Operation Nordwind

By Darren Neely

Operation Nordwind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 31 December 1944 in Rhineland-Palatinate, Alsace and Lorraine in southwestern Germany and northeastern France, and ended on 25 January 1945. Normally overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, Nordwind battles were just as intense and the troops involved faced the same bitter weather conditions and battle conditions their fellow units did to the north. The goal of the offensive was to break through the lines of the U.S. Seventh Army and French 1st Army in the Upper Vosges mountains and the Alsatian Plain, and destroy them, as well as the seizure of Strasbourg, which Himmler, who had been placed in charge, had promised would be captured by 30 January. The campaign also showcased the difficulties of inter-Allied cooperation between the Americans and the French. The U.S. VI Corps—which bore the brunt of the German attacks—was fighting on three sides by 15 January. By 15 January at least 17 German divisions (including units in the Colmar Pocket) from Army Group G and Army Group Oberrhein, including the 6th SS Mountain, 17th SS Panzergrenadier, 21st Panzer, and 25th Panzergrenadier Divisions were engaged in the fighting. Another smaller attack was made against the French positions south of Strasbourg, but it was finally stopped.

Vicious battles at Hatten and Rittershoffen, Gambsheim and Herrlisheim took place and while the Germans could not employ near the same amount as armor as they did in the Ardennes, the armor engagements were nonetheless ruthless. The American 12th Armored Division lost almost an entire tank battalion in the battles in and around Herrlisheim. Action would engulf the entire front and areas like Strasbourg, Wingen, the Colmar Pocket and Haguenau would be engrained in the minds of the troops that fought in these battles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781526792020

Darren Neely

Darren Neely is a military researcher and historian from Maryland, USA. Panzerwrecks has published three of Darren’s books; Forgotten Archives 1, Forgotten Archives 2 and Nürnberg’s Panzer Factory.

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Introduction

Operation Nordwind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. Yet it does not get the attention in history for being the last offensive by the German Army, as that is reserved for Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Operation Watch on the Rhine) commonly referred to as the Battle of the Bulge or Ardennes Offensive. Nordwind officially began on December 31, 1944. Battles around the Gambsheim and Herrlisheim bridgeheads would see the American 12th Armored Division take heavy tank losses and the 14th Armored would find itself hotly engaged with German Panzer formations around Hatten-Rittershoffen. By the end of January, a pocket had been formed of trapped Germans around Colmar and the French Army formations in this area with American assistance would close and reduce what became known as the Colmar Pocket.

Just several days into the Ardennes Offensive, it became painfully aware to Adolf Hitler and his command staff that the objectives and breakthrough they had hoped for would not be realized. Hitler looked towards the Alsace region in southern France as the place for another surprise offensive. The area had been one of constant strife between the French and Germans for centuries.

To help assist the German Ardennes Offensive, the US Third Army had moved to the area leaving the US Seventh Army spread very thin across the Alsace front of almost 70 miles. In addition to the US Seventh Army was the French First Army, operating to their south. The US Seventh Army and the French First Army formed together to create the Sixth Army Group commanded by General Jacob Devers.

The plan for Operation Nordwind was for the German First Army to launch a major thrust into France. They would attack through the Low Vosges from Bitche. The German First Army would then link up and thrust northward with the German 19th Army, who was locked in a pocket around Colmar. These two German armies would then meet east of the Saverne Gap, recapture the city of Strasbourg, and trap the US Seventh Army in northern Alsace. Hitler had hoped that the battles would be comprised of multiple small attacks in the Alsace, not one large offensive at the army group level.

The Germans had minimal armor support for the offensive, with the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division being the only armor unit initially ready to attack until late formations were thrown into battle. Even so, the division was primarily equipped with assault guns versus tanks. Later on as the battles increased, the Germans were able to throw in the 21st Panzer Division, 25th Panzergrenadier and 10th SS Panzer Division. The Allies were able to count on two full strength American armored divisions, the 12th and 14th and the French 2nd Armored Division as well. The 12th and 14th were far from veteran units but were fully equipped with both medium and light tanks. In addition, the majority of the American infantry divisions had independent tank and tank destroyer battalions assigned to them which added to their armor strength.

December 31, 1944 was the start date for Operation Nordwind. While surprising the American forces in the early days of the offensive, like the Ardennes, the Americans were able to move forces around quickly and blunt the initial German attacks. Cold snowy weather made the fighting conditions miserable and towns like Wingen-sur-Moder became hotly contested and changed hands many times. The Germans were very low on supplies, front line caliber troops and especially armor from the beginning. Within a few days the Germans could no longer advance. However, there would be fierce battles