North-West Europe campaign

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North-West Europe campaign (World War II) (Sept. 1944–May 1945) Leading on from the Normandy Campaign, Montgomery's forces captured Antwerp on 4 September and crossed the Albert Canal, though his controversial attempt to seize the lower Rhine by dropping the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem ended in failure. Meanwhile, the US 1st Army captured Namur, and was the first to reach German soil, taking the city of Aachen on 21 October 1944. The US 3rd Army moved east and reached the Moselle. However, the Germans consolidated their forces and established strong defensive lines along the Rhine, from which they embarked on their Ardennes offensive. Once that was defeated, Montgomery's forces pushed forward to the Rhine. In March, the Rhine was finally crossed at the town of Wesel, which had been completely flattened by air attacks. In the south, French forces moved up the upper Rhine towards Lake Constance. The US 7th Army pushed east towards Munich and the 3rd Army crossed the Rhine at Frankfurt, and swept through central Germany into Bohemia. On 11 April Montgomery reached the River Elbe. Following the capture of Berlin by the Red Army and the suicide of Hitler, Montgomery received the surrender of the German forces in north-west Europe on Lüneburg Heath on 4 May. Four days later, VE day, the war in Europe was declared at an end.

North-West Europe Campaign (September 1944–May 1945) An Allied military campaign in World War II. Following the NORMANDY CAMPAIGN, MONTGOMERY's forces captured Antwerp (4 September) and crossed the Albert Canal. The US 1st Army captured Namur and Aachen, while the US 3rd Army moved east and reached the Moselle. Montgomery's attempt to seize the lower Rhine by dropping the 1st Airborne Division at ARNHEM ended in failure. In November the Germans consolidated and in December launched a counter-attack in the ARDENNES, the Battle of the Bulge. In January 1945 Montgomery's forces pushed forward to the Rhine. In March a massive bombardment at Wesel preceded a successful crossing of the lower Rhine by Montgomery's troops. The US 7th Army pushed east towards Munich, French forces moved up the upper Rhine to Lake Constance, and the US 3rd Army advanced to Leipzig and across the Austrian border into Czechoslovakia. On 11 April Montgomery reached the River Elbe. Following the capture of Berlin by the Red Army and the suicide of Hitler (30 April), Montgomery received the surrender of the German forces in north-west Europe on Lüneburg Heath on 4 May. Four days later (V-E Day), the war in Europe was declared at an end.