The Siegfried Line stretched from the border with France to the Rhine River, which was intended as a natural barrier that would stop the Allied advance in the closing days of the war. Consequently, a lot of fighting and bombing took place along the Rhine River.
The Germans tried to blow up every bridge crossing to delay the Allied advance.
However, during the Battle of Remagen, a town south of Bonn, the Allies were able to capture the bridge intact and started crossing over into Germany as they overcome the last natural barrier. After that, forces from the south and north were able to perform an encircling maneuvre onto the Ruhr Valley, capturing some 317,000 German soldiers between the cities of Jamm, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg.
The Battle for the Ruhr Pocket, as it is known, lasted from 7 March to 21 April, when German Marshal Walter Model commited suicide instead of surrendering to the Allies.
The war in Europe officially ended less than three weeks later, on, May 8.
--GreGen
