Under cover of darkness and the largest artillery barrage this side of the Ardennes, American and British forces stormed across the mighty Rhine River on the night of March 23, pushing deeper into the heart of Hitler’s collapsing Reich.
The crossing—planned for weeks and executed with precision—marks a turning point in the Western Front campaign and brings the Allies one giant step closer to ultimate victory in Europe. Columns of American G.I.s from the 30th and 79th Infantry Divisions, alongside their British Highlander and Scottish comrades, trudged across pontoon bridges under the crackle of enemy fire, their breath turning to mist in the cold night air.
The Rhine, a symbol of German pride and military myth since the days of Frederick the Great, was crossed not by ancient armies but by the relentless machinery of modern war—Sherman tanks, DUKWs, and a sea of steel and grit.
“This is the big one,” said Pfc. Joe Cavelli of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as he sloshed across the floating bridge with his M1 slung over his shoulder. “We’re in Germany for keeps now.” The operation, codenamed Plunder, was launched with thunderous Allied air strikes and a rolling artillery onslaught that lit the sky for miles.
By dawn, tens of thousands of Allied troops were over the river, establishing bridgeheads and fanning out across the flatlands of western Germany. High above, the largest airborne drop in history unfolded as paratroopers of the British 6th Airborne Division and U.S. 17th Airborne Division descended behind enemy lines in Operation Varsity, capturing key positions and sowing confusion among German defenders.
The enemy resistance—though stiff in pockets—was no match for the sheer weight of Allied firepower and momentum. Prisoners in bedraggled Wehrmacht uniforms surrendered in droves, many too young or too old to bear the burden of another hopeless defense. “There was no way the Krauts could hold us back,” grinned Sgt. Bill Rawlins of the 79th Division, his uniform caked with Rhine mud. “They might’ve thought the river would stop us. It didn’t stop Patton, it won’t stop us either.”
Military brass, including Field Marshal Montgomery and General William H. Simpson of the U.S. Ninth Army, hailed the crossing as a masterstroke that could hasten the end of the war in Europe.
The Rhine (300 to 500 yards wide at Wessel), once thought to be Germany's last natural barrier, is now just another line on the map—behind us. As the boys push east toward the industrial Ruhr and the Elbe beyond, the message back home is clear: the road to Berlin is open, and this time, we're not turning back.
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