On April 5 and 6, 1945, units of the 9th American and 2nd British Army crossed the Weser River south of Hameln and north of Minden. They faced a total of 20 enemy divisions, fully equipped and battle-hardened, with seemingly unlimited air support, which had reached the Weser in Lower Saxony after rapid advances from the Ruhr area. On the German side stood the last remnants of defense. The haphazardly assembled German units, made up of splinter groups from former divisions, remnants from the encircled Army Group B, as well as alarm and replacement units from the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, and Reich Labor Service, lacked heavy weapons, fuel, and a unified operational plan. Nevertheless, the hopelessly outmatched German forces fought a desperate and valiant defensive battle to protect Northern Germany.