Post on 30-Dec-2021
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CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGN – VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY (V-E DAY)
FACTS90
Full-strength Allied Divisions under General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
National TreasureU.S. Army units discovered hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen
assets by the Nazi, like the 90th Infantry Division who found and seized
hidden enemy treasure worth up to $250 million.
Atrocities UnearthedOn 4 April 1945, the 4th Armored and elements of the 89th Infantry
Divisions were the first western Allies to liberate a concentration camp
near Ohrdruf, Germany.
Humanitarian AidEven before the war ended, American soldiers embarked on a
humanitarian mission to provide comfort to millions of people across
war-torn Europe.
CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGN – VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY (V-E DAY)
By the early spring of 1945, events favored the Allied forces in Europe. The Allied front along the Rhine stretched 450 miles from the river’s mouth at the North Sea in the Netherlands to the Swiss border in the south. The war in Europe was coming to an end.
By late March, General Dwight D. Eisenhower made a strategic decision to alter his original plan to advance through north Germany toward Berlin. Instead, he would make a main offensive thrust through southern Germany. The fortuitous capture of a bridge across the Rhine at Remagen, the potential threat posed by enemy strongholds, and the Soviet army’s proximity to Berlin all spurred his decision. In early April, U.S. troops swept through central Europe. They encountered pockets of enemy resistance, but the German army was broken. Yet even as thousands of enemy soldiers surrendered to the Allies, the victories uncovered horrific atrocities as Allied soldiers liberated concentration camps.
On 8 May, the Germans officially surrendered to the Allies, ending the war in Europe. As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of World War II and victory in Europe, we remember and honor the soldiers who fought in the Central European Campaign.
Cover illustration: Meeting with the Russians at Torgau By Olin Dows Germany, 1945 (U.S. Army Art Collection)
THE U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Second World War through outreach events and other mediums to educate and inspire all members of American society by honoring the selfless acts of courage and heroism performed by U.S. soldiers in the service of our nation.
For more information about the World War II 75th Anniversary and U.S. Army campaigns, please visit the U.S. Army Center of Military History home page:
www.history.army.milLearn more about the National Museum of the United States Army:
www.thenmusa.orgBe part of the rich history and heritage of the U.S. Army:
www.goarmy.comJoin us on social media at:
www.facebook.com/armyhistory
www.twitter.com/USArmyCMH
www.instagram.com/armyhistory
U.S. ARMY LEVEL UNITS INVOLVED (FOR A FULL REPRESENTATION OF UNITS INVOLVED, SEE ACCOMPANYING MAP)
Ninth Army
First Army Third Army
Seventh Army
Fifteenth Army
Soldiers from the 44th Infantry Division celebrate after hearing the news of the surrender of the 19th German Army, Landeck, Austria, 6 May 1945
“The crusade on which we embarked in the early summer of 1944 has reached its glorious conclusion. . . . Full Victory in Europe has been attained!”
— General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, from his “Victory Order of the Day” memo, 8 May 1945
Oder R
Vistula R
Rhine
R
Ma in
R.
Sieg R
Lahn R
Meuse R
Danube R Elbe R
Oder R
Neisse R
Leine R
Lippe R
Ruhr R
N O R T HS E A
Br 21 Army Group
FIRSTCDN ARMY
SECONDBR ARMY xxxxx
xxxx
xxxx
xxxx
xxxx
xxxx
xxxxx xxxx
xxxx
xxxxx
FIRSTFR ARMY
SECOND BELORUSSIAN FRONT
FIRST BELORUSSIAN FRONT
FIRST UKRAINIAN FRONT
FOURTH UKRAINIAN FRONT
SECOND UKRAINIAN FRONT
THIRD UKRAINIAN FRONT
F R A N C E
G E R M A N Y
C Z E C H O S L O V A K I A
P O L A N D
H U N G A R YA U S T R I A
EASTPRUSSIA
B E L G I U M
N E T H E R L A N D S
EASTPRUSSIA
S W I T Z E R L A N D
ITALY ITALY
DANZIG
LUXEMBOURG
Uelzen
Pilsen
LIECHTENSTEIN
I T A L Y
Y U G O S L A V I A
Amsterdam
RotterdamArnhem
Wesel
Münster
Cologne
Liege
Brussels
Antwerp
Koblenz
Remagen
Mainz
Kaiserslautern
Saarbrücken
Châlons
Nancy
Strasbourg
Dijon Belfort
Colmar
Basel
Bern
Geneva
Zurich Bregenz
Bolzano
MunichUlm Augsburg
Heilbronn
Stuttgart
Bayreuth
Würzburg
Coburg
Bamberg
Erfurt
Frankfurt
Magdeburg
Giessen
Kassel
Paderborn
Hannover
Bremen
Chemnitz
Karlsbad
GorlitzDresden
Prague
Linz
Villach
Vienna
Budapest
Brunn
Zilina
Cracow
Breslav
Lodz
WarsawPosen
Nuremburg
Lübeck
Hamburg
Wismar
Rostock
Potsdam
Berlin
Stettin
Frankfurt
Torgau
Karlsruhe
Givet
Bastogne
ELEVATION IN METERS
0 200 500 1000 and Above0 100
Miles
Front l ine, 8 May
8 May
E U R O P E A N T H E A T E RU.S . ARMY UNITS 86th Infantry
Division1st Infantry
Division2d Infantry
Division
4th InfantryDivision
3d InfantryDivision
5th InfantryDivision
9th InfantryDivision
17th InfantryDivision
26th InfantryDivision
28th InfantryDivision
29th InfantryDivision
30th InfantryDivision
35th InfantryDivision
36th InfantryDivision
42d InfantryDivision
44th InfantryDivision
45th InfantryDivision
63d InfantryDivision
65th InfantryDivision
69th InfantryDivision
70th InfantryDivision
75th InfantryDivision
71st InfantryDivision
78th InfantryDivision
76th InfantryDivision
80th InfantryDivision
79th InfantryDivision
84th InfantryDivision
83d InfantryDivision
87th InfantryDivision
90th InfantryDivision
89th InfantryDivision
95th InfantryDivision
94th InfantryDivision
97th InfantryDivision
99th InfantryDivision
101st AirborneDivision
100th InfantryDivision
103d InfantryDivision
102d InfantryDivision
104th InfantryDivision
2
2d ArmoredDivision
3
3d ArmoredDivision
4
4th ArmoredDivision
5
5th ArmoredDivision
6
6th ArmoredDivision
7
7th ArmoredDivision
8
8th ArmoredDivision
9
9th ArmoredDivision
10
10th ArmoredDivision
11
11th ArmoredDivision
12
12th ArmoredDivision
13
13th ArmoredDivision
14
14th ArmoredDivision
16
16th ArmoredDivision
20
20th ArmoredDivision
82d AirborneDivision
8th InfantryDivision
5
2
8
3
69
16
4
1113
12
10
14
20
7
VICTORY IN EUROPEU.S. Army Units, 8 May 1945
III Corps V Corps VI Corps VII Corps VIII Corps XIII CorpsXII Corps XV Corps XVI Corps XIX Corps XX Corps XXI Corps XXII Corps XXIII CorpsXVIII AirborneCorps
Seventh Army Ninth ArmyThird Army Fifteenth Army12th ArmyGroup
First Army6th ArmyGroup