The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1944–1945

anti-aircraft defence 135, 277

on Berlin 22, 190–91, 236, 239, 242, 277, 282–3, 294, 309; casualties 191

casualty figures 191, 235, 236, 236–40, 379

on Dresden 235, 236–40, 243

effect of 258, 379; on armament production 79, 80, 134, 135, 140, 244; on civilian population 121, 124, 125, 126, 142–3, 146, 148–52, 273, 275–6, 320–21; on fuel supplies 79–80, 135; on industry 79–80, 82, 134, 135, 136, 138, 140, 150, 235–6; on transport 79, 82, 136, 137, 138, 140, 142–3, 144, 287, 299

Eisenhower’s threat to renew (May 1945) 371

on Hamburg 235, 238

on Munich 236, 238

round-the-clock 235

total tonnage dropped 236

Allied Control Commission 378

Allied invasion (1944–5), in the East see Red Army

Allied invasion (1944–5), in the West 24, 27,

54–91, 116, 119, 120, 206, 296–7, 299–301

D-Day (6 June 1944) 17, 54–5, 120

Alsace offensive (North Wind) 165, 170, 254

Ardennes offensive (Autumn Mist) see Ardennes offensive

Austria, invasion of 300

maps of 19, 57

progress of 54–5, 58–60, 67–8, 69–75, 131–2, 247, 253–6, 257, 258, 259, 299–300, 318–21, 366–7, 387–8

Rhine crossing 253, 254, 255, 256, 260, 266, 268–9, 270, 271, 281–2, 288–9, 297

Allied powers, German attempts to negotiate with 280–86

by Goebbels and Bormann 352

by Himmler 241, 329, 330, 331, 336–7, 346; with US 229–30

by von Ribbentrop 280–81, 282–3, 291

by Wolff, with OSS 285, 363

Allied strategy/tactics 10, 15, 18, 54–5, 56, 280, 300

errors in 58, 59–60, 96, 387–8

unconditional surrender, demand for 7–8, 10, 50–51, 71, 246, 271, 354, 361, 362, 369, 370–71, 375, 386–7; in Italy 364

Alsace offensive (North Wind) (December 1944) 164, 170, 254

Altendorf 335

Altötting 344

Alzey 268

America see United States

American Army 3, 54–5, 56, 62, 63, 116, 121, 131, 254, 257, 258, 260, 261, 271, 273, 297, 300, 315, 316, 322, 326, 333, 342–3, 344, 366, 368, 369

First Army 59, 131

Third Army 58, 131, 160, 254, 255, 299

Sixth Army 131

Ninth Army 131, 247

V Corps 59

VII Corps 59

in Ardennes offensive 128, 130, 155–7, 160

casualty figures 132

in Italy 364

‘negro’ soldiers 156, 157

Red Army, meeting up with (April 1945) 339

troop numbers 364

see also Allied invasion

American prisoners of war, German execution of 156

Angerapp river 110

Ansbach 3–5

Antwerp 56, 58, 130, 132, 153, 156, 160, 388

Ardennes offensive (Autumn Mist) (December 1944) 127–8, 129–34, 135, 140, 155–7, 159–61, 164–5, 388

aims/objectives 130, 132–3, 156, 160

American troops in 128, 130, 155–7, 160

British troops in 130, 131, 160

as a failure 160–61, 166, 170, 207, 294, 397

Hitler on 131–2, 133

Jodl’s plans for 129, 130, 133, 134

Keitel and 131–2, 133, 135

map of 158

progress of 155–7, 159–60

armaments 11, 44, 53, 60, 256

anti-aircraft defence 135, 277

labour supply for 23, 24–5, 64, 69, 76–9, 81–3

loss/destruction of 94, 95, 165, 255, 260

miracle weapons 15, 18, 20, 60, 66, 73, 122, 126, 134, 153, 155, 190, 212, 213, 245, 256, 260, 282, 291, 312; atomic 312; jet-fighters 139, 269, 299; V1 missiles 20, 62, 210, 269; V2 rockets 24, 153, 269

production/supply 23, 24–5, 64, 69, 76–9, 81–3, 132, 134–5, 137–8, 140, 206, 212, 257, 396; Allied bombing, effect on 79, 80, 134, 135, 140, 244; deficiencies in 80–81, 244, 297, 305, 308, 311; see also labour supply above

Speer as Armaments Minister 11, 23, 24, 25–6, 35, 43–4, 53, 77, 78–83, 134, 140–42, 170, 287–8, 291, 396

Army Group A (subsequently Army Group Centre) (in the east) 168, 170, 196–7, 203

Red Army capture of 375

renamed Army Group Centre (January 1945) 203–4, 219, 259, 348, 372, 375

Schörner as C-in-C 203, 252, 301, 353, 368, 369–71; post-capitulation 373–5

Army Group B (in the west) 59, 132, 139, 140, 319

Model as C-in-C 132–3, 135, 151, 156, 157, 160, 161, 253–4, 263, 297, 303–5, 314; his dissolution of (April 1945) 314

Army Group C (Italy) 285

surrender (May 1945) 363, 364, 366

Army Group E (Croatia) 368, 369

Army Group G (in the west) 59, 140, 141, 297, 311

Hausser as C-in-C 253–4, 363; dismissal (April 1945) 299

Schulz as C-in-C 299, 305, 316; capitulation (May 1945) 368

Army Group H (in the west) 253, 263, 297, 299

Army Group Centre (subsequently Army Group North) 110, 111

Red Army offensive against (Summer 1944) 17, 24, 27, 28, 32, 33, 46, 49, 75, 92–3, 94, 96, 102; casualty figures 93

regrouped 168, 170, 196–200

renamed Army Group North (January 1945) 203–4, 250–51

Army Group North (subsequently Army Group Courland) 50, 92, 94–5, 96, 100

renamed Army Group Courland (January 1945) 204, 256

Army Group North Ukraine (formerly Army Group South) 92, 93, 94

Army Group North-West 366

Army Group Ostmark (renamed Army Group South, April 1945) 368, 369, 372, 373

Army Group South Ukraine 92, 93–4

destruction of 94

Army Group Upper Rhine 164, 204, 210

Army Group Vistula 219, 223, 247, 366

Heinrici as C-in-C 270, 301, 337–8, 340

Himmler as C-in-C 204, 211, 250, 263, 270, 283–4, 353

Arnhem 58, 388

atomic weapons 312

atrocities see French Army atrocities; German Army atrocities; Nazi atrocities; Red Army atrocities

Augsburg 278, 342

Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp 123, 172, 231–2, 329

Australia, German prisoners of war in 306

Austria 253