<P> The British Prime Minister and Chiefs of Staff strongly opposed the new plan . Despite the Russian proximity to Berlin, they argued that the city was still a critical political, if not military, objective . Eisenhower--supported by the American Chiefs of Staff--disagreed . His overriding objective was the swiftest military victory possible . Should the U.S. political leadership direct him to take Berlin, or if a situation arose in which it became militarily advisable to seize the German capital, Eisenhower would do so . Otherwise, he would pursue those objectives that would end the war soonest . In addition, since Berlin and the rest of Germany had already been divided into occupation zones by representatives of the Allied governments at the Yalta Conference, Eisenhower saw no political advantage in a race for Berlin . Any ground the western Allies gained in the future Soviet zone would merely be relinquished to the Soviets after the war . In the end the campaign proceeded as Eisenhower had planned it . </P> <P> The first step in realizing Eisenhower's plan was the eradication of the Ruhr Pocket . Even before the encirclement had been completed, the Germans in the Ruhr had begun making attempts at a breakout to the east . All had been unceremoniously repulsed by the vastly superior Allied forces . Meanwhile, the 9th and 1st Armies began preparing converging attacks using the east - west Ruhr River as a boundary line . The 9th Army's XVI Corps--which had taken up position north of the Ruhr area after crossing the Rhine--would be assisted in its southward drive by two divisions of the XIX Corps, the rest of which would continue to press eastward along with the XIII Corps . South of the Ruhr River, the 1st Army's northward attack was to be executed by the XVIII Airborne Corps, which had been transferred to Hodges after Operation Varsity, and the III Corps, with the 1st Army's V and VII Corps continuing the offensive east . The 9th Army's sector of the Ruhr Pocket--although only about 1 / 3 the size of the 1st Army's sector south of the river--contained the majority of the densely urbanized industrial area within the encirclement . The 1st Army's area, on the other hand, was composed of rough, heavily forested terrain with a poor road network . </P> <P> By 1 April, when the trap closed around the Germans in the Ruhr, their fate was sealed . In a matter of days they would all be killed or captured . On 4 April, the day it shifted to Bradley's control, the 9th Army began its attack south toward the Ruhr River . In the south, the 1st Army's III Corps launched its strike on the 5th, and the XVIII Airborne Corps joined in on the 6th, both pushing generally northward . German resistance, initially rather determined, dwindled rapidly . By 13 April, the 9th Army had cleared the northern part of the pocket, while elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps ′ 8th Infantry Division reached the southern bank of the Ruhr, splitting the southern section of the pocket in two . Thousands of prisoners were being taken every day; from 16--18 April, when all opposition ended and the remnants of German Army Group B formally surrendered, German troops had been surrendering in droves throughout the region . Army Group B commander Walther Model committed suicide on 21 April . </P> <P> The final tally of prisoners taken in the Ruhr reached 325,000, far beyond anything the Americans had anticipated . Tactical commanders hastily enclosed huge open fields with barbed wire creating makeshift prisoner of war camps, where the inmates awaited the end of the war and their chance to return home . Also looking forward to going home, tens of thousands of freed forced laborers and Allied prisoners of war further strained the American logistical system . </P>

Where did the allied forces first invade europe