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 After the completion of the battle in the Ardennes, the Americans make their own push into the Ruhr. American Campaign: Ruhr February 23, 1945  The American force is the stronger one here, and we'll be responsible for covering the most area. Supported by our air force, we'll head directly to Cologne. Once across the Rhine, we'll be able to move secure Bonn to the south, while sending the bulk of our force north to work our way to the Ruhr. The British, while they have less territory to cover, will likely encounter some tough resistance in the densely populated city of Essen. To help them out, a smaller, more mobile group will guard their flank and engage any German forces on this side of the river.  Our bridging engineers let us get a swift start across the river, and our fighters knock the Luftwaffe out of the skies early on.   Our crack tank crews clear a path to Cologne by blasting the Tiger, once the new B29 Superfortress has suppressed them with bombing.  Cologne falls within 4 days.  By the end of the month, the British are prepared to cross the river.  March heralds the arrival of the M26 Pershing, which is finally an excellent tank for our side. It's decent against infantry and harder targets, has a very solid defense, and doesn't have any real weaknesses in other aspects.  We're into Wuppertal and on our way to Dusseldorf, while our other core group is assisting with the attack on Duisburg.  The British clear a path in the north for their units to get to Essen. They aren't using proper bridges, so it is taking longer for them to make it.  We use our bombers at Duisburg while the British continue their slow advance.  A few days into March and a snowstorm blows through the continent. At Bonn, we're forced to send our ground troops to take the city. The defenders aren't all that strong, but they are well-positioned.  Dusseldorf surrenders on March 4.  Bonn is taken soon after, but there are still pockets of strong resistance.  The British encounter heavy artillery fire from Essen. We can focus the bombers on constant raids to help them now.  Even still, the fighting on the ground is bitter, and progress is slow. We won't be getting into the rest of Germany very quickly.  The cities are finally cleared out, but the British forces are too exhausted to secure them.  Fighting renews as we get more American artillery into the action.  All throughout this battle, there has been a minor struggle in our rear as the Rangers had to hunt down a unit of AT guns hiding out along the road to Cologne. They eventually defeat them as they tried to retreat across a ford.  Eventually the might of the Allies overwhelms the remaining German troops, and the Ruhr is secured. This wasn't a perfect outcome, but we have a pretty decent core ready to enter into the rest of Germany in the final showdown in Europe. 
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