Alsace, France

The battle for the Colmar Pocket in Alsace, France, lasted from January 20, 1945, to February 9 of the same year, ending with an allied victory and the liberation of France from German control. The main US force was the 3rd Infantry Division, the same division which held up the Germans outside Paris in WWI (Rock of the Marne) and which my grandfather fought with in Korea. Between May 5 and May 9 I toured this area with a small group of current and retired 3ID soldiers, as well as two decorated veterans who fought there.
I was assigned group photographer, so I have a full record of the trip.
Picture 1 (below): Lt. Col. Timothy Stoy is an Army historian. Here he gives the details of key battles atop Hill #251, site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the region.
Picture 2: We visited an old French monastery in the town of Mullsheim, before being entertained to dinner by the mayor. Captain Monika Stoy (Tim's wife) had me pose in the monestary's museum.
Picture 3: Many of the small towns we visited within the "Colmar Pocket" our two honorable veterans had liberated 65 years earlier. The town mayor of each these held a ceremony commemorating the town's liberation.
Picture 4: The veterans were the highlight of the schoolyear for these kids. The gentlemen told their stories, the kids sang "Alouette" and "Le Chant des Partisans".
Picture 5: One of many plaques we unvieled at various memorial sites.
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