="First Parachute Army">First Parachute Army</a>, altogether the remnants of 19 divisions, and millions of <a href="/wiki/Civilian" title="Civilian">civilians</a> were trapped in cities heavily damaged by <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II" title="Strategic bombing during World War II">Allied bombings</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973359_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973359-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Due to the presence of many rear area support units and Luftwaffe flak crewmembers, only 20% of Model's forces, or 75,000, had infantry weapons, with another 75,000 having pistols only and ammunition and fuel supplies were low. Model's requests for an airlift were dismissed out of hand by Hitler due to Allied air supremacy. All of Model's requests to withdraw or break out before or after the creation of the pocket were denied by Hitler, who expected "Fortress Ruhr" to hold out for months and tie down hundreds of thousands of Allied troops. The staff of Army Group B knew they only had food supplies for three weeks owing to the millions of civilians that also had to be fed.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201155_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEForczyk201155-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642_5-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>While the main operations were directed eastwards to central and northern Germany, elements of three U.S. armies concentrated on the pocket, taking it section by section. Model's troops put up a strong resistance along the <a href="/wiki/Dortmund%E2%80%93Ems_Canal" title="Dortmund–Ems Canal">Dortmund–Ems Canal</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Sieg_River" class="mw-redirect" title="Sieg River">Sieg river</a>-line, holding their ground from 4 April to 9 April and launching a counterattack against U.S. <a href="/wiki/75th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="75th Infantry Division (United States)">75th</a> and <a href="/wiki/95th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)" title="95th Infantry Division (United States)">95th divisions</a> near <a href="/wiki/Dortmund" title="Dortmund">Dortmund</a>. For every German city or town that capitulated, another fought on for every building. <i>Bürgermeisters</i> of some German cities presented white flags to the invading U.S. troops, such as at <a href="/wiki/Duisburg" title="Duisburg">Duisburg</a> and <a href="/wiki/Essen" title="Essen">Essen</a>, while German troops at Dortmund, <a href="/wiki/Wuppertal" title="Wuppertal">Wuppertal</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hamm,_North_Rhine-Westphalia" title="Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia">Hamm</a> fought on. The presence of SS troops was a common element in most instances of all-out resistance.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973364_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973364-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the south, the attack of the <a href="/wiki/U.S._III_Corps" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. III Corps">U.S. III Corps</a> and <a href="/wiki/XVIII_Airborne_Corps" title="XVIII Airborne Corps">XVIII Airborne Corps</a> on 5 and 6 April was delayed by German troops, who skilfully used the rugged terrain of the 80% forested <a href="/wiki/Sauerland" title="Sauerland">Sauerland</a> district to force the Americans to fight for every stream, wood and town. The Germans fought strongly for the city of <a href="/wiki/Siegen" title="Siegen">Siegen</a> to prevent the Americans from gaining access to open ground. The heavily outnumbered and outgunned Germans could ultimately do nothing more than delay the advancing enemy, who covered approximately 10 kilometers per day. By 11 April German combat strength had weakened to the extent that they were only defending <a href="/wiki/Roadblock" title="Roadblock">roadblocks</a> and built-up areas along main roads, supported by a few tanks and assault guns or <a href="/wiki/2_cm_Flak_30/38/Flakvierling" class="mw-redirect" title="2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling">2 cm flak guns</a>. At one point, the Germans covered a valley in a thick smokescreen, delaying the <a href="/wiki/7th_Armored_Division_(United_States)" title="7th Armored Division (United States)">7th Armored Division</a> for some time.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On 7 April the skies cleared and the <a href="/wiki/IX_Tactical_Air_Command" title="IX Tactical Air Command">IX</a> and <a href="/wiki/XXIX_Tactical_Air_Command" class="mw-redirect" title="XXIX Tactical Air Command">XXIX tactical air commands</a> began to pound the remaining German defenders, strafing and bombing German troop concentrations and motorized and horse-drawn columns. The Allies were eager to get their hands on all German railway rolling stock and the U.S. pilots were banned from hitting this usual primary target, limiting the extent of Allied bombing operations. The rationing of U.S. artillery ammunition had been lifted and U.S. artillery in support of <a href="/wiki/XVI_Corps_(United_States)" title="XVI Corps (United States)">XVI Corps</a> fired 259,061 rounds in 14 days.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Capitulation">Capitulation</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Capitulation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On 10 April the U.S. Ninth Army captured Essen. On 14 April the U.S. First and Ninth armies linked up on the <a href="/wiki/Ruhr_river" class="mw-redirect" title="Ruhr river">Ruhr river</a> at <a href="/wiki/Hattingen" title="Hattingen">Hattingen</a> and split the pocket in two; the smaller, eastern part surrendered the next day. Model lost contact with most of his formations and commanders on 14 April. The German <a href="/wiki/15th_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="15th Army (Wehrmacht)">15th Army</a> under <a href="/wiki/Gustav-Adolf_von_Zangen" title="Gustav-Adolf von Zangen">Gustav-Adolf von Zangen</a> capitulated on 14 April, having lost all control over its subordinate formations. The Germans had continued the fight in the pocket despite no realistic hope of relief from the start, as they were tying down 18 U.S. divisions.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973368–369_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973368–369-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Rather than surrender his command, Field Marshal Model dissolved Army Group B on 15 April. Already on 7 April the extent of the American advance to central Germany had made any breakout impossible. Model's chief of staff <a href="/wiki/Carl_Wagener" title="Carl Wagener">Carl Wagener</a> urged him to save the lives of German soldiers and civilians by capitulating. Model refused, as he knew Hitler would not authorize it. In addition, he could not reconcile surrender with the demands he placed on his officers and men throughout the war and his career. But he also wanted to save as many lives as possible for the post-war rebuilding.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He decreed the discharging of all youths and older men from the army. By 17 April ammunition supplies would be exhausted, so the non-combatant troops would be allowed to surrender on that day. All combat troops were to either break out in organized formations or drop their weapons and go home, an implicit authority to surrender.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Even before this order was fully transmitted, German resistance began to completely collapse on 16 April as the remnants of German divisions and corps surrendered <i>en masse</i>. <a href="/wiki/5th_Panzer_Army" title="5th Panzer Army">5th Panzer Army</a> commander <a href="/wiki/Josef_Harpe" title="Josef Harpe">Josef Harpe</a> was captured by paratroopers of the <a href="/wiki/17th_Airborne_Division" class="mw-redirect" title="17th Airborne Division">17th Airborne Division</a> on 17 April while trying to cross the Rhine to German forces in the Netherlands.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The commander of the Allied XVIII Airborne Corps, Matthew Ridgway, sent an aide bearing a white flag to Army Group B's headquarters, calling on Model to surrender but the field marshal refused, citing his oath to Hitler. When asked for instructions by the squad leader of a German unit that was still armed, Model told them to go home as their fight was over. He then shook their hands and wished them luck.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The western part of the pocket continued a weak resistance until 18 April. Model tried to get to the <a href="/wiki/Harz_mountains" class="mw-redirect" title="Harz mountains">Harz mountains</a> through the American lines in a small column, but could not make it. Rather than surrender and face trial for war crimes, he committed suicide.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTED'Este1989329_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTED'Este1989329-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>German anti-Nazi resistance groups in <a href="/wiki/D%C3%BCsseldorf" title="Düsseldorf">Düsseldorf</a> attempted to surrender the city to the Allied armies in the so-called "<a href="/wiki/Aktion_Rheinland" title="Aktion Rheinland">Aktion Rheinland</a>" in order to spare Düsseldorf from further destruction. However, SS units were able to crush the resistance, and executed a number of those involved. Executions of foreign laborers and political prisoners by the <a href="/wiki/Gestapo" title="Gestapo">Gestapo</a> had already been occurring since February. The act of resistance did accomplish a cancellation of further bombings on the city by another 800 bombers, through contact with the Americans. Düsseldorf was captured by Americans on 18 April<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> without any notable fighting. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Aftermath">Aftermath</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Aftermath"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Casualties">Casualties</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Casualties"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The 317,000 German soldiers from the Ruhr pocket, and some civilians, were imprisoned in the <i><a href="/wiki/Rheinwiesenlager" title="Rheinwiesenlager">Rheinwiesenlager</a></i> (in English, "Rhine meadow camp") near Remagen, a temporary prison enclosure. </p><p>The Americans suffered <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr>10,000 casualties while reducing the pocket. The Ninth Army lost 341 killed, 121 missing and just under 2,000 wounded. The First Army lost three times more, which brought the U.S. casualties to 10,000. The divisions of III Corps lost 291 killed, 88 missing and 1,356 wounded, while the 8th Division of the XVIII Airborne Corps lost 198 killed, 101 missing and 1,238 wounded. Casualty totals for the <a href="/wiki/Fifteenth_United_States_Army" title="Fifteenth United States Army">Fifteenth United States Army</a> units on the western edge of the pocket are not listed in the official U.S. history.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Americans liberated hundreds of thousands of hungry, diseased and weakened prisoners-of-war and <a href="/wiki/Forced_labour_under_German_rule_during_World_War_II" title="Forced labour under German rule during World War II">slave laborers</a>, the former consisting mainly of <a href="/wiki/Red_Army" title="Red Army">Red Army</a> soldiers who were very happy at their liberation. The liberated slaves also had a tendency to loot and terrorize the German population once released and to clog up the roads in front of the U.S. columns.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The German civilians were incredulous at Germany's defeat.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370_13-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Americans also witnessed the destruction inflicted on Ruhr cities and towns by the Allied bombing campaigns; in many cities the U.S. troops wrested control of there was nothing but rubble, block after block. However, most of the German industrial machinery, situated in protected or decentralized locations, had survived the onslaught, unharmed, or required only minor repairs. Such equipment was quickly made operational after its capture.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366_16-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Citations">Citations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Citations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 20em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973372_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 372.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEZalogaDennis200687-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZalogaDennis200687_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFZalogaDennis2006">Zaloga & Dennis 2006</a>, p. 87.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Wolf Stegemann, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dorsten-unterm-hakenkreuz.de/2012/05/28/der-ruhrkessel-ende-der-kampfe-im-westen-verbrechen-der-wehrmacht-der-ss-und-gestapo-an-der-bevolkerung-bis-zum-letzten-tag/">Der Ruhrkessel: Ende der Kämpfe im Westen – Verbrechen der Wehrmacht, der SS und Gestapo an der Bevölkerung bis zum letzten Tag</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Trevor-Roper, Hugh (1978). <i>Final Entries 1945 The Diaries of Joseph Goebbels</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642_5-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEZaloga201642_5-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFZaloga2016">Zaloga 2016</a>, p. 42.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973359-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973359_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 359.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEForczyk201155-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201155_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFForczyk2011">Forczyk 2011</a>, p. 55.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973364-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973364_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 364.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973365_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 365.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973368–369-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973368–369_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, pp. 368–369.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForczyk201156_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFForczyk2011">Forczyk 2011</a>, p. 56.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973369_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 369.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370_13-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973370_13-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 370.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTED'Este1989329-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTED'Este1989329_14-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFD'Este1989">D'Este 1989</a>, p. 329.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFOliver2019" class="citation book cs1">Oliver, Dennis (2019-04-30). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=SE8IEAAAQBAJ&dq=D%C3%BCsseldorf+18+April+1945&pg=PT21"><i>Tank Destroyer, Achilles and M10: British Army Anti-Tank Units, Western Europe, 1944–1945</i></a>. Pen and Sword. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5267-4191-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-5267-4191-2"><bdi>978-1-5267-4191-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Tank+Destroyer%2C+Achilles+and+M10%3A+British+Army+Anti-Tank+Units%2C+Western+Europe%2C+1944%E2%80%931945&rft.pub=Pen+and+Sword&rft.date=2019-04-30&rft.isbn=978-1-5267-4191-2&rft.aulast=Oliver&rft.aufirst=Dennis&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DSE8IEAAAQBAJ%26dq%3DD%25C3%25BCsseldorf%2B18%2BApril%2B1945%26pg%3DPT21&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366_16-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMacDonald1973366_16-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMacDonald1973">MacDonald 1973</a>, p. 366.</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bibliography">Bibliography</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Ruhr_pocket&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Bibliography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239549316">.mw-parser-output .refbegin{margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul li{list-style:none}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{padding-left:1.6em;text-indent:-1.6em}}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%}}</style><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFD'Este1989" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Carlo_D%27Este" title="Carlo D'Este">D'Este, Carlo</a> (1989). "Model". In <a href="/wiki/Corelli_Barnett" class="mw-redirect" title="Corelli Barnett">Barnet, Corelli</a> (ed.). <i>Hitler's Generals</i>. London: Phoenix. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85799-285-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-85799-285-4"><bdi>978-1-85799-285-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Model&rft.btitle=Hitler%27s+Generals&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Phoenix&rft.date=1989&rft.isbn=978-1-85799-285-4&rft.aulast=D%27Este&rft.aufirst=Carlo&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFForczyk2011" class="citation book cs1">Forczyk, R. (2011). <i>Walther Model (Command)</i>. Osprey. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84908-357-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84908-357-7"><bdi>978-1-84908-357-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Walther+Model+%28Command%29&rft.pub=Osprey&rft.date=2011&rft.isbn=978-1-84908-357-7&rft.aulast=Forczyk&rft.aufirst=R.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMacDonald1973" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Charles_B._MacDonald" title="Charles B. MacDonald">MacDonald, C. B.</a> (1973). <i>Victory in Europe, 1945: The Last Offensive of World War II</i>. United States Army in World War II European Theater of Operations. Washington DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army <a href="/wiki/US_Government_Printing_Office" class="mw-redirect" title="US Government Printing Office">US Government Printing Office</a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/963582">963582</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Victory+in+Europe%2C+1945%3A+The+Last+Offensive+of+World+War+II&rft.place=Washington+DC&rft.series=United+States+Army+in+World+War+II+European+Theater+of+Operations&rft.pub=Office+of+the+Chief+of+Military+History%2C+United+States+Army+US+Government+Printing+Office&rft.date=1973&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F963582&rft.aulast=MacDonald&rft.aufirst=C.+B.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZalogaDennis2006" class="citation book cs1">Zaloga, Steve; Dennis, Peter (2006). <i>Remagen 1945: Endgame against the Third Reich</i>. Oxford: Osprey. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84603-249-0" title="Special:BookSources/1-84603-249-0"><bdi>1-84603-249-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Remagen+1945%3A+Endgame+against+the+Third+Reich&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pub=Osprey&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=1-84603-249-0&rft.aulast=Zaloga&rft.aufirst=Steve&rft.au=Dennis%2C+Peter&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZaloga2016" class="citation book cs1">Zaloga, S. (2016). <i>Downfall 1945: The Fall of Hitler's Third Reich</i>. Osprey. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4728-1143-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-4728-1143-1"><bdi>978-1-4728-1143-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Downfall+1945%3A+The+Fall+of+Hitler%27s+Third+Reich&rft.pub=Osprey&rft.date=2016&rft.isbn=978-1-4728-1143-1&rft.aulast=Zaloga&rft.aufirst=S.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARuhr+pocket" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a>: National <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q699093#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" /></a></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/sh85115788">United States</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://olduli.nli.org.il/F/?func=find-b&local_base=NLX10&find_code=UID&request=987007548657605171">Israel</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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