Alzette Valley Offensive | |||||||
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Part of World War II | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Allies | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
George S. Patton | Gerd von Rundstedt | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
US Third Army | German 50th Division | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
no reliable estimates | no reliable estimates | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
no reliable estimates | no reliable estimates |
The Alzette Valley Offensive was one of the engagements of the Battle of the Bulge that occured in December 1944. The Allies defeated the Axis at the Battle of Ettelbruck on December 25, and the offensive ended.
Battle[]
German Commander in the West, Gerd von Rundstedt, ordered an offensive in Luxembourg to take over the country during the Winter Offensive of 1944-1945. The Wehrmacht troops pushed deep into the country, taking over Ettelbruck on December 16 and Luxembourg City shortly afterwards. The Axis troops halted there, as the US Third Army fought the Germans along the front line. The American 80th Infantry Division recaptured Ettelbruck after very heavy fighting, and the German offensive ended there. The Allies defeated the German 50th Infantry Division, killing most of them in the firefighting.