Colmar Pocket

The Colmar Pocket
Part of World War II
U.S. and French Moroccan troops link up at Rouffach, February 1945. The junction of the two forces split the Colmar Pocket.
Date 20 January – 9 February 1945 Location Around Colmar, Alsace 48°4′50″N 7°21′36″E / 48.08056°N 7.36000°E / 48.08056; 7.36000 (Colmar) Result Allied victory
Belligerents
France  United States	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Jacob L. Devers[1] Jean d.L. de Tassigny Antoine Béthouart J d.G. de Monsabert	Paul Hausser Siegfried Rasp Max Grimmeiss [de] Erich Abraham
Units involved
1st Army I Corps II Corps XXI Corps	19th Army LXIII Corps LXIV Corps
Strength
Initial: 5 French infantry divisions 2 French armored divisions 2 U.S. infantry divisions Reinforcements: 1 French armored division 1 U.S. armored division 1 U.S. infantry division	7 infantry divisions 1 mountain division 1 Panzer brigade
Casualties and losses
France: 13,390[2]  United States: 8,000[3]	At least 22,000; possibly as high as 38,500[4]

The Colmar Pocket (French: Poche de Colmar; German: Brückenkopf Elsass) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II. It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern and northern Alsace and adjacent eastern Lorraine, but could not clear central Alsace. During Operation Nordwind in December 1944, the 19th Army attacked north out of the Pocket in support of other German forces attacking south from the Saar into northern Alsace. In late January and early February 1945, the French First Army (reinforced by the U.S. XXI Corps) cleared the Pocket of German forces.