The Christian Democratic Union struggled in the face of the actions of the German Freedom Front. The party received a severe blow in 1946 when its founder, Konrad Adenauer was killed by a Werewolf attack in Erlangen. The party continued on, but few believed that it would amount to much without Adenauer or Allied support. When the United States withdrew its forces in 1948, most troops were not optimistic about the CDU's long term survival.