Soldiers of the 11th Armored Division Run Through a Smoke-Filled Street in Wernberg, Germany

The Allied victory in the Battle of the Bulge set the stage for a large-scale breach of the Siegfried Line and the invasion of Germany. The three main Allied forces in Europe embarked on series of separate operations to reach and cross the Rhine River, with the British 21st Army Group in the north, the U.S. 12th Army Group in the middle, and the U.S. 6th Army Group in the south. By the end of March, all three had crossed the Rhine and were preparing for the final advance into Germany.

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration