Abstract

In December of 1944 and January of 1945, as Allied forces fought to slowly regain their footing in the Battle of the Bulge, another fierce engagement raged to the south in Alsace and became known as the Battle of the Colmar Pocket. Although overshadowed by the more famous fight to the north, the Colmar Pocket nevertheless played a pivotal role in the war in Europe. Yet the engagement which made Audie Murphy famous remains at the periphery of our understanding of the intense fighting in the winter of 1944-45. This thesis is about the overlooked story in the Allied struggle against Germany which provides an important window into wartime strategy and diplomacy. This thesis also addresses the struggle the average soldier went through is and how they dealt with their own personal struggles. The research gathered included oral histories, as well as manuscripts, books, after action reports, etc., which give the reader a full understanding of what took place in the Colmar Pocket as the U.S. Army attempted to push the German Army across the Rhine River.

Date of publication

Summer 7-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/612

Committee members

Matthew Stith, Colin Snyder, Mickie Mwanzia Koster

Degree

Master of History

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