Operation Northwind

Operation Northwind was Germany’s final major offensive on the Western Front, fought in Alsace and northeastern France from December 1944 to January 1945. It aimed to weaken Allied forces and relieve pressure on German troops in the Ardennes.

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Operation Nordwind: The German name for Operation Northwind, the January 1945 offensive in Alsace. This name appears in German records and accounts of the operation.
Battle of the Bulge: A major German offensive against Allied forces in the Ardennes from December 1944 to January 1945. Northwind was launched while the Ardennes offensive was still underway.
Adolf Hitler: The dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. Hitler ordered the Ardennes and Alsace offensives as linked blows against the Allies.
Colmar Pocket: A German-held area in Alsace that remained south of Strasbourg until Allied forces eliminated it in February 1945. Northwind failed to remove the southern Alsace salient that became the Colmar Pocket.
Lauterbourg: A town in northeastern France near the German border and the northern end of the Maginot Line. German forces attacked near Lauterbourg as the offensive opened.
Western Front (World War II): The theater of the Second World War in western Europe, where Allied and German forces fought from 1940 to 1945. Northwind was Germany’s last major attempt to reverse the Western Front’s course.
Johannes Blaskowitz: A German general who commanded Army Group G in the final years of the Second World War. Blaskowitz’s forces carried out the main German attack in Alsace.
Operation Undertone: A major Allied offensive in March 1945 to clear the Saar-Moselle triangle and advance toward the Rhine. The Allies resumed their advance after containing the German threat in Alsace.
Maginot Line: A French system of fortifications built along parts of France’s borders before the Second World War. Its defenses shaped German operations in northern Alsace.
Alsace: A historical region in northeastern France, bordering Germany and the Rhine. Alsace was the principal area targeted by the offensive.