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April 20,1945, afternoon: victory parade of the 7th US army at Hauptmarkt
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April 18, 1945:
Fierce fighting goes on along the ring around the Old Town, Neutor, the castle, and in the housing areas in Sulzbacher Strasse and Bayreuther Strasse. Many houses are destroyed or heavily damaged.
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April 19, 1945:
The Old Town is still being shelled. The towers of St. Sebald are on fire. In the evening, the US troops reach the city wall through Burgschmietstrasse.
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April 20, 1945:
The 3rd Infantry Division under the command of Major General John W. O’Daniel and the 45th Infantry Division under Major General T. Frederic lay siege to the old city. Nevertheless, the German combat units continue to resist, forcing the US army to employ heavy artillery and bomber aircraft.
German Combat Commander Colonel Wolf realises that the city can no longer be held. At about 10:30 a.m., he orders to put down arms. At 11:00 a.m., the German troops surrender.
During the battle for the old city, prominent Nazis of Nuremberg take shelter in the Palmenhof Bunker, where Nuremberg’s Lord Mayor Willi Liebel commits suicide. Deputy District Leader Karl Holz orders his men to continue to defend the ruins of the police station although the US army gives him four opportunities for peaceful surrender in the course of the day.
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He dies in a cellar of the police station under fire by US troops.
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