On March 23rd, 1945, at 5 PM about 1,300 British guns opened fire on the German troops defending the eastern bank of the Lower Rhine. This barrage marked the beginning of a major attack that the Allies codenamed "Operation Plunder." 250,000 combat troops were massed on the Allied side, while 70,000 German soldiers were dug in east of the Rhine with another 30,000 men standing by as reinforcements in the Bocholt area. The Allied offensive began near Rees – starting at 9 PM, units of 51st Scottish Highland Division crossed the river in amphibious personnel carriers ("Buffalos"). The first task was to capture a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Rhine - that is, they had to capture a limited area on enemy territory in order to allow their reinforcements to be landed safely there. Then several pontoon bridges were to be built over the river, leading into the bridgehead. In the first wave of attacks, seven battalions crossed the Rhine, each battalion was around 600 to 800 men strong. Amphibious battle tanks ("Sherman DD tanks") also crossed the Rhine under their own power near Rees. At Wesel, 1,800 British "Commando" (special forces) soldiers crossed the Rhine in "Buffalo" amphibious vehicles from 10 PM. They assembled on the east bank just downstream of the city. Half an hour later, 195 British bombers attacked the ruins of Wesel. Following the airraid the "Commandos" advanced on Wesel. Although the city had been declared a "fortress" by the Germans it was only weakly defended by ragtag Wehrmacht troops.

At 2 AM on March 24th, 1945, seven battalions of 15th Scottish Division crossed the Rhine near Bislich in "Buffalo" amphibious personnel carriers. Here, too, DD-Sherman battle tanks entered the fight, crossing the river under their own power. Simultaneously, upstream of Wesel, units of US 30th and 79th Divisions attacked across the Rhine near Wallach, Ossenberg, Rheinberg-Eversael and Orsoy. Four American battalions crossed the river in storm boats to establish bridgeheads east of the Rhine. Their assault had been preceded by a barrage of 600 American guns pounding the opposite bank for one hour.

Meanwhile, the bridgehead that had just been established near Rees was continuously shelled by German artillery. The troops advancing on the city of Rees were opposed by units of the German 8th Parachute Division; house-to-house fighting ensued in the ruins of the town. North of Rees, near Bienen, on the morning of March 24th, elements of the German 15th Panzergrenadier-Division, supported by armoured vehicles and self-propelled guns, launched a counterattack against the still small British bridgehead near Rees. In response, British artillery from the left bank of the Rhine put down heavy concentrations of fire on the German attackers, forcing them to retreat to the area around Bienen.

At this point, Wesel had already been conquered by British "Commandos", and Bislich had been seized by Scottish troops. However, in the area around the Diersfordt Forest, the units of German 84th Infantry Division continued to offer resistance. Closer to the Rhine, near the village of Mehr, Scottish units were fighting against soldiers of the German 7th Parachute Division, who were putting up a stiff fight. Nevertheless, in the bridgehead near Bislich, the British managed to bring their first vehicles across the Rhine on pontoon ferries. Moreover, they started the construction of three pontoon bridges over the Rhine. Starting at 10 AM in the morning of March 24th, two Allied airborne divisions with almost 20,000 soldiers came down by parachute and in gliders in the area between Wesel, Hamminkeln and Mehrhoog - the German 84th Infantry Division defending that sector was now confronted with enemy soldiers behind their lines. Their defence soon collapsed.

South of the river Lippe, troops of American 30th Infantry Division captured Möllen and Friedrichsfeld on March 24th while advancing towards Bruckhausen. Units of US 79th Infantry Division managed to capture half of the city of Dinslaken late in the afternoon. Resistance from German defenders was extremely weak in these sectors of the front. Near Wallach, US engineers began building a pontoon bridge over the Rhine. This bridge was completed at 4 PM and would have been the first Allied bridge on the Lower Rhine ready for use. However, a US landing craft swept away by the current crashed into the structure, rendering it temporarily unusable. The completion of the other two US bridges was also delayed that day by similar accidents and by shelling from the Germans. In the bend in the Rhine near Rheinberg, US engineers began building three pontoon bridges over the Rhine that were to lead to Mehrum and Eppinghoven. A considerable way downstream, at Bislich, a British „Bailey Bridge“ on pontoons was completed at 4.30 PM on March 25th - this was the first operational Allied bridge over the Rhine and spanned the river from Xanten-Beek to Bislich.

On March 25th, the British at Rees were still having problems taking the town and expanding their bridgehead. Construction of the first pontoon bridge had begun the day before but could not be completed as the area was being shelled by German artillery. Battle-hardened German paratroop units also continued to defend the ruins of the town of Rees, slowing the advance of the Scottish attackers. At Bienen and Speldrop, German soldiers, supported by self-propelled guns, also stopped the advance of the Scottish troops. As reinforcements, units of Canadian 3rd Infantry Division crossed the Rhine to break through the German defences at Bienen which blocked the advance along the “Reichsstraße 8” highway leading north. A British tank battalion which had crossed the Rhine downstream from Rees on pontoon ferries lent support to the attacking Canadians. Canadian soldiers also joined the battle at the hamlet of Speldrop, while Scottish troops were engaged in heavy fighting in Groin. In this hamlet south of Rees, the Germans tried to hold their ground, trying to block the enemy’s advance to the south along the „Reichsstrasse 8“ highway.

On the morning of March 25th, a mobile strike force consisting of tanks and Scottish infantry had advanced eastwards from a staging area near the hamlet of Bergerfurth, making their way through the Diersfordt Forest. The objective was to force a crossing over the Issel. However, the strike force encountered strong resistance as German reinforcements from the "Karst Combat Group" had arrived east of the Issel. Meanwhile in the American sector near Spellen, two combat groups of US 30th Infantry Division advanced eastwards south of the Lippe with the support of tanks in the evening of March 25th. A battalion of the US 8th Armored Division had crossed the Rhine on landing craft the day before. The combat groups' mission was to take the city of Dorsten. Unexpectedly, the Americans encountered resistance from the remnants of German 116th Panzer-Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division. Other US units had meanwhile occupied Lohberg and had advanced to the track of the motorway which was still under construction – today, this is the A 3 motorway.

On March 26th, the mobile strike force that had advanced from Bergerfurth was still involved in heavy fighting south of the village of Loikum. The crossing of the Issel and the construction of a temporary bridge were delayed. The attackers were successful elsewhere, though: Units of 52nd Scottish Infantry Division, which had advanced from Bislich from the Rhine, captured the village of Ringenberg by the evening. Success was also in sight in Rees. The fighting for the ruins of the town ended on the morning of March 26th, when the last defenders surrendered. The hamlet of Groin was also taken, thus clearing the way for the Allies to use the „Reichsstrasse 8“ highway in the direction of Haldern. The „Reichsstrasse 8“ leading north to Emmerich was now also under Allied control, as the Canadians had captured Bienen after a costly fight. Other successes materialized further south, in the American sector of the frontline: US troops of 30th Infantry Division and 8th Armored Division forced the units of German 116th Panzer-Division to withdraw to Gahlen, east of Hünxe, on March 26th.

On March 27th, Allied troops began their breakout. The bridgeheads east of the Rhine were now united to form a sufficiently large and relatively safe staging area. On the morning of that day, the bridge over the Issel near Loikum was completed, and British units were able to attack in the direction of Bocholt. Another thrust led via Brünen to Raesfeld and Borken. Soldiers of US 17th Airborne Division advanced along the „Reichsstrasse 58“ highway towards Haltern and Münster. South of the Lippe, US 30th Infantry Division fought to break through towards Dorsten. A breakout could also be reported from the Rees bridgehead: On March 28th, British troops seized Haldern without a fight and then advanced on Isselburg. From Bienen, Canadian soldiers attacked along the „Reichsstrasse 8“ highway to capture the city of Emmerich. The city was an important traffic hub and had to be taken in order to allow the construction of additional bridges over the Rhine. The battle for Emmerich was to last until the morning of March 31st. As early as March 27th, all along the frontline the fighting had shifted from the area around Wesel, Rees and Dinslaken to the east and north. The German units that had not been annihilated were in retreat, hotly pursued by the Allied armies.