By Steven J Zaloga Hitler's last offensive in the West. In the waning days of the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler ordered a second offensive against US and French forces in Alsace. Code named Nordwind (North Wind), the attack was intended to exploit the heavy diversion of Allied forces into Belgium. The New Year's Eve offensive nearly led to the recapture of the provincial capital of Strasbourg, provoking bitter arguments between senior US and French commanders. Following a month of brutal winter fighting, the Allies gradually overcame the German assault force and regained the lost cities and towns of Alsace. Nordwind was the last great operation by the Waffen-SS Panzer divisions in the West and the last time the Wehrmacht took the offensive in that part of Europe.
