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Damien Bauer Northern Alsace ww2 battlefield tour, 8 Rue THIERGARTEN, Huttendorf (2026)

Passionné d’histoire depuis ma plus jeune enfance, je me suis très tôt intéressé aux combats de la libération de l’Alsace du Nord, qui se sont déroulés entre novembre 1944 et mars 1945. Au fil des années et de nombreuses recherches sur le terrain, j’ai rassemblé documents d’époque, cartes, témoignages et archives consacrés aux unités de la 7e Armée américaine engagées dans la région. Fort de cette expérience et animé par la volonté de transmettre cette mémoire, j’ai décidé de créer ma propre structure afin de faire découvrir aux familles de vétérans américains les lieux où leurs proches ont combattu, mais aussi de mieux faire connaître cette page souvent méconnue de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Chaque visite est pensée comme un moment d’échange, de transmission et de mémoire, au plus près du terrain et de l’histoire des hommes qui ont combattu ici.

20/09/2026

On Friday, I had the honor of being invited by the organizers of a memorial tour dedicated to the 42nd Infantry Division “Rainbow” to join a group in Hatten and Rittershoffen and walk in the footsteps of the men of the division who fought in northern Alsace during the winter of 1944–1945.

The group included descendants of soldiers of the 42nd Division, three retired generals from the division, as well as veterans who had themselves served with the Rainbow Division in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with former members of the unit.

This stop in Alsace was part of a wider memorial journey across Europe, following the battlefields of the 42nd Infantry Division during the Second World War.

And among all these places, Hatten-Rittershoffen holds a very special place.

The first elements of the 1st Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment arrived in Hatten during the night of 4–5 January 1945 to relieve the American units already in position. Only a few days later, these men would find themselves at the heart of a battle that would become one of the largest armored engagements on the Western Front.

The Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen, fought from 9 to 20 January 1945, was itself part of Operation Nordwind, the major German offensive launched in Alsace at the beginning of January.

For the 242nd Infantry Regiment, however, the main fighting was concentrated on 9 and 10 January.

On 9 January, the German offensive against the Hatten-Rittershoffen sector struck the positions of the 242nd Infantry Regiment head-on. Facing them were the 21st Panzer Division and the 25th Panzergrenadier Division, two mobile formations committed as part of Operation Nordwind.

Their objective was to break through the American line quickly, seize Hatten and Rittershoffen, then advance toward Haguenau in order to link up with the German bridgehead at Gambsheim.

East of Hatten, the American-held casemates eventually fell one after another. But their capture was far from easy: German troops had to employ combat engineers, explosive charges, flamethrowers, and flamethrower tanks to overcome some of the positions.

The fighting then spread into the eastern part of Hatten, and from there into the streets and houses of the village.

The 1st Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Rustenberg, absorbed much of the initial shock. It had entered the sector with 33 officers and 748 enlisted men. After only two days of fighting, just 11 officers and 253 enlisted men remained.

Those figures alone give an idea of the violence of the battle.

The 2nd Battalion, commanded by Major Norman Reynolds, also entered the fight after already suffering heavy losses in the Weyersheim sector. On the evening of 9 January, it was committed toward Hatten in an attempt to restore the 242nd Infantry Regiment’s Main Line of Resistance.

Beginning on 10 January, the men of the 242nd, exhausted and severely depleted, began to be relieved by other American units, including elements of the 315th Infantry Regiment. Some, despite their exhaustion, continued fighting alongside the troops who had come to relieve them.

From 11 January onward, the Germans also succeeded in taking the eastern part of Rittershoffen. The front then stabilized through the heart of both villages: the eastern parts of Hatten and Rittershoffen were in German hands, while the western parts remained under American control.

The rapid breakthrough expected on 9 January had failed. Instead, the two villages became a battlefield where every street, every house, and every cellar could become a fighting position.

Lieutenant Colonel Rustenberg later summarized the actions of his men:

“Our mission had been to hold at all costs, and that we had done. Even when we were surrounded and cut to pieces by an enemy superior in numbers and supported by armor, no man had failed in his duty.”

This is the story we tried to bring back to life during that morning: the story of the men of the 242nd Infantry Regiment, the medical personnel, and the civilians trapped in the middle of the battle.

For me, this meeting was also particularly valuable. I was able to speak with several descendants of veterans who fought in this hell, gather family memories, and learn a great deal of information that further enriches my understanding of the battle.

Being able to compare archival sources, family testimony, and the battlefield itself is what gives this work of remembrance its full meaning.

A big thank you as well to those who joined us with their American World War II vehicles, which helped make the morning even more special.

My thanks to Ernest, Erin, and Rob for their trust and for inviting me to take part in this morning, as well as to The Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation for its commitment to preserving and passing on this history.

And the story continues: we already have another appointment in Hatten next June with the 9th-grade students from the Collège de Woerth.

02/09/2026

SEPTEMBER 2, 1939 — “EXÉCUTEZ PAS-DE-CALAIS”: WHEN ALSACE AND MOSELLE EVACUATED THEIR VILLAGES

87 years ago, during these first days of September 1939, hundreds of thousands of Alsatians and Mosellans were forced to leave their homes.

A particular chapter in our local history was beginning.

On September 1, 1939, N**i Germany invaded Poland. In France, general mobilization was declared, and war now seemed inevitable.

For several years, the French authorities had been preparing plans to evacuate civilians living in the most exposed areas, particularly those located in front of the Maginot Line and close to the German border.

In the town halls of the communities concerned, sealed confidential envelopes contained the instructions to be followed in the event of war.

When the order finally came, only a few words were needed to set in motion an operation that had been prepared long beforehand:

“EXÉCUTEZ PAS-DE-CALAIS”

As early as September 1, the evacuation of some communities began. From September 2 onward, the departures became massive.

In Alsace, approximately 374,000 inhabitants from 181 communities were ordered to leave their homes. In Moselle, around 200,000 people from 300 communities were also affected by this first wave of evacuations.

For these families, a true exodus began.

People were allowed to take only a limited amount of luggage, generally 30 kilograms (66 pounds) per person, along with a few days’ worth of food.

They had to leave behind their homes, furniture, land, sometimes their animals, and almost everything that had until then made up their everyday lives.

Above all, they had to leave without knowing when they would return.

Convoys carried these populations hundreds of miles from their homes. The Alsatians were notably sent to southwestern France, including Dordogne, the Charentes, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, and the Landes.

For many, an entirely new existence began.

After the journey came the difficulties of finding accommodation, obtaining food and supplies, and adapting to an unfamiliar region. They also had to learn to live among people whose customs, culture, and sometimes even language were very different from their own.

And behind these hundreds of thousands of displaced people were just as many individual family stories.

Here, in our own villages, too…

In Neunhoffen and Éguelshardt, as in so many other villages in this border region, families were forced to leave their homes.

This story also touches me personally, because members of my own family from Neunhoffen and Éguelshardt experienced this exodus themselves.

Like thousands of other Alsatians and Mosellans, they headed toward southwestern France, far from their villages, their homes, and everything they knew.

They had no idea how long their absence would last, or under what circumstances they would one day see their homeland again.

On September 3, 1939, at 5:00 p.m., France officially declared war on Germany.

But for the inhabitants of the evacuated villages, the war had, in a sense, already begun.

It had not begun with shellfire or fighting.

It had begun with an order received at the town hall, a few belongings hastily gathered together, a house locked behind them, and a departure into the unknown.

And unfortunately, this was only the beginning.

Following the French defeat in June 1940, many of the evacuees would return to an Alsace-Moselle now de facto annexed by N**i Germany. What followed was forced Germanization, repression and, later, the forced conscription of thousands of Alsatians and Mosellans into the German armed forces.

Then came the fighting of 1944–1945 and, for some of these same villages, another evacuation and further destruction.

The history of Alsace and Moselle during the 20th century is extraordinarily complex. In the space of only a few generations, families saw borders, administrations, uniforms, and nationalities change around them, sometimes without ever having left their village.

That is also why I wanted today to step somewhat away from the battlefield accounts and soldiers’ stories that I usually share on this page.

Because understanding the battles fought here in 1944 and 1945 also means understanding what the civilian population of our region had already endured since September 1939.

Behind the figures of 374,000 evacuated Alsatians and 200,000 evacuated Mosellans were men, women, and children. Entire families whose lives were turned upside down in a matter of hours.

And among them were our own families.

Neunhoffen and Éguelshardt are part of my own family history. Their memory is therefore part of mine as well.

Because behind the great events of History, there are always thousands of smaller, deeply human stories.

The stories of our villages.
The stories of our families.
The stories of those who came before us.

28/08/2026

THE 14th ARMORED DIVISION — TANKS, MEN, AND A DIVISION DEEPLY MARKED BY THE FIGHTING IN NORTHERN ALSACE

After highlighting several American units that fought in our region, I wanted today to focus on a division whose history is particularly closely linked to Northern Alsace, since it fought here from the beginning of December 1944 until mid-March 1945: the 14th Armored Division.

Activated on November 15, 1942, at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, the division was commanded during its European campaign by Brigadier General, later Major General Albert C. Smith.

It landed at Marseille at the end of October 1944 and entered combat only a few weeks later. Beginning around November 20, its men fought in the sectors of Benfeld and Barr, before moving out into the Alsace Plain.

An armored division, but much more than just tanks

The distinctive triangular shoulder patch of U.S. armored divisions reflects their organization. Its three colors represent the main combat branches: yellow for cavalry, red for artillery, and blue for infantry. The cannon, track, and lightning bolt symbolize firepower, mobility, and speed.

Contrary to a common misconception, an American armored division was not made up only of tanks and armored vehicles. It also included armored infantry battalions, artillery, engineers, reconnaissance elements, and numerous support units essential to its operations.

Tanks could not fight effectively without close infantry support, especially in villages, forests, and difficult terrain such as that found throughout Northern Alsace.

The first fighting in Northern Alsace

At the beginning of December 1944, the 14th Armored Division reached the northern Alsace Plain and took part in the first liberation of many towns and villages.

Its men notably liberated Gambsheim, followed by Hatten and Rittershoffen on December 13, Riedseltz on December 14, and Wissembourg on December 16.

That same day, elements of the division crossed the German border north of Wissembourg.They fought particularly hard around Oberotterbach, where, more than 80 years later, numerous scars of the fighting can still be seen on some building façades.

At the same time, however, the strategic situation changed dramatically. On December 16, the German offensive in the Ardennes led to the transfer of several Allied units northward, considerably weakening the front held by the U.S. Seventh Army.

On December 22, the 14th Armored Division received orders to withdraw toward the Lauter River. Its men therefore spent Christmas and the final days of 1944 in defensive positions in Northern Alsace.

They could not yet know that they were only days away from the most difficult fighting of their entire campaign.

Nordwind and the hell of Hatten-Rittershoffen

During the night of December 31, 1944, to January 1, 1945, the Germans launched Operation Nordwind.

South of Bitche, Task Force Hudelson, made up of elements of the 14th Armored Division, absorbed the full force of the opening German attack.

But only a few days later, the division's name would become inseparable from one of the most violent battles fought in Alsace during World War II: Hatten-Rittershoffen.

The battle began on January 9, 1945. The 14th Armored Division was gradually committed to support American units that had already suffered heavily. From January 13 onward, the entire Hatten-Rittershoffen sector came under its command, and for the first time since arriving in Europe, almost the entire division was committed together in a single battle.

For several days, the two villages became a true battlefield. Tanks and infantry fought among houses, cellars, streets, and rubble, sometimes only a few dozen yards from the enemy. In such an environment, armored vehicles constantly depended on infantry protection and close cooperation.

The division and the units placed under its command managed to contain the German effort, but the cost was extremely high. By the time the 14th Armored Division finally left the sector, it had lost a significant number of men and a large amount of equipment.

Referring to the fighting carried out by the 14th Armored Division at Hatten-Rittershoffen, General Jacob Devers, commander of the 6th Army Group, described it as “one of the greatest defensive battles of the war.”

And the fighting was not over.

On January 25, elements of the division were urgently sent toward the Moder River, in the sectors of Schweighouse and Neubourg, to reinforce the men of the 222nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division, then heavily engaged in the Battle of Ohlungen Woods.

From the Moder to Undertone

In early February 1945, elements of the division were once again heavily engaged, particularly at Oberhoffen-sur-Moder, as well as in operations aimed at finally eliminating the German Gambsheim bridgehead.

The front then stabilized.

For several weeks, the Moder formed part of the line separating the two opposing forces. It was not until March 15, 1945, with the launch of Operation Undertone, that American forces resumed the offensive.

The 14th Armored Division moved north once again. Its men crossed the Rothbach and the Moder, continued their advance, crossed the Lauter once more, and fought in the sector of Steinfeld and the Wissembourg Gap.

This time, after months of fighting, the liberation of Northern Alsace was final.

From Alsace into the heart of Germany

The war, however, did not end at the border.

The division continued its advance and reached the Rhine in the Germersheim sector. On April 1, 1945, it crossed the river near Worms, then pushed rapidly into Germany, fighting around Lohr, Gemünden, and Bad Neustadt.

At the end of April, it crossed the Danube and continued its advance through Bavaria.

On April 29, 1945, its men reached Moosburg and liberated Stalag VII-A, one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in Germany, where tens of thousands of Allied prisoners of many different nationalities were being held.

This became one of the most memorable episodes in the division's history.

After crossing the Isar River, the division continued its advance until the final days of the war.

In total, the 14th Armored Division spent 167 days in combat during its European campaign. Its losses amounted to 2,690 men, including 505 killed.

Here in Northern Alsace, however, its history remains above all associated with names that are very familiar to us: Hatten, Rittershoffen, Riedseltz, Wissembourg, Schweighouse, Neubourg, Oberhoffen-sur-Moder…

It is also important to remember that the tanks of the 14th Armored Division were not always employed solely in support of their own division. At various times during the fighting in Northern Alsace, armored elements were attached to other American infantry divisions to provide them with valuable tank support, including the 36th, 42nd, 45th, 70th, 79th, and 103rd Infantry Divisions.

This also helps explain why, when studying the fighting in Northern Alsace, the tanks and crews of the 14th Armored Division can be found in so many different sectors of the front, sometimes operating far from the main body of their own division.

Even today, villages, forests, and some building façades still bear the silent scars of these battles. Places we pass every day were, during the winter of 1944–1945, the scene of some of the most difficult engagements experienced by the men of the 14th Armored Division.

DB Northern Alsace WWII Battlefield Tours

15/08/2026

FROM THE SUNSHINE OF PROVENCE TO THE BATTLEFIELDS OF ALSACE — 82nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE LANDINGS IN PROVENCE

82 years ago, on August 15, 1944, Operation Dragoon, the Allied landings in Provence, began along the Mediterranean coast between Toulon and Cannes.

On the beaches of southern France, the U.S. Seventh Army under General Alexander Patch committed three infantry divisions: the 3rd, 36th, and 45th Infantry Divisions. Alongside them, the French forces of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny’s Army B also played a major role in this vast operation.

Unlike most of the American divisions that had landed in Normandy, all three U.S. infantry divisions committed to the landings in Provence would continue their campaign into Alsace. This is precisely why I wanted to mark this anniversary on my page: the history of the landings in Provence is directly connected to the history of our region.

For these men, the Mediterranean beaches were only the beginning of a long journey. From Provence, they advanced north through the Rhône Valley, toward the Vosges Mountains and eventually into Alsace. Two of these divisions, the 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions, would fight directly here, in Northern Alsace.

The 45th Infantry Division, which landed in the Saint-Maxime sector and was commanded at the time by Major General William W. Eagles, perfectly illustrates this long journey. On November 30, 1944, while his division was already fighting in Northern Alsace, Eagles was seriously wounded when his Jeep struck a mine. His injuries eventually led to his replacement as commander of the division.

In early December 1944, the Thunderbirds continued their advance, liberating Niederbronn, Gundershoffen, and Reichshoffen, before reaching the Maginot Line and, on December 15, 1944, the German border. In January 1945, Operation Nordwind once again threw the division into bitter fighting, particularly in the sectors of Wingen-sur-Moder and Reipertswiller.

But behind the story of a division are, above all, the stories of individual men. John Grant Rahill, John Wesley Powers, and Rocco J. Antonelli are only a few examples among what were undoubtedly countless personal journeys linking the beaches of Provence to the battlefields of Alsace. Each of these men followed his own path, but all became part of the same long campaign across France.

Lieutenant John Grant Rahill, of the 179th Infantry Regiment, had landed in Provence with the 45th Infantry Division. During the advance through France, deeply moved by the welcome given to the American soldiers by the liberated population, he wrote:

“More than once I had tears in my eyes when I saw how genuinely happy and relieved these people were, and when I realized what hardships they must have endured. I know now more than ever why I am fighting.”

Only a few months after landing under the sunshine of Provence, John Rahill was killed on December 2, 1944, in the Northern Alsatian village of Engwiller.

John Wesley Powers, of the 157th Infantry Regiment, had also landed in Provence. After following the same long road north, he was killed at only 19 years old, on January 4, 1945, at Dambach-Neunhoffen, during Operation Nordwind.

The 36th Infantry Division, the famous Texas Division, which landed in the Saint- Raphael sector, followed the same long route from the Mediterranean coast to Alsace.

In early February 1945, its men were heavily engaged here, particularly during the fighting at Oberhoffen-sur-Moder and in the operations to finally eliminate the German Gambsheim bridgehead. They retook Rohrwiller, Herrlisheim, and Offendorf, villages that had witnessed extremely violent fighting only days earlier.

In March, the division took part in Operation Undertone, which led, among other things, to the final liberation of Mertzwiller and Haguenau.

Among the men of the 36th Division who had made this long journey was Rocco J. Antonelli, of the 142nd Infantry Regiment. Having taken part in the landings in Provence, seven months later he found himself fighting at Mertzwiller on March 17, 1945, where his actions during the battle earned him a military decoration.

From the Mediterranean to Mertzwiller: his journey alone tells the story of this long campaign.

We must, of course, not forget the men of what would become the French First Army. They too landed in southern France, played a major role in the liberation of Toulon and Marseille, advanced north through France, and later fought extremely hard battles in the Vosges and Alsace.

It is this connection between Provence and Northern Alsace that I wanted to remember today.

On August 15, 1944, as these men came ashore on the beaches of southern France, they could not have imagined where this long road would eventually take them. After the sunshine and heat of Provence would come the Rhône Valley, the Vosges Mountains, the cold rains of December, followed by the snow and bitter Alsatian winter.

Some would pass through our villages as liberators.
Some would fight in them.
And some, like John Grant Rahill and John Wesley Powers, would never leave them.

On this 82nd anniversary of the landings in Provence, let us pay tribute to all the Allied soldiers — American, French, British, and Canadian — who took part in Operation Dragoon. Let us remember these men whose long journey, begun on the shores of the Mediterranean, would lead many of them, only a few months later, to the battlefields of Alsace.

DB Northern Alsace WWII Battlefield Tours

08/08/2026

Two Brothers, Two Divisions... An Unlikely Reunion on the Alsace Front

As I spend countless hours studying Morning Reports, After Action Reports, eyewitness accounts, and military archives to reconstruct the fighting in Northern Alsace, I occasionally come across stories that go far beyond military operations.

Human stories. Stories that remind us that behind every unit were extraordinary lives and unforgettable moments.

The story of John Sherman and his brother Kenneth "Butch" Sherman is a perfect example.

Both were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, growing up during the difficult years of the Great Depression. After their father passed away in 1936, John was selected to attend the Henry Ford Trade School, established to provide vocational training for boys from underprivileged families.

When the United States entered the war, all five Sherman brothers answered the call to serve.

John was inducted into the U.S. Army in October 1943 and assigned to Company G, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, part of the famed 101st Airborne Division. He fought in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and was later transferred to Alsace following the fighting around Bastogne.

His older brother Kenneth, known to everyone as "Butch," served with the 410th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry Division, which had arrived in France through Marseille in the fall of 1944.

By the end of January 1945, following the brutal fighting along the Moder River, the two divisions occupied neighboring sectors northwest of Haguenau. The 327th Glider Infantry Regiment held positions around Schweighouse-sur-Moder, while the 410th Infantry Regiment was deployed near Pfaffenhoffen.

Nothing, however, could have prepared them for what happened next.

John later recalled:

"We had just arrived in the Haguenau area, and I was on guard duty outside our company headquarters. It was already dark when I noticed a Jeep approaching. Jeeps were a rare sight in our company, so I assumed it must be carrying a high-ranking officer. As it came closer, I suddenly thought, 'That looks like my brother.' So I yelled, 'Hey Butch!' The Jeep came to a sudden stop. The moment the driver stepped out, I knew it was my brother Ken. I ran over and threw my arms around him. The first words out of his mouth were, 'Geez, Jack, when are you going to shave?'"

Kenneth explained that after learning their divisions were fighting on neighboring sectors, he had simply "borrowed" the chaplain's Jeep to go looking for his younger brother.

An unbelievable act in the middle of an active combat zone.

The two brothers managed to meet once or twice again before returning home, but John would later say that nothing ever compared to that unexpected reunion on a road in Alsace during the winter of 1945.

Remarkably, all five Sherman brothers returned home safely after the war.

As I continue my research into the fighting in Northern Alsace, I regularly uncover stories like this one. They are absent from official battle reports, yet they remind us that behind every name recorded on a Morning Report or unit roster was a life, a family, and sometimes an extraordinary story like that of John and Kenneth Sherman.

This is what truly drives my passion: bringing these forgotten stories back to life—small stories written in the shadow of the greater history of World War II.

DB Northern Alsace WWII Battlefield Tours

28/07/2026

In the Footsteps of Pvt. Norman E. Gerow – 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division

On Monday, July 20, I had the great honor of welcoming Margie Holdren and her husband, Marty, from Michigan, who had traveled to northern Alsace to walk in the footsteps of Margie’s grandfather, Private Norman E. Gerow of Company A, 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division.

Born on August 25, 1919, in Clare, Michigan, Norman worked on the family farm until his marriage to Dorothy in 1939. He then joined the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, where he helped manufacture automobiles before being inducted into the U.S. Army on May 16, 1944. Following his military training, he was assigned to Company A of the 242nd Infantry Regiment, part of the 42nd Infantry Division.

He landed in Marseille in early December 1944 with the first elements of the Rainbow Division. On December 18, his regiment received orders to move toward the front in the Ardennes. However, the situation changed rapidly. The German offensive in the Ardennes, launched two days earlier, had prompted the American high command to redeploy some of its units northward, thereby weakening the U.S. Seventh Army’s front in Alsace. To reinforce this now particularly vulnerable sector, the 42nd Infantry Division was ultimately assigned to General Alexander Patch’s U.S. Seventh Army and sent to the northern Alsace front.

On December 24, Norman moved up to the front line to relieve elements of the 36th Infantry Division. His regiment was tasked with guarding the western bank of the Rhine, both north and south of Strasbourg.

During the final days of December 1944, the news was far from reassuring. Allied intelligence reported that a major German offensive was being prepared in Alsace. General Dwight D. Eisenhower considered ordering a general withdrawal of the U.S. Seventh Army, abandoning Strasbourg and the Alsace Plain in order to establish a new defensive line along the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains.

On January 1, 1945, when the German Army launched Operation Nordwind, Norman’s battalion was reported to be in Wolfisheim. The following day, it was ordered to move to Rosheim, closer to the eastern slopes of the Vosges, in accordance with the planned withdrawal. General de Gaulle’s opposition ultimately led to the abandonment of this plan. American units were then ordered to hold their positions, relying in particular on the fortifications of the Maginot Line north of the Haguenau Forest.

On January 3, Norman arrived in Brumath, before reaching Hatten the following day, where the 1st Battalion of the 242nd Infantry Regiment relieved elements of the 79th Infantry Division. The latter was immediately redeployed to the area of the German bridgehead at Gambsheim, where the situation had become critical.

At 5:00 a.m. on January 9, 1945, the terrible Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen began. The men of the 1st Battalion, including Norman, bore the full force of the attacks launched by the 21st Panzer Division and the 25th Panzergrenadier Division. After only 52 hours of fighting, the battalion had been virtually destroyed. Out of an original strength of approximately 780 men, only 11 officers and 280 enlisted men remained fit for combat.

Relieved on the evening of January 10, the battalion was sent into reserve at Niederbetschdorf, where it attempted to rebuild after the devastating losses suffered at Hatten.

During the night of January 20–21, the U.S. VI Corps was ordered to withdraw behind the Moder River to prevent the units deployed south of the Haguenau Forest from being outflanked by German forces advancing from the Gambsheim bridgehead.

At daybreak on January 21, the 242nd Infantry Regiment established its defensive positions east of Haguenau, covering a front that stretched from the first houses along Rue du Château Fiat and Rue des Quatre-Vents to Kaltenhouse.

At dawn on January 25, nearly 1,200 soldiers of the 10th SS Panzer Division launched a powerful attack in an attempt to cross the Moder. The fighting became particularly intense. Under cover of a heavy artillery bombardment, German troops managed to cross the river at several points using inflatable boats, while 88 mm guns positioned in the Oberhoffen military camp relentlessly shelled American positions around Haguenau and Kaltenhouse.

It was during this fighting that Norman E. Gerow was mortally wounded by a shell fragment. His body was recovered on January 27, 1945.

Norman was only 25 years old. He left behind his wife, Dorothy; their five-year-old son, Norman Earl Gerow; and his stepdaughter, Kay, who was soon to celebrate her seventh birthday.

Like many American soldiers killed in action in Alsace, he was initially buried in a temporary military cemetery before being transferred after the war to the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, where he still rests today.

The day after our visit to the battlefields, Margie stood beside her grandfather’s grave for the very first time. More than eighty years after his death, this moment of remembrance was profoundly moving for the entire family.

DB Northern Alsace WWII Battlefield Tours

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