Paths of Liberation – The Path of the US Army in Central Germany in 1945
It is April 1, 1945: US troops reach Creuzburg near Eisenach – the first town in Thuringia. They have come a long way: from the beaches of Normandy, through Paris, across the Rhine to Central Germany. The Wehrmacht is badly beaten, many of its soldiers are trapped in the Ruhr area, and cities like Cologne and Frankfurt were taken in bitter fighting. The consequences of years of war are everywhere. But the war is not yet over, and the full extent of the National Socialist reign of terror is not yet foreseeable.
Which route did the US soldiers take? Which places did they liberate and what remains today as a reminder of their fight for freedom?
Use the buttons below the map to move the timeline:
The single arrows move the divisions from day to day.
The double arrowto the left leads to June 6, 1944, the day of the Allied landing in Normandy.
The double arrowto the right leads to April 25, 1945, when U.S. soldiers and the Red Army met in Torgau.
The Autoplay button plays the entire route.
There are various symbols on the map:
A museum marks museums and memorials of today.
A soldier shows the U.S. Army divisions.
A flag marks important U.S. Army sites.
The victory sign indicates the times of liberation.
The symbols can be selected and deselected.
For more information about the symbols, click on the question mark.
To reset the map, use the reset button.
Eighty years ago, the Allies liberated Europe from Nazi rule. The project “Paths of Liberation” uses an interactive map and an exhibition in the Capa House in Leipzig to commemorate the advance of US soldiers from the coast of Normandy to the Elbe. The route begins in France on June 6, 1944, and ends in Torgau on April 25, 1945.
Museums
Museums and memorials dedicated to the themes of remembrance and commemoration of the liberation from National Socialism and its victims are marked on the map.
Armies
The divisions involved in the liberation of Central Germany are marked on the map; the colors (green, red, blue) allow them to be assigned to an army.
Milestones
Milestones mark the most important stages of the US soldiers on their way from the coast of Normandy to the Elbe.
Moments of Liberation
The map shows the day on which power was handed over to the Americans, sometimes peacefully, sometimes after fighting.
Use the buttons below the map to move the timeline:
The single arrows move the divisions from day to day.
The double arrowto the left leads to June 6, 1944, the day of the Allied landing in Normandy.
The double arrowto the right leads to April 25, 1945, when U.S. soldiers and the Red Army met in Torgau.
The Autoplay button plays the entire route.
For more information about the symbols, click on the question mark.
A chronology of important events, especially for Central Germany, can be found on the website of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.
Jürgen Möller's literature was primarily used for the chronology of events and the structure of the U.S. Army:
The Last Battle – Leipzig 1945
The Battle for the Harz Mountains. April 1945
The End of the War in Central Germany 1945
The American Occupation of the South of Leipzig by the V. Corps in April 1945
For more information on the involvement of the U.S. divisions in the liberation of the concentration camps, see the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
A very detailed overview of the route of individual regiments can be found on the Project 44 website, as well as thematic itineraries on the Liberation Route Europe.
Some veterans run websites about their respective divisions with exciting eyewitness accounts. Unfortunately, some of these can only be accessed in the web archive.
The data and events were researched and critically reviewed to the best of our knowledge. Nevertheless, due to the abundance of data, errors may have occurred. If you notice anything, please feel free to email us at wegederbefreiung@capa-haus.org.
