Operation Nordwind

Striking images of the US forces that halted Hitler's last offensive in the west, recently uncovered from the archives.

Jun 4, 2023

Whitewashed M4 medium tanks and soldiers draped in white sheets move up in the Dossenheim area of France on January 29th. The tanks are with the 753rdTank Battalion and the infantry are from the 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division.

One of the most recent additions to the popular Images of War series is the result of research by Darren Neely in the U.S. National Archives and the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum in Abilene, Texas. Few people will have seen the images reproduced here, which present a rounded picture of the conditions in which US troops fought at the very beginning of 1945.

Operation Nordwind was launched just as Hitler realised that the German offensive which became known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ was failing. A series of smaller attacks were launched further south in the Alsace region of the French-German border. Fighting was intense and the Americans only prevailed after suffering significant casualties. Operation Nordwind: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives documents their progress as recorded by the US Signal Corps. Over 160 pages of images illustrate the immediate aftermath of battle.

The following excerpt comes from the brief overview of the campaign and a selection of images:

A GI of the 410th Infantry Regiment of the 103rd Infantry Division exits his dugout on December 31, 1944. The Nordwind Offensive would start in just hours, and he and his unit would be in the thick of it. Notice that snow has already fallen.

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 over the next few weeks as the Germans look to exploit areas south of their initial success.

An 81mm mortar section in a halftrack of the 714th Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division that was helping close the Colmar Pocket. This is a rare photo as it shows an M21 halftrack in action.

A secondary move after Nordwind started was the German plan Sonnewande (Winter Solstice) that commenced on January 8, just days after Nordwind had started. The Germans moved south of Strasbourg across the Rhine to recapture the city. This resulted in the Gambsheim bridgehead and the battles with the American 12th Armored Division. Days earlier, the 21st Panzer and 25th Panzergrenadier had struck towards Hatten-Rittershoffen and would be the sight of ferocious battles between them and American units. The 14th Armored would suffer high tank losses but did their fair share of damage to the Panzer units as well

Tanks of the 714thTank Battalion and infantrymen of the 46th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 12th Armored Division prepare to move out for the attack in the Colmar and Mulhouse area.

The 12th Armored Division, the newest American armored formation in the sector would find itself in tenacious battles against German tanks and anti-tank units, not to mention mines and mud in and around Herrlisheim. Months after the battles, tanks from both sides still littered the battlefield. The seasoned German 10th SS Panzer Division made their appearance in these battles and let their presence be known. In fact, in early February as the Germans had been pushed back, at least 28 destroyed M4 medium tanks had been found in and around the town of Herrlisheim.

Eight German prisoners formerly of the Luftwaffe were taken prisoner in Rohrwiller by the 36th Infantry Division on February 4

This photo shows the muddy conditions facing the Allies after the winter thaw set in after the Nordwind battles had wound down. This M7 105mm HMC still has remnants of a whitewash and is towing a ammunition trailer. The vehicle is part of the 342nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion.

This excerpt from Operation Nordwind: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives appears by kind permission of Pen & Sword Books Ltd. Copyright remains with the author.