Operation Cowboy

Overview

Operation Cowboy was fought in the town of Hostau, Sudetenland, on 28 April 1945, in the last days of fighting in the European theater of World War II. It is one of two known incidents during the war in which Americans and Germans of the Wehrmacht fought side by side against the Waffen-SS, the other being the Battle of Castle Itter.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Cowboy was conducted at Hostau in the Sudetenland on 28 April 1945, in the final days of the European theater. The operation is historically notable as one of only two known incidents during World War II in which American forces and German Wehrmacht troops fought together against the Waffen-SS, the other being the Battle of Castle Itter. This temporary battlefield alignment between former adversaries, driven by circumstances in the collapsing German state, marks Operation Cowboy as an unusual episode in the end-stage fighting of the war in Europe.

Commanders (8)