Wissembourg Gap
Encyclopedia
The Wissembourg Gap is a corridor of open terrain approximately six kilometers (3.7 miles) wide that is situated between the hills of the Palatinate Forest and the Bienwald
on the Franco-German border. The gap is dominated by the town of Wissembourg
, Alsace
, France
. The average altitude of the land in the corridor rises from 150 meters by the Bienwald to 250 meters by the Palatinate Forest.
Because of the Wissembourg Gap's position on the Franco-German border, it was a strategic terrain corridor for invading forces during the Franco-Prussian War
(Battle of Wissembourg, 1870) and during World War II
(Operations Nordwind
and Undertone
in 1945).
Bienwald
The Bienwald is a large forested area in the southern Pfalz region of Germany near the towns of Kandel and Wörth am Rhein. The western edge defines the eastern extent of the Wissembourg Gap, a corridor of open terrain between the Bienwald and the hills of the Pfälzer Wald. In the northwest, the...
on the Franco-German border. The gap is dominated by the town of Wissembourg
Wissembourg
Wissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The average altitude of the land in the corridor rises from 150 meters by the Bienwald to 250 meters by the Palatinate Forest.
Because of the Wissembourg Gap's position on the Franco-German border, it was a strategic terrain corridor for invading forces during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
(Battle of Wissembourg, 1870) and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(Operations Nordwind
Operation Nordwind
Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
and Undertone
Operation Undertone
Operation Undertone was a large assault by the U.S. 7th and French 1st Armies as part of the Allied invasion of Germany in March 1945 during World War II. Opposing commanders were U.S. General Jacob L. Devers, commanding U.S. 6th Army Group and German SS General Paul Hausser, commanding German Army...
in 1945).
See also
- La tête de pont de l’armée française au-delà du Rhin., historical report of a french army action during march 1945 on the ECPAD site (Etablissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense), seen on 25 march 2011.