Soviet Flag on the Reichstag
Soviet Flag on the Reichstag
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII - Germany > ETO > Central Europe > Central Germany, updated by RAC 17 May 2022.

In the winter and spring of 1945, Soviet forces advancing through Poland overran the part of Germany north of Czechoslovakia, including the German capital of Berlin, while the Western Allies crossed the Rhine in March and then fought east through the remainder of Germany.

Here are some memorable dates, including Soviet operations, for this, the last phase of World War II in Europe:
  • ​1 Apr 1945 - Ruhr, Germany's largest industrial area, surrounded.
  • 12 Apr 1945 - Anticipating future Holocaust-deniers, General Eisenhower visits the liberated concentration camp at Ohrdruf near Buchenwald.
  • 12 Apr 1945 - President Roosevelt dies suddenly in Warm Springs, Georgia.
  • 16 Apr 1945 - Russians begin Battle of Berlin.
  • 25 Apr 1945 - American and Russian troops meet at Torgau on the Elbe River northeast of Leipzig.
  • 30 Apr 1945 - Adolf Hitler suicides in his Berlin bunker.
  • 2 May 1945 - Berlin falls after massive, lengthy, and bloody Russian attack.
  • 7 May 1945 - Germany surrenders at Reims, France.
  • 8 May 1945 - V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, European hostilities cease.
Occupying the Ruhr - March-April 1945
Elements of the US First Army began crossing the Rhine with the siezure of the bridge at Remagen on March 7. The Ninth Army crossed  with Montgomery's 21st Army Group in Operation Plunder near Wesel beginning on March 23.
 
Once across the Rhine, the  Ninth Army was returned from British control to become part of Bradley's 12th Army Group. The Ninth and the First Armies then coordinated their efforts to seal off and then capture the Ruhr, on the east side of the Rhine and Germany's largest industrial area. 

Most German forces in the Ruhr Pocket surrendered on April 16. Organized resistance ended on April 18. By then, much of the Ninth and First Armies had advanced well to the east.
Enveloping the Ruhr
Enveloping the Ruhr
The Western Allies Drive Across Central Germany - April-May 1945
By April 19, the Ninth and First Armies had reached the west bank of the Elbe River, with Russian forces already on the east bank.

For the last several weeks of the war, Patton's Third Army, to the south of the First Army, occupied most of southeastern Germany, penetrating into small portions of Czechoslovakia and Austria. The Seventh Army and the French 1st Army focused on occupying southwestern Germany, with elements of the Seventh Army making contact with the US 5th Army at Brenner Pass on the Austrian - Italian border.
Central Europe Campaign - 19 Apr to 7 May 1945
Final Phase of the Central European Campaign - 19 Apr - 7 May 1945
Germany Surrenders - 7 May 1945
Germany forces in Italy had already surrendered effective May 2.

In the final weeks of the war, some high-ranking German figures attempted to negotiate a conditional surrender to the Western Allies. These attempts were rebuffed.

The unconditional German surrender to the Allies occurred on May 7, 1945 at General Eisenhower's ETO headquarters in Reims, France, in a building now housing a museum. General Jodl, who represented Germany,  was one of the Nazi leaders later executed in 1946. Although the surrender document was signed early on 7 May 7, hostilities were to cease late on 8 May.

I know of two events where smaller German military units acted independently and with compassion before the German government's surrender.
  •  Starting at 29 April, The German Army still holding out in the western Netherlands allowed the Allies to begin bringing relief supplies for Dutch civilians, 25,000 of whom had died of starvation during the previous winter.
  • On 5 May at Schloss Itter in northern Austria, German troops joined US forces to protect high-ranking French prisoners from diehard German SS troops.

How the world celebrated on May 8!
General Jodl at the Surrender Table
General Jodl at the Surrender Table
V-E Day - Winston Churchill and the Royal Family
V-E Day - Winston Churchill and the Royal Family
The Allied Armies at the End of the War with Germany
The accompanying map shows the position of the Allied armies just after hostilities ended. Some commentary:
  • To conform with previous agreements with the Soviet Union, the US First Army soon turned over the German territory just north of Czechoslovakia to the Russian Army.​
The Allied Armys at Wars End
The Allied Armys at Wars End
After the Surrender
Germany was divided into four occupation zones, with Berlin in the middle of the Russian zone.
  • Berlin was also divided into four zones, an unfortunate decision that resulted in much anguish during the ensuing Cold War between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
  • The French shared their zone with American forces, and the United States had at least two enclaves in the British zone.
  • The Saar was administered as a French protectorate until 1 Jan 1957, when it was returned to Germany.
Germany after WW II
Germany after WW II - Partitioned and shorn of eastern territory
Sources for the Central Germany webpage:
  • The header photo is courtesy of rarehistoricalphotos.com. The Battle of Berlin raged from 16 Apr to 2 May. 80,000 Russian troops died; German losses, including civilians, were higher. The first Soviet flag was raised at night on 30 Apr and removed by German soldiers. This photo, taken on 2 May by Yevgeny Khaldei, was subject to a bit of editing, including adding smoke.
  • The Enveloping the Ruhr map is courtesy of historynet.com.
  • The Final Phase of the Central European Campaign map is courtesy of the United States Military Academy.
  • The photo of General Jodl at the surrender table is courtesy of ww2db.com.
  • The V-E Day Buckingham Palace photo is courtesy of the Imperial War Museum in London.​
  • I found The Allied Armies at Wars End map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_contact#/media/File:Allied_army_positions_on_10_May_1945.png.
  • The Germany after WW II map is courtesy of http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org.

Pottawattamie County, Iowa Area WW II Dead - Central Germany: 03-08 - Central Europe > Central Germany: (17 dead, updated 28 Oct 2021)
† Baraks, Frederick August, served as Barracks Frederick A, SN 36-448-659, US Army, Rock Island Co., IL
  • 449th Military Police Co., assigned to unknown corps, landed at Utah Beach 6 Jun 1944, served in the Battle of the Bulge; WIA early Apr 1945, KIA (sic) 4 Apr 1945, death location unknown; Central Europe > Central Germany. 
† Browning, William Albert, SN 37-489-019, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • Co. K, 22nd Inf. Regt., 4th Inf. Div.; KIA 5 Apr 1945 near Ochsenfurt, SE of Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Carley, Albert Boyd, SN 37-035-663, US Army, Audubon & Shelby Cos.
  • 712th Tank Bn., Seventh Army; KIA 1 Apr 1945 in Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Cutler, Donald Lee, SN 39-603-009, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Co. E, 254th Inf. Regt., 63rd Inf. Div., Seventh Army; KIA 8 Apr 1945 near Weißbach, SW of Würzburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Frazier, Arthur Thompson, SN 37-466-728, US Army, Mills Co.
  • Co. D; 786th Tank Bn., attached to 99th Inf. Div.; KIA 28 Mar 1945 near Giessen, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.​
† Hartwig, Harold William, SN 37-260-353, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Co. I, 357th Inf. Regt., 90th Inf. Div., Third Army; KIA 18 Apr 1945, SE Germany, near Schwartzenbach & Hof, Bavaria; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Henderson, Max O., SN 37-485-581, US Army, Pott. Co. & Thayer Co., NE
  • Co. K, 406th Inf. Regt., 102nd Inf. Div., Ninth Army; KIA 18 Apr 1945, E of Hanover, near the Elbe River, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Herrell, George Walter, SN 37-699-107, US Army, Pott. Co. & Douglas Co., NE
  • Co. A, 60th Armored Inf. Bn., 9th Armored Div., First Army; KIA 31 Mar 1945 attacking Luftwaffe airfield near Fritzlar, SW of Kassel, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany. 
† Kitson, Donald Edgar, SN 37-750-237, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • Co. A, 61st Armored Inf. Bn., 10th Armored Div., Third Army (10th Armored Div. attached to Seventh Army 8 Apr 1945); KIA 8 Apr 1945 near Wolpertshausen, E of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Battle of Heilbronn - Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Macalister, Bruce Richard, SN O-444938, US Army, Douglas Co., NE
  • C.O., Co. K, 346th Inf. Regt., 86th Inf. Div.; WIA 30 Apr 1945 near Berglern, Bavaria ~ 30 miles NE of Munich; DOW 1 May 1945; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† McCormick, Jack Albert, SN 20-743-489, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Co. G, 330th Inf. Regt., 83rd Inf. Div.; captured 5 Jan 1945 during German counterattack on Hill 108 near Lansival, W of Vielsalm, Belgium; perhaps processed at POW camp Stalag 12A, Limberg, E of Koblenz, Germany and then transferred to Stalag 9B, Bad Orb, NE of Hanau, Germany; DNB 3 Mar 1945; pneumonia; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Mead, John Lincoln, SN 31-374-517, US Army, Pott. Co. & Hillsborough Co., NH
  • Field Artillery, unit unknown; KIA 26 Mar 1945 unknown location in Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
​† Moore, Walter Lee, SN 37-699-139, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Co. F, 33rd Armored Regt., 3rd Armored Div., First Army; KIA 30 Mar 1945 E of the Ruhr, near Schloss Hamborn, S of Paderborn, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Punteney, Charles Edward (both Punteney & Puntney in army records), SN 37-699-132, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • 33rd Armored Regt., 3rd Armored Div., First Army; KIA 26 Mar 1945 near Altenkirchen, E of Bonn, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Swanson, Jack Leonard, SN 37-652-893, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Troop B, 116th Cavalry Recon. Sqdn., 101st Cavalry Gp., Seventh Army; KIA 16 Apr 1945 Bavaria, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Wright, Arlos Edward, SN 37-697-737, US Army, Mills Co.
  • Co. K, 399th Inf. Regt., 100th Inf. Div., Seventh Army; KIA 21 Apr 1945 Waldenbronn, near Stuttgart, Germany; Central Europe > Central Germany.
† Zentz, Ervin Emory, SN 37-699-101, US Army, Pott. Co. & Valley Co., NE
  • Co. B, 756th Tank Bn., 3rd Inf. Div., Seventh Army; WIA 18 Apr 1945 Bavaria, Germany; DOW 21 Apr 1945 in hospital, France; Battle of Nuremberg - Central Europe > Central Germany.​