COLMAR POCKET BATTLEFIELD TOUR
Walk the battlefields of Alsace where American and French forces fought through the winter of 1944–45.
From €549
5 Hours
English
Private Tour
The Colmar Pocket was one of the most brutal and often overlooked campaigns of the Western Front. Between November 1944 and February 1945, American and French forces fought through the villages and frozen countryside of Alsace to drive German forces back across the Rhine. The fighting cost almost 59,000 casualties and saw four Medals of Honor awarded.
On this tour we follow the campaign across seven battlefield stops in chronological order, beginning with the Maginot Line at Marckolsheim and the German invasion of 1940, before following the fighting through the Ill River crossing at Sélestat, Kaysersberg, Audie Murphy’s battlefield at Holtzwihr and the fierce fighting around Jebsheim.
Using the landscape, original photographs, maps and first-hand accounts, we reconstruct the battle where it happened and uncover the stories of the soldiers who fought through one of the final campaigns in Western Europe.
Colmar Pocket Battlefield Tour
Battlefield Tour Highlights
Follow the campaign across seven battlefield stops — from the Maginot Line to Jebsheim
Stand where Audie Murphy made his famous one-man stand at Holtzwihr
See the Sherman tank at Kaysersberg and discover the fighting for the Alsatian wine country
Visit the Mill Cross memorial at Jebsheim and explore one of the campaign's fiercest battlefields
Discover a largely forgotten campaign that cost almost 59,000 casualties
Tour Itinerary
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![New Synagogue]()
Maginot Casemate 35/3 — Marckolsheim
You begin in 1940, at a Maginot casemate on the Rhine — where the German invasion first broke into France. Five years later, the war comes back to this same river.
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![River and road bridge at Sélestat, Alsace, where US infantry forced the Ill crossings in December 1944 during the Colmar Pocket.]()
Sélestat — Block by Block
December 1944. Sélestat controls the roads feeding the German 19th Army. American infantry fight block by block, charging tanks through roadblocks under fire to force the river crossings.
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![tone bridge parapet in Alsace pitted with shrapnel and bullet scars from the 1944–45 Colmar Pocket fighting.]()
Kaysersberg — The Sherman at the Gate
An American M4A4 Sherman stands at the town gate, where American and French forces broke into the wine country. You stand at the machine, on the ground its crews crossed.
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![American memorial above Sigolsheim, US flag and unit-insignia walls overlooking the Colmar Pocket battlefield and the Vosges.]()
Sigolsheim — "Bloody Hill"
On Hill 351 — "Bloody Hill" — Able Company is cut off in the village below. Out of ammunition and surrounded, the survivors are captured, then interrogated by Himmler himself.
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![Berlin’s Oldest Jewish Cemetery]()
Bennwihr — The Village That Burned
House by house, the village is destroyed overnight — by dawn, rubble on fire. Here Staff Sergeant Gus Kefurt earns the Medal of Honour, and is killed leading the fight.
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![Audie Murphy's Memorial]()
Holtzwihr — Audie Murphy's Stand
26 January 1945. Audie Murphy climbs onto a burning tank destroyer, alone, and turns its gun on German infantry at ten yards. Wounded, he holds the line — then counterattacks.
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![Inter-Allied Memorial at Jebsheim — red sandstone cross inscribed 'Jebsheim 25–30 Jan 1945', a Colmar Pocket battlefield site.]()
Jebsheim — "The Alsatian Verdun"
The "Alsatian Verdun." Three armies fight street to street through frozen snow as the town changes hands again and again. When the line finally breaks, the road to the Rhine opens.
Planning Your Tour
Pick-up & Meeting Point
This is a private tour, so we arrange the starting point around you. Most guests join us from one of three hubs — Colmar, Strasbourg or Freiburg — and we’ll confirm the most convenient meeting point or pick-up location based on where you’re staying.
We confirm the meeting point, timing and route with you directly, so the day fits around your travel plans rather than a fixed timetable.
What’s Included
Private specialist battlefield guide for the full tour
Transport between all battlefield sites
Hotel pick-up and drop-off where arranged
Original ‘Then & Now’ photographs and maps
Bottled water and snacks
Pricing
Private tour from €549 for up to 4 guests. Larger groups are welcome, with pricing adjusted according to group size and vehicle requirements.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the tour
What to Bring
Sturdy, comfortable shoes — terrain varies (vineyards, riverbanks, hill ground)
Warm, weatherproof clothing — much of the day is spent outdoors
Your questions — no prior knowledge required
Can't Find a Date That Works?
This is a private tour, so we may be able to arrange additional dates by request. Get in touch and let us know when you’ll be in Alsace.
Prefer to contact us directly?
info@onthefront.com
+49 (0)152 0468 9477
(Available on WhatsApp)
Book Your Colmar Pocket Battlefield Tour
Choose your preferred date below to check availability and book your private battlefield tour.
Why Choose Us?
Led personally by Matt Menneke - Your tour is led from start to finish by battlefield historian Matt Menneke, whose expertise has been featured on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.
More than dates and names - Using the battlefield, original photographs, maps and first-hand accounts, Matt reconstructs what happened where you’re standing and brings the experiences of those who fought here into the story.
Specialist battlefield expertise - This isn't a generic sightseeing tour with some WWII history added in. The Colmar Pocket is the focus of the day, giving you the historical context and battlefield detail that are at the heart of On The Front Tours.
A genuinely private experience - The day moves at your pace. Ask questions, spend longer at the places that interest you and explore the history in as much depth as you want - no shared coach, no strangers and no fixed script.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Colmar Pocket was the last major German bridgehead west of the Rhine — a foothold in Alsace held by the German 19th Army from November 1944 until February 1945. Clearing it took some of the most brutal winter fighting on the Western Front, yet it remains one of the war's least-known campaigns.
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Yes, this tour will take you to the location where the Holtzwihr battle was fought. Audie Murphy earned the Medal of Honor at Holtzwihr, in the Colmar Pocket, on 26 January 1945. With his company reduced and German tanks and infantry advancing, the 19-year-old lieutenant climbed onto a burning tank destroyer and used its machine gun to hold off the attack alone, then led a counterattack. The field where he made his stand is a stop on this tour.
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The tour runs around five hours and covers seven battlefield stops in chronological order, from the 1940 Maginot casemate at Marckolsheim to the breaking of the Pocket at Jebsheim.
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We recommend ages 12 and up, with parental judgement. The tour covers the realities of combat and heavy casualties, handled with accuracy rather than sensationalism. As it travels between battlefield sites by vehicle, children need to be comfortable riding seated between stops.
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Free cancellation or rescheduling up to 48 hours before the tour
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Yes — once we know where you're staying. As a private tour, we arrange pick-up around your accommodation across the Colmar, Strasbourg, or Freiburg areas, and confirm the details with you directly when you book.
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Not at all. The tour is designed to be engaging whether you already know the Colmar Pocket in detail or are discovering the campaign for the first time. We explain the wider context as we go, while allowing guests with deeper knowledge to explore particular events, units and locations in greater detail.
Explore the History Before Your Tour
Ready to Explore the Colmar Pocket?
Walk the battlefields of Alsace with a specialist battlefield historian on a private tour built around you.
Explore the Battle of the Colmar Pocket, a brutal winter campaign in Alsace where French and American forces fought to eliminate one of Germany’s last strongholds west of the Rhine.