5. Western Germany, March – May, 1945
It is widely believed that after the collapse of the German offensive in the Ardennes in late 1944 and early 1945 the German army largely quit fighting in the west. The casualty lists for the spring of 1945 argue otherwise. As the allies poured over the Rhine into Germany and spread out to capture German and Austrian territory, the Soviets pushed into eastern Germany and neared Berlin. More than half of the divisions available for the attack on Germany from the west (90), were American (49). Eisenhower, in command of all, designated the 12th Army group under General Omar Bradley as his primary spearhead. As the units fought their way across Germany, towns became occupied by American troops, which confiscated contraband and occupied private offices and homes as needed for their use, the original occupants evicted and forced to find housing on their own.
During the drive across Germany, German forces continued to resist, aided by civilians in many instances, and by older veterans of the First World War and Hitler Youth members. The five weeks following the thrust of the Americans across the Rhine and the collapse of German resistance saw more than 15,000 Americans killed in Germany. Americans dealt with stiff resistance from the Germans in the Ruhr Valley and its industrial complex, and as they did so they also released forced workers and captured large amounts of prisoners, which all had to be fed by the American logistics system. As American forces neared Leipzig they ran into fierce attacks by German ant-aircraft guns which were directed against the American troops. The last five weeks of the battle in Germany saw Americans killed at the rate of 3,000 per week, an indication of German resistance to the last.