Battle of Cologne (1945) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Cologne |
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| Part of Western Front and Western Allied Invasion of Germany of World War II | |||||||
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 United States |
 Germany |
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The Battle of Cologne was a major fight during World War II. It happened from March 5 to March 7, 1945. This battle was part of a bigger plan called Operation Lumberjack. It led to American forces capturing the city of Cologne, which is in western Germany.
Before the Battle
Before World War II started, Cologne was a very big city in Germany. It was the fourth largest city and the biggest one along the Rhine river. About 800,000 people lived there.
During the war, Cologne was bombed many times by the Royal Air Force (RAF). This was in response to Germany bombing London. Cologne was an important target because it had many factories. These factories made supplies for the war. The city also had a large railway system. This was used to move soldiers and weapons.
Cologne was hit by bombs 262 times. A huge amount of bombs, over 34,000 tons, fell on the city. The last bombing raid happened on March 2, 1945. By early March 1945, most of Cologne was destroyed. Only about 20,000 people were left in the city.
Fighting in Cologne
On the night of March 3, Allied planes dropped special papers over Cologne. These papers were called propaganda leaflets. They told the people of Cologne not to listen to the Nazi leaders. They asked people not to leave the city. The leaflets said they had nothing to fear from the American soldiers coming.
American troops moved towards Cologne from three different directions. The 3rd Armored Division attacked from the northwest. The 104th Infantry Division came from the west. The 9th Armored Division helped clear areas south of the city. They worked with the 9th Infantry Division.
On March 5, the 3rd Armored Division began its final push into Cologne. The next day, March 6, American soldiers moved from their positions. They headed right into the center of the city.
Near the city center, there was a famous tank battle. It involved a German Panther tank. US cameramen filmed this fight. The German Panther tank was hiding near the train station. Two American Sherman tanks were moving forward. They were slowed down by a pile of broken buildings. The Shermans got stuck in a narrow street. This made them easy targets for the German tank.
The Panther fired three shells. Two hit the front of the first Sherman tank. A third shell hit the tracks of the second Sherman tank. An American Pershing tank was sent to destroy the Panther. Both tanks saw each other. But the German tank commander had never seen a Pershing before. He thought it might be a German tank and told his gunner to wait. This gave the Pershing tank time to fire. The Pershing quickly took out the Panther tank.
As the Americans moved towards the Rhine River, German soldiers destroyed the Hohenzollern Bridge. This was the last bridge connecting the east and west parts of Cologne. The Allies could not capture a bridge over the Rhine near Cologne. However, further south, the 9th Armored Division moved very fast. They were surprised to find the Ludendorff bridge still standing. This was one of the last bridges over the Rhine. They captured and protected this important bridge during the Battle of Remagen.
By March 7, all of Cologne west of the Rhine River was captured by the Allies. The parts of the city on the east side of the river stayed under German control. They were finally captured in mid-April 1945.
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