Battle of Nuremberg (1945)
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Battle of Nuremberg | |||||||
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Part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany in the Western Front | |||||||
American soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division walk through a devastated Nuremberg. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Wade H. Haislip John W. O'Daniel Robert T. Frederick |
Karl Holz †[1] Richard Wolf Willy Liebel † | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Remnants and militia from: | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
45,000 troops[2] |
2 divisions (est. 20,000–50,000) 2 regiments (est. 2,000–11,000) ROA troops (est. 18,000) Several ad hoc units of Luftwaffe (est. 2,000)[2] and Volkssturm[3] |
The Battle of Nuremberg was a five-day battle between the forces of the
Background
The
The battle
By 16 April, the 7th Army had begun its assault on Nuremberg, not from the west as Holz expected, but from the east and northeast. By the end of the day, the Americans had captured the outskirts of Erlenstegen and Buch. Arthur Schoeddert, a constable of anti-aircraft artillery, failed to execute Hitler's orders to blow up electricity, gas and water plants in the city.[5]
By 17 April, the 7th Army captured the marshaling yard and the surrounding area as well as the Veilhofstrasse and Woehrd neighborhoods. By evening, the airport to the north was captured and US artillery began to shell the old city. American troops met fierce resistance around the old city on 18 April, which destroyed and damaged many buildings around the old city, including the historic Nuremberg Castle. On 18 April, as American artillery continued to shell the old city, U.S. troops were able to reach the old city via the Burgschmietstrasse.[5]
On 20 April, the 3rd Infantry Division under the command of Major General John W. O'Daniel and the 45th Infantry Division under Major General Robert T. Frederick laid siege to the old city. German resistance was so great that American heavy artillery and air support was deployed. Holz ordered his men to continue to fight. Holz himself was trapped in the police station in the old city, but continued to resist. After American troops gave him four chances for a peaceful surrender, he was killed while American troops overran the building. After Holz's death, second-in-command Colonel Wolf realised that the city could no longer be held. At 11:00 he ordered all German troops in the area to surrender. On the evening of 20 April, the American flag was hoisted at Adolf Hitler Platz, formally ending the battle.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d "End of the War in Nuremberg - Nuremberg - Battle for a Symbol". kriegsende.nuernberg.de. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "End of the War in Nuremberg - Unequal Forces Line Up for Battle". kriegsende.nuernberg.de. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ MacDonald, Charles B. (1993). The Last Offensive. Washington D.C.: GPO. p. 423.
- ^ ISBN 0160481368. CMH Pub 72-36.
- ^ a b "End of the War in Nuremberg - Chronology of the Last Battles 1". kriegsende.nuernberg.de. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "End of the War in Nuremberg - Chronology of the Last Battles 2". kriegsende.nuernberg.de. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2012.