Allied push into Cologne 1945 Cobra operation

Allied push into Cologne 1945 Cobra operation

The Battle of Cologne was part of Operation Lumberjack and refers to the Allied advance that took place from 5 to 7 March 1945, which led to the capture of the western German city of Cologne.[1

During the night of 3 March, Allied aircraft dropped propaganda leaflets over the city, telling its citizens to disobey the directives of the Nazi leadership, asking the inhabitants not to evacuate the city since they had nothing to fear from the advancing troops. The Allied columns approached Cologne from three directions, the 3rd Armored Division striking from the northwest, 104th Infantry Division coming from the west and 9th Armored Division clearing sections south of the city in conjunction with the 9th Infantry Division. On 5 March, the 3rd Armored Division launched a final advance on Cologne. On 6 March the American columns moved out of their positions toward the heart of the city.[3]