Operation Nordwind 1945: Hitler’s last offensive in the West

Osprey Campaign #223

by Steven J. Zaloga, Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Operation Nordwind is one of the lesser known campaigns of World War II (1939-1945), yet one of the more intriguing. Largely overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge further north, Nordwind was the last great operation by the Waffen-SS Panzer divisions in the west, and the last time the Wehrmacht was on the offensive in the West. The campaign also highlights the difficulties of inter-Allied cooperation between the Americans and the French. This campaign has been extensively treated in German and French accounts, but is not well covered in English.

Genres: History, Germany, World War II, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Steven Zaloga is an author and defense analyst known worldwide for his articles and publications on military technology.  He has written over a hundred books on military technology and military history, including “Armored Thunderbolt: The US Army Sherman in World War II”, one of the most highly regarded histories of the Sherman Tank.  His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He was a special correspondent for Jane’s Intelligence Review and is on the executive board of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/producer for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series Firepower.  He holds a BA in history from Union College and an MA in history from Columbia University.

Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Osprey book, a short analysis, in this case, of a battle during World War II. Operation Nordwind was the last German offensive on the Western front. After the Battle of the Bulge began, Patton's troops were moved out of line to head toward Bastogne. Consequently, the American and French troops were spread thinly as they tried to cover Patton's vacated line.

Heavy fighting ensued as the Germans struck the thin line. This book tells the story of the German attack and the eventual retreat by German armed forces.

[Deckmaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know it’s a limited format, but I’d like to have read more about Ostuf. Erwin Bachmann’s feat. If he was an American no doubt his deed would’ve been immortalised in a Hollywood movie, his role being played by some overrated actor.

There are also some typos which are annoying.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid narrative of Germany's last ditch offensive in the west. Fascinating in that I had no idea the German forces were this weak and that their plans were this bad. The battle was over before it was fought, on the strategic scale at least. Best of all the book allows a look into the operation of 6th Army Group, the forgotten heroes of 1944 who had an enviable combat record.

[Bruinrefugee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of a generally neglected corner of the European theater in World War II. Like some in the series it does seem to trade an unnecessary level of detail regarding units participating for perhaps a greater overview. In some ways the detail seems like filler (though some may like it). But as (almost) always, the maps are very good.