Ruhr Pocket

A German military encirclement in April 1945, in which Allied forces trapped and captured hundreds of thousands of German troops in the Ruhr region.

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Operation Plunder: The Allied operation to cross the Rhine near Wesel in March 1945. Its successful crossing gave Allied forces a bridgehead for the northern arm of the encirclement.
Western Allied invasion of Germany: The Allied advance into Germany from the west during the final months of World War II. The pocket formed during this campaign’s rapid push beyond the Rhine.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: The Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the European theater during World War II. His decision to prioritize the Ruhr shaped the final Allied approach to the encirclement.
Army Group B: A German army group that fought on the Western Front during World War II. Its trapped formations surrendered as Allied forces reduced the pocket.
Operation Varsity: The Allied airborne operation across the Rhine near Wesel on 24 March 1945. Airborne troops helped secure the eastern side of the Rhine crossing used to advance toward the Ruhr.
Battle of the Ruhr: The campaign in which Allied forces captured the Ruhr industrial region in 1945. The encirclement was the decisive phase of this campaign.
Bernard Montgomery: A British field marshal who commanded Allied ground forces in northwestern Europe. His forces crossed the Rhine north of the Ruhr and advanced to form the pocket’s northern edge.
Siege of Dortmund: The capture of Dortmund by Allied forces during the final fighting in the Ruhr in April 1945. Dortmund’s fall marked the collapse of organized German defense in the pocket’s eastern sector.
First United States Army: A United States Army formation that fought in the European theater during World War II. Its advance from the north helped close the pocket at Lippstadt.
Battle of the Rhine: The Allied campaign to cross the Rhine and advance into western Germany in 1945. The Rhine crossings enabled the pincer movements that trapped German forces.