Crossing the Zorn

Conceived in desperation after the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945, Germany’s Operation Nordwind culminated in the frozen Alsatian fields surrounding the Zorn River. In what was expected to be an easy offensive, the German 10th Waffen SS Panzer Division attacked the American 12th Armored Division near the villages of Herrlisheim and Weyersheim. Neither army foresaw the savage violence that ensued.
Combining the vivid eyewitness accounts of veterans from both sides of the conflict with information gleaned from a variety of long-unavailable print sources, this richly detailed history casts a fascinating light on a little-known but crucial battle in the Second World War. Common stalwart German and American soldiers carried out near-impossible orders.

Edward Monroe-Jones, formerly with the U.S. Submarine Service, has written extensively on military history. He is a management consultant in the area of labor relations and organizational development. He lives in Orange, California.

Edited by Edward Monroe-Jones
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 222
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4712-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5678-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Preface      1

Part I : Roads to Alsace

Introduction to Part I      7

1. Texas and Le Bec Hellouin, December 1943      8

2. Russia and Spokane, December 1941      15

3. Vienna and Fallingbostel, November 1942      21

4. German POWs and the Frundsberg Division, June 1943      24

5. Camp Barkeley and Russian-Occupied Poland, April 1944      30

6. Normandy, August 1944      39

7. Camp Shanks, New York, September 1944      45

8. Zutphen and the SS Empress of Australia, September 1944      49

9. Operation Market Garden, September 1944      55

10. The Salisbury Plain and St. Pölten, October 1944      59

11. Le Havre and Beyond, November 1944      65

Part II : Alsace

Introduction to Part II      75

12. Bining, Rohrbach and Roeschwoog, December 1944      78

13. Schweighausen and La Breymuhl, January 1945      91

14. Althussheim, January 1945      107

15. The Steinwald, January 1945      115

16. East of the Zorn River, January 1945      121

17. Herrlisheim, January 1945      131

18. Weyersheim, January 1945      152

19. The Bruchwald, January 1945      159

Part III : Beyond Alsace

Introduction to Part III      171

20. Oberhoffen and Heidenheim, February–May 1945      176

21. Stalag XI-B and Berlin, April 1945      185

22. Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, Niedernhal, Vienna and Fachingen Lahn      194

Chapter Notes      201

Bibliography      209

Index      211

“an exceptionally well-compiled collection of reflections and reminiscences…poignant and powerful…a great deal of research…excellent presentation…engaging”—Bibliobuffet.com.