Of course, seeing the children in those camps and factories broke Steve and Peggy's hearts, not wanting to imagine Susan in that situation yet being sucked through the portal in that lab was a similar situation in a way.
It gave the couple much more motivation and inner strength to keep pushing and help the Allied armies into the Fatherland, destroying artillery guns, pillboxes, camps, and of course, the factories.
With Steve and Peggy's help, the innocents were cleared out, and the camps/factories were torched viciously, destroying the terrible death equipment forever.
Once the armies had crossed the Rhine in multiple locations, it was like a tide that was unending, and the Germans knew it. In the East, the Soviets launched their main offensive and broke through on the Vistula, cutting off East Prussia with the rest of Germany and pushing fast to the Oder River... only 70 kilometers from the very heart of Berlin by the start of February.
In the north, the Canadians had cleared the far north flank, liberated the last of occupied Holland and would be soon shipped over the North Sea to land at Esbjerg and help liberate Denmark. The British 2nd Army linked up with the US 1st within a week, cutting off the Ruhr and both armies turned to leave the 9th the job of quickly taking the industrial supercenter, which would give up all organized resistance by the 18th of January. The 2nd and 1st attention turned to driving towards Hamburg and the Baltic Sea
Meanwhile, Peggy and Steve would be keeping close with 3rd Army as they pushed through Frankfurt and were driving towards Kassel, Schweinfurt and Fulda. The 7th Army was heading to Nurenberg and the old Czech borders while the French 1st broke through the Black Forest to take Stuttgart and were heading for Munich and the Alps.
By March, with all war-ravaged countries that was saved by the Allies is now having all routes for food shipments which was desperately needed, and with the innocents saved from the camps and factories, they have disowned their German lineage, remaining as Jews for they are happy to be free, thanks to Steve and Peggy.
The final battles of the war in Europe would take place in the spring. While the recent Yalta Conference with Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin was ironing out some of the major postwar decisions such as who would occupy what in post war Germany and other locations, it still didn't change the fact that things were slowly starting to tense up with the Allies as they were meeting their Soviet brothers in arms in multiple locations. Several commanders were having their orders to grab as much territory as possible, as a way of leveraging the scale in the post war reorganization of the continent.
In Austria, the British 8th and US 5th were finally ready to push for Prague and much of the occupied parts of Czechoslovakia in a race to capture as much territory before the Soviets. The 7th was moving fast to meet up with them as well while the French had the job of clearing out the rumored Alpine Redoubt where the Germans may have been planning a final stand. The Redoubt was nothing but a myth as it turned out, but the French still wanted the prestige and certainly for some last-minute payback against their humiliators, such as raising the French tricolor over the Eagle's Nest.
In the north, the Canadian liberated much of the Jutland part of Denmark and were preparing more landings to free the remaining eastern islands and Copenhagen. The British finished their drive to Kiel and had captured much of the Kriegsmarine that was still remaining at anchor, defeating once and for all the U-Boat threat in the Atlantic. The 1st Army turned east when reaching the Baltic at Rostock and were moving to meet up with the advancing Soviets when they would plan to launch their final offensive against Berlin.
Of course, while Yalta had drawn a preliminary map of occupied Germany, nothing had truly been set in stone about whose liberation for what of the country... and as Peggy and Steve would learn... Patton had some grand plans than simply driving to the Elbe River and wait for the Red Army to meet them...
Steve sighed, "I know that Phillips has told us about Patton's tendencies to change plans on the wing, but this is definitely the riskiest one, that's for sure!", as he ate outside of the temporary mess hall with Peggy, many kilometers from Berlin and the Elbe River.
"Certainly daring, almost as daring as Montgomery with Market Garden. At least in this case, Patton seems to be sure that the German resistance is all but spent.", Peggy said.
The rumors were going around that 3rd Army commanders had already drawn up plans for further offensive actions across the Elbe with the two main thrusts towards Berlin from Leipzig and Magdeburg.
"True. Besides, these past few months, it's clear the Germans would rather surrender to us than the Soviets. The problem is the axe to grind that the Red Army has with Germany... What were those estimated numbers again of the dead for them? 20 million almost?", Steve asked.
Peggy grimaced, "About there, yeah.", and she sighed, "I have a feeling we might spearhead the plan this afternoon or sooner.", as she ate her breakfast.
"Not to mention the 101st and 82nd Airborne have been moved up... get the feeling Patton will want to use them too.", Steve sighed. "The war is almost over...", Peggy said as she looked at her food. "One last push and that'll be it.".
Steve exhaled, "It's really hard to believe since we have been fighting since 1943...", squeezing her hand across the table. "But I'm glad that we're doing it...Our last fight...And we'll be free to head back to England or USA...", Peggy replied.
"Yeah... free to go back home... and start being... normal.", Steve said. "Or at least what counts for normal with us.", Peggy chuckled as Steve nodded.
Both of them were obviously waiting for the news that the areas where Schmidt's complex was would be liberated and that Stark could finally move in to check what was left behind... if the Germans hadn't already cleaned the place out prior.
"Captains!", a private walked up to them. "The General wants to see you.", he nodded urgently. "Bet he's probably about to ask if we can swim.", Peggy teased. "I'm pretty sure if he wants us, we're not stopping at the Elbe.".
Steve grinned, "We can do that easily. Thanks, private.", flicking a last apple slice into his mouth as he dropped the plastic tray into the trash, with Peggy following as she dropped hers into the trash, drinking up the last remnants of her water before throwing it as well.
The two captains headed to the command tent, nodding to the guard officers as they entered, and stood straight, with Steve asking, "Heard you asked for us, General Patton.".
The fiery general was as he normally was. Dressed in full uniform, with his ivory grip pistols in their hostlers and his three-star helmet on as he looked ready to jump into a Sherman and personally drive the entire army from the front.
"Hope you two have read the news this morning.", Patton turned around and threw a paper onto the table. "They hung that son of a bitch Mussolini last night.", he chuckled.
"Already?", Steve asked as he picked it up. Patton commented, "Yeah, the Italians were fairly quick with their justice; tried him and everything before hanging him high. Probably the same thing we'll do with those Nazi bastards when this is all over if what I've heard from London and Washington is true.".
Peggy nodded, "Good. Those Nazis has gone too far for too long.", narrowing her eyes fiercely as she remembered the horrible factories and such.
"I agree, Carter. Now, I have a mission for both of you which is the spearhead of this plan I have.", Patton replied. "I think we can guess.", Steve smirked. "We're obviously meeting the Soviets further east, right?".
"That's pretty much the idea. Ike's a bit hesitant on it, doesn't want to antagonize the commies but the way I see it, our path is fairly clear. Mostly all that's in our way now is shattered formations and folks that would rather languish in a nice POW camp we have waiting for them then getting sent to a Siberian gulag or lined up against the wall and shot.", Patton snorted.
"Makes sense... at least towards the Elbe... but what about beyond it?", Peggy asked. "Aerial recon shows the Germans digging in east of the city against the Soviets, and I'm pretty sure the Nazis are secretly hoping we keep going rather than leaving them to the vengeful Russians.", Patton responded.
Steve nodded, "Naturally. Well, we're done with breakfast. Captain Carter can fly and carry myself as soon as we're set to go if you say so.", with a grin.
"Well, I love your enthusiasm, but I think we've still got a few days before we'll need you like that. Obviously, I want as many bridges as possible on the Elbe intact but it's not going to matter much if most of our troops aren't nearby. Right now, we still need those crossroads of Göttingen, Mühlhausen and Erfurt before our main three targets of Wittenberg, Magdeburg and Torgau.", Patton pointed out on the map. "If we start crossing the Elbe in force, hopefully much of the German army will just give up and we'll have a fairly calm drive into Berlin. Can't say the same for the city, obviously. SS units will probably fight to the death no matter who comes knocking.".
Peggy smiled, "Secure the bridges, huh? That's easy as breezy, right, Captain Rogers?", and Steve chuckled, "Oh, definitely. Is that good with you, General?".
"Certainly, you certainly won't have to wait long, we'll be coming down those roads like a cannonball on fire to get to them. But as I said, wait a few days, just assist the push until we're close to the river.", Patton said.
Peggy and Steve nodded, and saluted, "Yes, sir.", and Patton nodded sharply, "Good. Dismissed.", and so, the couple left the command tent.
"Berlin by the end of the month, you think?", Steve asked as he chuckled. "With how fast we could be moving if the Germans just give up? Maybe... still, not going to be easy to take.", Peggy admitted.
"Unless the Soviets attack too, then we might be able to get into the city while the rest of the Germans try to hold back the Soviets. Whatever causes the least amounts of deaths overall, I'll take it.", Steve nodded with a grin.
Peggy squeezed his hand, "Ditto. Now, you heard Patton. Let's go assist our comrades.", with a determined nod, and Steve smiled, agreeing as they then went on to do what they can do to help out.
The next few days went as Patton and many others expected. Most of the opposing 5. Panzer Armee under Hasso von Manteuffel were unable to stop the four armored divisions that Patton had as his fist along with Peggy and Steve. It was a Panzer Armee without Panzers or even many vehicles before most of the shattered divisions were quickly encircled or bypassed and forced to surrender. The road to the Elbe was open.
The 12 divisions of 3rd Army kept moving, driving fast down the major roads as they got closer and closer by the hour, with the only units in their way hastily raised divisions of old men and young boys that couldn't hope to stem the tide. This was the true Market Garden in a way as Monty had assumed before... he was just off by nearly six months and several hundreds of kilometers.
Naturally, the SS units were determined to fight to the end, and as it turns out, the SS units were the only deaths on the Nazi-German side, and once the 12 divisions made it to the heart of Berlin, with Steve and Peggy at front, Germany surrendered with the arrest of Hitler before he would have gone for suicide on himself.
Once the Elbe was crossed, despite the sporadic resistance, Patton gave the go ahead for Operation: Eclipse. The 101st and 82nd were once more put into their planes and ready to drop on Berlin in a spectacular fashion, by landing at the Tempelhof and Schönefeld airports while the armored divisions drove to encircle the city from three directions: avoiding the far east and the major defenses, while the infantry would push onto the city.
Peggy and Steve would find themselves achieving some of their greatest work as they first dropped onto the city on the 25th. Peggy carried Steve as they didn't bother with a plane before they started to tear apart several of the city's massive flak towers to help clear the skies before they moved on the airports individually and cleared the way for the airborne to land on the traffic onto the airfields.
At the same time, Stalin, suddenly paranoid that the USSR wouldn't achieve their vengeance and lose Berlin like he lost Vienna and Prague days prior, ordered his Fronts to launch their attack prematurely, desperate to raise the Hammer and Sickle over the city. But the Red Army crashed into the prepared defenses and would be slowed down for too long.
The next few days were a slow slugfest for the Americans in the city as while quite a number of Wehrmacht and Volkssturm units only fired a few shots and then surrendered; the many SS units fighting in the city itself planned to drag the Allies to Hell with them. Peggy and Steve had to help clear block by block of the devastated city thanks to the past few years of strategic bombing the US and British had done.
The final fight would come on the last day of March as elements of the 4th Infantry and 101st Airborne along with Peggy and Steve charged the government district by crossing the river of the Spree that went through the city, brutal battles at the Kroll Opera house and the Re-ich Chancellery building, before the final push to the Reichstag, the abandoned parliamentary building. It was ironic, its fire was the death of democracy and the final rise for Hitler in 1933, and on March 31st of 1945, it was the final death nail for the Third Reich.
At 4 in the afternoon, the Stars and Stripes flew proudly over the devastated city as the last pockets of resistance were ordered to surrender.
In a shocking turn of events that few expected, while Peggy and Steve were relaxing with the exhausted but proud victors, their position was greeted by the most unlikely of visitors. Several Wehrmacht generals including OKW's 4 major commanders, Krebs, Burgdorf, Jodl and Keitel and Re-ich Armaments Minister Albert Speer had launched a mini coup in the Führerbunker and came out with all the major leaders of Nazi Germany as their prisoners. Goring, Himmler, Bormann, Goebbels and the grand prize himself, Adolf Hitler, were all in their custody.
Steve and Peggy were overjoyed to know that the war is finally over, and seeing that April 1 is usually April Fool's, they decided to not make a joke of their wedding like that, and went for April 2nd which they took the time to fly back to England all on April 1st, with a stop to grab Colonel Phillips in Paris, asking him to preside over their marriage, with only Peggy's parents and an official witness with the marriage papers.
Amanda was overjoyed, and actually worked on Peggy's wedding dress all evening, claiming that Peggy deserves to look like a queen on her big day. Of course, Steve wore his best formal army outfit, with a few adjustments thanks to Harrison.
True, they were sad that Bucky and Susan weren't there physically, but Steve made sure to at least keep the movie-reel stone on while the wedding ceremony was occurring...praying that maybe somehow Bucky and Susan are seeing it through their dreams or something while finding out that Susan has grown up to 6 years and half old.
The timing couldn't have been any more perfect as only a few hours before that, early in the morning, all organized German resistance had surrendered and major leaders that weren't captured were signing terms of unconditional surrender. April 2nd would go down as V-E Day (Victory in Europe).
"What a week you two have had...", Harrison said as he was helping with a few more adjustments to Steve. "Berlin... helping play a part in capturing the whole rotten nest of eggs... and now marriage...".
"I swear, Harrison, I've practically been on auto pilot for the last few days. I finally actually got some great sleep only last night.", Steve admitted.
Harrison chuckled, "I can't blame you there. Now you are marrying my daughter, and I've never been so proud until now...Peg truly found her match in you...If only my granddaughter is here...Susan would have been so precious as flower girl...".
Steve smiled bittersweetly, "I know...She would do brilliant. And Bucky, he would be so stoked of being my best man...", before glancing at the weather outside, "And it's a beautiful day too...".
Harrison smiled, "Indeed, and it's only to get better from here now on...I know you, Steve. You would do anything to be reunited with Susan, make Peggy happy, to bring the whole family together with Bucky's help. It will just take patience, lots of love, and time. From what you told me, Stark sounds like a brilliant mind, but he would use your support and assistance.".