The Third Reich was beginning to crumble in March of 1845. Soviet troops were rapidly advancing in the east, capturing the city of Danzig. The Western Allies seized Cologne, and crossed the Rhine River over the bridge at Remagen. American forces passed thro8ugh the vaunted Siegfried Line with relative ease. Hitler ordered a final offensive in the east, in a failed attempt to save the oil fields in Hungary. It was now clear that Germany would be defeated.
