 In early 1945 , XXX Corps took part in Operation Veritable , during which the German Army was finally forced back over the Rhine . The corps employed firepower on a massive scale , and " every trick that had been learnt during the past two and a half years was brought into play , and several new ones added " . For a short period XXX Corps had nine divisions under its command . Before the operation , Horrocks accepted an offer to use Bomber Command to attack the town of Cleves , assisting the advance of the 15th ( Scottish ) Infantry Division . The bombers released 1 @,@ 384 long tons ( 1 @,@ 406 t ) of high explosive that devastated the town . Horrocks later said that this had been " the most terrible decision I had ever taken in my life " and that he felt " physically sick " when he saw the bombers overhead . Operation Veritable was successful ; by the evening of 9 February ( D + 1 ) XXX Corps had broken through the Siegfried Line and into Germany with only light casualties . Bremen was captured on 26 April , exposing the Sandbostel concentration camp , Stalag X @-@ B. The corps had reached Cuxhaven by the time hostilities ceased . 
