Heller 81198 1945 The Last Battle

The fights in Germany in the declining period of World War II can be divided into two, coming together: the western and eastern fronts. Actions on the Western Front were a natural consequence of the German defeat in the Ardennes offensive at the turn of 1944 and 1945. They began with the capture of western Germany, and especially a large part of the Rhineland, by the end of February 1945, and later led to the crossing of the Rhine in March of this year. year. The capture of the bridge in the city of Remagen, not damaged by the Germans, was a great facilitation in this operation. At the end of March, the Western Allies also established bridgeheads in the Wesel and Oppenheim areas. In April, the Allied forces "flooded" West Germany, capturing primarily the Ruhr - the industrial heart of Germany, but also the entire south of the country. It is worth adding that the resistance put up by the Germans in the West in March and April 1945 was often symbolic. They tried to move the main military effort to the east and defend themselves at all costs against the advancing Red Army, which began crossing the Odra River in mid-April 1945, having, however, an overwhelming advantage over the enemy in terms of people and equipment. The beginning of the operation began with the battles for the Seelow heights and the battles at Halbe. Despite the initial failures, the Soviet army approached Berlin very quickly, where heavy and bloody street battles were fought. Finally, the last great battle of World War II in Europe ended with a complete success of the Soviet side, symbolized by both the suicide of Adolf Hitler on April 30, 1945 and the planting of the Soviet banner on the Reichstag. It is worth adding that on April 25, 1945, the Soviet and Allied troops met in Torgau on the Elbe.