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Part 2: In Europe

They crossed the Channel on the 1st of August 1944 to fight in Europe. Leclerc had written to De Gaulle three years earlier, ‘We will not rest until the flag of France also flies over Paris and Strasbourg’*. Indeed, this happened under the command of General George S. Patton, when he drove his tanks into Paris on August the 25th 1944. Pressing on eastwards, he linked up with the U.S. 7th Army. In a lightning advance, along with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, they smashed through the Germans’ winter defense lines west of Strasbourg, broke out of the Vosges Mountains and liberated the city on the 23rd of November 1944. The young U.S. 3rd Division fought what became known as the ‘Battle of the Apartments’ in Strasbourg.

Part 1: The beginning for Leclerc

Next to Charles de Gaulle himself, the most famous French General in WWII was undoubtedly General Philippe Leclerc. Leclerc was not his real name, as he had been sentenced to death by the Nazi puppet government, installed in Vichy, in the south of France, who viewed him as a traitor. His real name was Vicomte Philippe De Hautecloque, and as a Captain he refused to surrender in 1940. He was hunted by the Germans and French Vichy government alike, but despite being wounded managed to evade them and to escape to Britain, where he joined Charles de Gaulle’s Free French Forces.

Part 2 - Hitler’s Reaction and Consequences for the U.S. 3rd Division

Hitler immediately ordered German troops to occupy the whole of France. As a result, when the U.S. 3rd Division made the last of their amphibious landings, it was on the south coast of France, (along with the U.S. 36th Division from Texas, and the U.S. 45th Division from Oklahoma), on the 15th August 1944, they faced German forces!

Part 1- Landing of the U.S. 3rd Division on the coast of Morocco

After Pearl Harbor and the German 'declaration of war' on the United States in December 1941, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division were the first U.S. division into action in this theatre. Fifteen thousand young men left America in 1942, heading for the coast of North Africa, with a mission to land on the coast of Morocco. The situation was complicated by the status of the French colonies.

Part 2 - Did it work?

By this stage of the war, the Allies had broken the German codes, so with the use of ULTRA intelligence, knew of the coming attack. Thinking of the military situation, General Eisenhower wanted to evacuate the troops from Strasbourg and position them to thwart the German attempt to break through the Western Front north of the city. French General De Gaulle was furious about the idea of abandoning Strasbourg and he complained to Winston Churchill about it. Prime Minister Churchill contacted President Roosevelt to discuss the matter. In turn, President Roosevelt contacted General Eisenhower and said to him to hold Strasbourg, as the political consequences of allowing the Germans to take it were too great. That was the only time President Roosevelt overruled one of General Eisenhower’s decisions during the war. General Eisenhower compromised, by leaving the French troops to defend the city and moving the Americans out. So, Hitler’s plan was working, as the Allied generals were all arguing with each other!

Part 1 - The Plan

7th February 1945 – 25th February 1945
Audie Murphy described the Colmar Pocket as an ‘iron fist’ poking into the Western Front. He said that this iron fist was being fed with men, tanks, gasoline, and artillery, brought across the three Rhine bridges here at the time.
As well as being the last big bridgehead the Germans had into the Western Front, Audie also described the Colmar Pocket as being a ‘dangerous platform’ from which the enemy could launch a serious counter-offensive against the Allies. He was exactly right! The Colmar Pocket ended up becoming the site of the last big German effort against the Allies on the Western Front.

The region of Alsace, located on the border between France and Germany, has long been a symbol of cultural blending and geopolitical contention. During World War II, the Alsatian people faced one of the most turbulent and traumatic periods in their history. As Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940, Alsace was annexed de facto by the Germans, dramatically altering daily life, identity, and the fate of thousands of Alsatians.

If you are ever in Colmar, go and see the Replica of the Statue of liberty, positioned in the middle of a busy roundabout on Route de Strasbourg (D83), just north of Colmar.
It is a meaningful tribute to a hometown hero, called Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and a powerful symbol of liberty.

Audie Murphy never publicly confirmed nor denied his true date of birth. Throughout his life, there were rumors and stories that suggested he had been born a little earlier or a little later than most people thought. What we do know is that his driver’s license displayed 1925 as the year he was born — a fact that has been accepted as part of his legacy ever since.

When you look at the numbers involved in the battles along the Maginot Line, they tell a stark story of imbalance.

A typical battalion consisted of around 800 men. On the German side alone, there were 27 battalions poised for action, while the French could muster only 8 battalions in this sector. This disparity would become a critical factor as the engagements unfolded.

When the French 104th Division was assigned to hold a 30-mile stretch of front, they faced an impossible mission. Made up of just eight battalions, they were vastly overextended. To put this into perspective: at the time, a properly defended fortified line would require nine battalions for every 13 miles. The math simply didn’t add up.

When American and French forces returned to the Colmar Pocket in late 1944, they faced a daunting task. It took two weeks of fierce fighting to secure the high ground on the French side of the Rhine Valley. Unfortunately, the persistent low clouds and mist robbed them of the visibility they so badly needed to make full use of their hard-won vantage point.

At 10:00 am on the morning of June 17th, 1940—exactly 85 years ago today —the Germans fired their first 88mm artillery shell at the turret of the French bunker. The gun had been dragged across the river overnight, and its impact is still visible today: three 88mm rounds remain embedded in the side of the turret. The attack marked the beginning of a relentless assault on the fortifications defending the Colmar Pocket.