The Battle for Nuremberg
The Battle of Nuremberg (16th–20th April 1945) was one of the final and most intense urban engagements for American forces in Europe during World War II.
The Americans were met with furious German opposition as they reached the outskirts on the April 16th 1945.
The Zeppelin Field saw intense combat during this initial phase.......16-18th April 1945.
The 45th Infantry Division was primarily responsible for capturing this sector and the German defenders, including SS troopers, Luftwaffe personnel, and Hitler Youth, used the massive stone structures and nearby anti-aircraft positions to resist the American advance.
The grounds were heavily contested - this photograph from April 16th shows a destroyed Sherman tank in front of the grandstand
US forces work their way through the battered suburbs of Nuremberg towards the centre
Local residents also shored up fierce resistance - they included the desperate Volkssturm militia and radicalized Hitler Youth, as well as an estimated 150 city firemen and 140 city police officers who fought as infantry.
The five-day battle involved brutal house-to-house, room-to-room, and even hand-to-hand combat.
US forces gather for a final push into the city centre
Nuremberg became a hell of small arms fire, grenade explosions and tank blasts. Nearly all the windows of houses and apartment buildings contained nests of snipers; it took the American soldiers hours to clear city blocks.
On 20 April—Adolf Hitler’s 56th birthday—the city's final defenders surrendered after their commander, Karl Holz, was killed in a shootout at a local police station and the American flag was raised at Adolf Hitler Platz.
US troops in Adolf Hitler Platz.....soon to return to its former name.......the Hauptmarkt
The former rally grounds were a magnet for US troops to pose amongst the impressive structures.
US soldiers at the Tribune of Honour in the Luitpold Arena.......20th April 1945
The U.S. Army held a major victory parade in the Zeppelin Field on April 22nd, 1945, just two days after the city's formal surrender.
The parade showing the huge swastika covered by the American flag
The 10th Engineer Combat Battalion then famously blew up the giant gilted swastika that sat on top of the main grandstand.
The six metre swastika was obliterated by a 90kg explosive charge