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Western Europe before WWII
Western Europe before WWII
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > The ETO > ETO Overview, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 14 Sep 2025
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This webpage includes a summary by phases of European Theater ground operations beginning in June 1944.
    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Scope of Big Pigeon's WWII Germany > The ETO Subpages :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
​Preliminary ETO webpages provide contextual material:​ Deadly fighting in Normandy through mid-August was followed by the quick liberation of most of France and Belgium: ​Then ensued the three-month War of Attrition, which lasted from mid-September to mid-December 1944: Germany launched end-of-year counteroffensives in the Ardennes and northern Alsace:​ ​The early 1945 ETO advance through the German Rhineland reached the west bank of the Rhine River: ​ETO forces crossed the Rhine, advanced across Germany to meet Soviet forces, and advanced into southern Germany: ​Concluding ETO webpages: About the above list of WWII Germany > The ETO Subpages:​​
  • Numbers after major webpages correspond with the following official list of US Army ETO campaigns.
  • The one-month Southern France campaign, which began with the Allies' Operation Dragoon in August 1944, was conducted from the Mediterranean Theater but took place in the European Theater.
  • WWII Hub lists all ETO subpages in its right column.
  • Some webpages are incomplete.
​    ::::::::::::::::::: Official List of United States Army ETO Campaigns with Dates and Synopses ::::::::::::::::::::
  1. Normandy Campaign, 6 June – 24 July 1944 -- Allies initially land both by sea and air and subsequently expand their beachhead. (phase 1)
  2. Northern France Campaign, 25 July – 14 September 1944 -- German lines are broken; Germany withdraws from most of northern France and Belgium. (phase 2)
  3. Southern France Campaign, 5 August – 14 September 1944 -- Germany withdraws from Southern France. (phase 2)
  4. Rhineland Campaign, 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 -- Allies advance to Rhine River. The Rhineland Campaign is in two time periods, denoted by 4a and 4b, being interrupted by the German counteroffensives. (phase 3)
  5. Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 -- German counteroffensives are driven back in the Ardennes and contained in Alsace. (phase 3)
  6. Central Europe Campaign 22 March – 11 (sic) May 1945 -- Allies cross Rhine and advance into Germany; war in Europe ends with Germany's surrender effective 8 May. (phase 4)
About the above Official US Army Campaigns list:
  • (phase 1), etc refer to the following ETO Ground Operations Summary.
  • An ETO veteran was eligible for a campaign ribbon for each of the six above official campaigns in which he participated.
  • There were campaigns within official campaigns. For instance, the Rhineland Campaign included the Lorraine Campaign and the Alsace Campaign.
    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: European Theater Ground Operations Summarized by Phase ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
  • Phases 1 and 3 involved intense and often lengthy combat in relatively small areas, for Phase 1 a portion of Normandy and for Phase 3 usually near the German border.
  • Phases 2 and 4 were shorter periods of rapid advance, generally met by disorganized resistance.
    ............................................​ Phase 1 - Normandy Operations, June–August 1944 ............................................
  • Phase 1 combat was confined to a portion of Normandy.​
  • 6 June - Operation Overlord, Allied invasion of Normandy  coastal areas between Cherbourg & Caen. Three Allied airborne divisions landed before dawn. US amphibious landings were at Utah and Omaha Beaches. British and Canadian landings were on beaches between Bayeux and Caen. 
  • 19 June - American artificial harbor on Omaha Beach destroyed by storm. British artificial harbor at Arromanches survived.
  • 26 June - Cherbourg liberated. Port repairs subsequently took a month.
  • 25 July - Normandy Breakthrough begins with massive air bombardment just west of St. Lo, 40 miles west of Caen.
  • 7 August - German counterattack at Mortain towards Avranches begins; attack fails after several days.
  • 12 August - General German retreat from Normandy begins
  • 21 August - Falaise Pocket, NW of Argentan sealed trapping remaining German troops and equipment.
France's Basse-Normandie Department
The Basse-Normandie Region of France
Scalable Map
    ........................​ Phase 2 - Liberation of France and its neighbors, August–September 1944 ........................​ 
  • On 25 August, Allied forward positions were already near the Seine River.
  • In the following few weeks, German forces withdrew from most of France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In the north:
  • first week of August - most of Brittany liberated.
  • 25 August - Paris liberated by French uprising.
  • 30 August - Reims liberated by US Third Army.
  • 4 September - Brussels & Antwerp in Belgium liberated by British Second Army.
  • 10 September - Bastogne, Belgium & Luxembourg City liberated by US First Army.
  • 19 September - Nancy liberated by US Third Army.
In southern France:
  • 15 August - Operation Dragoon, US and French invasion from the Mediterranean in southern France between Toulon & Cannes.
  • 23-28 August - Marseille liberated by French.
  • 3 September - Lyon liberated.
Pursuit to the German Border
Pursuit to the German Border, 26 Aug - 11 Sep 1944
    .....................................​ Phase 3 - Border Operations, September 1944 - March 1945 .....................................​ 
Operations during this phase were generally near the German border, much of which was defended by fortified positions known collectively as the Siegfried Line.
  • 11 September - First Allied penetration into Germany by US First Army's V Corps.
  • ~15 September - Operation Dragoon forces having advanced from the south, become ETO's right flank in NE France.
  • 17 September - Operation Market Garden begins, unsuccessful Allied land and air offensive north into the Netherlands through Eindhoven & Nijmegen to Arnhem.
  • 22 November - City of Metz in Lorraine captured by US Third Army after a long struggle.
  • 23 November - French forces occupy Strasbourg in Alsace.
  • 28 November - Opening of major port of Antwerp, at east end of Scheldt estuary.
  • 16 December - Beginning of German counteroffensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge, against US First Army in Ardennes in eastern Belgium between Malmedy and Bastogne.
  • 26 December German Ardennes counteroffensive stalls as first Third Army unit reaches Bastogne.
  • 1 January - Beginning of German counteroffensive, Operation Nordwind, north of Strasbourg in northern Alsace.
  • 25 January - Official end of the Battle of the Bulge but some lost area remain in German hands.
  • 25 January - Official end of Operation Nordwind but most lost area remain in German hands.​
  • February - Limited Third Army offensives in the western Rhineland Palatinate position US forces for subsequent rapid advances to the Rhine. 
The Border Operations Area
The Border Operations Area, September 1944 - March 1945
    .......................................................​ Phase 4, Conquest, March - May 1945 .......................................................​ 
During this phase, Allied armies crosed the Rhine River in multiple locations and drove into the heart of Germany.
  • 7 March - First Allied Rhine crossing - the US First Army at Remagen on the middle Rhine between Bonn & Koblenz.
  • 22 March - Second Allied Rhine crossing - the US Third Army at Oppenheim on the upper Rhine between Mainz & Mannheim.
  • 23 March - Major Allied Rhine crossing - The British 21st Army Group at Wesel north of Duisburg.
  • 1 April - US Ninth and First Armies complete encirclement of Ruhr industrial area at Lippstadt near the Lippe River.
  • 16 April - Beginning of Soviet attack on Berlin.
  • 18 April - German resistance in the Ruhr industrial area ends.
  • 25 April - Soviet and US forces meet at Torgau on the Elbe River NW of Dresden.
  • 30 April - Adolf Hitler commits suicide in Berlin.
  • 7 May - Germany surrenders unconditionally at Reims, France effective 8 May.
The Rhine River
The Rhine River
​    :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Sources for Big Pigeon's The ETO > ETO Overview webpage: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 
​Major Sources:
  • None at this time.
Webpage image Sources. (C/O = courtesy of.) About the sources for maps used here: