Hatten, Bas-Rhin
Encyclopedia
Hatten is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
, some fifteen kilometres (nine miles) to the south of Wissembourg
.
, the authorities arranged for the town's 1,500 inhabitants to be evacuated to Châteauponsac
in the Limousin
region several hundred kilometres to the west. Evacuees were restricted to one suitcase per person, and so were obliged to leave behind most of their possessions. However, after July 1940
, the village having survived the invasion of France undamaged, the residents were able to return to Hatten, the whole of Alsace
having now reverted to its pre1919
status as a part of Germany.
On December 13, 1944, after four years of occupation, the village was liberated without any fighting by the Americans and the residents looked forward to the resumption of peace.
However, in January 1945 the Germans launched one of their final counter-offensives under the name of Operation North Wind
, with the intention of retaking Strasbourg
. Hatten was on the route of the German columns and this time found itself at the heart of the battle. During the fierce tank battles
between the Germans and the Americans that took place during twelve days in the middle January, 350 of the 365 houses with which the village had started the year were destroyed. Along with 2,500 military deaths, January 1945 cost Hatten 83 civilian deaths.
After the war, the village was rebuilt.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
department in 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...
in north-eastern 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...
, some fifteen kilometres (nine miles) to the south 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...
.
Geography
Positioned at the northern edge of the Forest of Hagenau, the village is on the edge of the Alsace Plain, although the agricultural landscape surrounding this village and its immediate neighbours is one of rolling hills.Second World War
In 1939, Hatten being on the Maginot LineMaginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, the authorities arranged for the town's 1,500 inhabitants to be evacuated to Châteauponsac
Châteauponsac
Châteauponsac , also known locally as Château Lorraine, is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in western France.-Geography:...
in the Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
region several hundred kilometres to the west. Evacuees were restricted to one suitcase per person, and so were obliged to leave behind most of their possessions. However, after July 1940
Révolution nationale
The Révolution nationale was the official ideological name under which the Vichy regime established by Marshal Philippe Pétain in July 1940 presented its program...
, the village having survived the invasion of France undamaged, the residents were able to return to Hatten, the whole of 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...
having now reverted to its pre1919
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
status as a part of Germany.
On December 13, 1944, after four years of occupation, the village was liberated without any fighting by the Americans and the residents looked forward to the resumption of peace.
However, in January 1945 the Germans launched one of their final counter-offensives under the name of Operation North Wind
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:...
, with the intention of retaking Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. Hatten was on the route of the German columns and this time found itself at the heart of the battle. During the fierce tank battles
Tanks in World War II
Tanks played a great role in World War II. Invented by the British in World War I, the tank gradually improved in the inter-war period and also saw rapid changes in the Second World War...
between the Germans and the Americans that took place during twelve days in the middle January, 350 of the 365 houses with which the village had started the year were destroyed. Along with 2,500 military deaths, January 1945 cost Hatten 83 civilian deaths.
After the war, the village was rebuilt.