"The US 14th Armored Division was thrust into intense combat quickly after it arrived at the port of Marseilles, as the Germans remained determined to defend their southern flank. Like other American formations, the 14th Armored, after advancing through France against intermittent opposition, was hammered to a standstill as it approached the German border during the fall of 1944 ... Nevertheless, the 14th had gained experience, and when the Germans sought to turn the tide with Operation Northwind, they found a hardened formation standing against them. Northwind began in the Vosges Mountains, but was extended onto the plains of Alsace near the Rhine. This book explores in detail what happened in January 1945 when the Wehrmacht launched its last major offensive in the west. The 14th Armored engaged in point-blank combat as it held off the enemy, until finally a strategic withdrawal after a hellish ten days of fiery combat allowed the Allies to hold the line until a spring offensive"--Dust jkt.

First days of battle in the Maritime Alps -- Tragedy at Barr -- Ober-Ottenbach : the onslaught -- Task Force Hudelson and Operation Northwind -- The Hatten-Rittershoffen inferno -- Ohlungen Forest : getting even and getting hurt -- Breaching the Sigfried Line -- The drive from the Rhine -- From collapse to liberation -- From Atlantic to Pacific?