Jun 18, 1988 the battle of the hurtgen forest would take place in summer and fall of 1944 and the battle of the bulge that started on my birthday ten yrs. Flowing north and east to the rhine river, the roer marks the southern and eastern boundaries of the hurtgen. The battle of hurtgen forest was one of the longest battles fought in wwii, lasting from september 1944 until february 1945 at a cost of some 33,000 american lives and about 28,000 german ones. Books similar to the battle of hurtgen forest the battle of hurtgen forest. The battle of hurtgen forest was the longest battle on german ground during world war ii, and is the longest single battle the u. Indeed, the murderous ww ii clash in which nearly 30,000 american gis were killed or wounded is remembered mainly if at all for the monitory execution of pvt. Major general cota and the battle of the huertgen forest. Despite this, the battle is not among the famous ones of world war ii. Battle of hurtgen forestwe were told by courtney hodges we were to push into the forest to seige the city of aachen. Interviews, 28th division, hurtgen forest campaign 1944. Germeterhurtgen road but could never secure the high ground south of the village.
Taking a walk through local trails is a worthwhile event. Stretched further and further from the channel ports and the origins of their fragile supply lines, front line units found the stream of logistical support. Yet the battle of hurtgen forest is largely forgotten. The 9th division was given the task of clearing the northern section of the hurtgen forest to prevent its use by the enemy as a. Laying on the germanbelgian border, just east of the roer river, the forest was about 50 square miles. Between october 1944 through february 1945, over 33,000 us soldiers were killed in the dense fir forest filled with minefields and fortifications. It also lasted several months in a wooded area and inflicted heavy.
Schlacht im hurtgenwald was a series of fierce battles. Battle of hurtgen forest is name given to series of battles fought in the hurtgen forest, afterwards known to both americans and germans simply as the hurtgenwald. General courtney hodges wanted to close to the rhine river, and to do that required driving nazi forces out of the hurtgen forest. Schlacht im hurtgenwald was a series of fierce battles fought from 19 september to 16 december 1944, between american and german forces on the western front during world war ii, in the hurtgen forest, a 140 km 2 54 sq mi area about 5 km 3. Battle of hurtgen forest by charles whiting, hardcover. The american commanders at hurtgen, hodges and collins, were veterans of the meuseargonne offensive of 1918. A hungarian delegation arrives in moscow to negotiate an armistice with the ussr oct 2, 1944. Battle of hurtgen forest, revisited military times. Battle of the bulge hurtgen forest recollections 1 of 2. The battle was so costly that it has been described as an allied defeat of the first magnitude, with specific credit personally assigned to nazi.
Please go check it out here i really hope you like it comment down. The first american unit involved in the hurtgen forest battle was the 9th infantry division. The hurtgen forest lay astride the belgiangerman border, just south of aachen and duren. Battle of the hurtgen forest forgotten meat grinder. Army a battle that was ignored for so long, a battle that should never have been fought. Excellent information on the battle of hurtgen forest in 1944. Dear player if you like ww2 or the mod call to battle mod you might like this too. Dec 29, 2009 the battle of hurtgen forest for the allied forces, the battle of hurtgen forest was the longest and one of the bloodiest, most pointless battles of world war ii. The big red one and 9th infantry divisions had to depend almost entirely on replacements after hurtgen, and the 4th and 8th infantry divisions also had. The battle for the hurtgen forest there are stories that may need a half century or more to age before being told, giving memories and bitterness a chance to fade and giving those involved, time to have passed into history.
Flanking the key german city of aachen, the forest was one of the formidable natural barriers interspersed with german fortifications in the west wall in september 1944. Dec 03, 2012 battle of hurtgen forest, revisited december 3, 2012 a u. Mar 03, 2016 the view as you commence your journey into hurtgen forest. The forest has returned, and the tree lines are much as they were. The battle of the huertgen forest was first published in 1963. A flourishing resort since the 1500sthe german travelguide publisher karl baedeker had called it the oldest european wateringplace of any importancespa reached its zenith in the 18th century with visits by peter the great and other potentates keen to promenade beneath the elms or. Germeter hurtgen road but could never secure the high ground south of the village. Germans finally succeed in putting down the warsaw uprising by the polish home army. It was the longest battle ever fought by the us army. Battle of the hurtgen forest september 19 december 8, 1944 september, 1944. The 1944 hurtgen forest museum is located in vossenack, in the municipality of hurtgenwald. The american high command was flush with success after the breakout at normandy and the race to germany, and therefore overconfident. Jan 01, 2012 6 thoughts on the battle of hurtgen forest, north rhinewestphalia germany hazel gay on september 22, 2015 at 19.
One of the three battles is schmidt, which was the pivotal village in the hurtgen forest debacle. Hurtgen forest was a grinding battle of attrition similar to the slaughter of ww1s western front. The german armies in france had ceased being organized formations and were streaming back to the reich in willy nilly fashion, hotly pursued by the western allied armies as they dashed through paris and to the borders of germany. The road to the rhine, and beyond to berlin, seemed wide open in the early fall of 1944. Mcdonald was a highly decorated junior officer in wwii and was very aware of the conditions and mindset of leadership values utilized on the european battlefield of those times.
The extensive prewar network of defensive positions the westwall or siegfried line ran through the forest and stood as one of the most significant obstacles between the western allies and the push into the heart of germany. In this video, we go to the hurtgen forest, located on the south east part of the city aachen germany between mid september 1944 and january 1945, a terrible battle raged in this area. Army, european theater headquarters, historical section. The battle for the forest ended abruptly in december, when a sudden german offensive through the ardennes to the south forced the allied armies to fall back, regroup, and start their attack again, this time culminating in the collapse of the nazi regime in may 1945. First army set up its winter headquarters in the belgian town of spa. One month later, the 112th won the presidential unit citation for its heroic defensive stand during the battle of the bulge. As one of the infantry regiments of the 4th division, the 22d infantry spent 18 days in november and early december 1944 in the hurtgen forest. The hurtgen forest was the last obstacle standing between us forces and the rhine river and ruhr. The battle of the huertgen forest began in september 1944 and culminated in midfebruary 1945. Early in the morning of september 14th, 1944, elements of the 9th infantry division, supported by the 746th tank battalion started their advance across the belgian german border at the villages of roetgen and monschau. Air force f16 fighting falcon fighter aircraft assigned to the 18th aggressor squadron takes off from eielson air force base, alaska. By this time virtually the entire area was one of almost complete devastation, reminiscent of the battlefields of the first world war. And the lack of real meaning in the hurtgen forest battles. It will continue through october and november and have its last spasms in december.
It was one of the most fierce and bloody battles of world war ii. Stabilize the situation, heal the injured and prepare for another attack. It is a very detailed look at the fight some great scenario potential here. The site of one of the bloodiest battlegrounds for u. The forest is crisscrossed with deep draws and gorges filled with oldgrowth conifers, dense forest litter and spongy soil. Battle of hurtgen forest west wall whiting, charles on. The 9th division was given the task of clearing the northern section of the hurtgen forest to prevent its use by the enemy as a base from which to counterattack or place fire against the south flank of the 3rd armored as it drove head on against the west wall. During the autumn and winter of 194445, the longest battle of the second world war on german soil took place in the hurtgen forest. The battle of hurtgen forest is very well researched and contains excellent details and descriptions of attacks, battles, battlefield exploits and heroics. In a battle many believed mattered little in the big picture, the 22d suffered 2,773 casualties, or 85% of its normal complement of 3,257 soldiers, to take one village and 6,000 yards of forest. The battle of hurtgen forest, north rhinewestphalia germany.
Excellent information on the battle of hurtgen forest in. Other than his harping on the futility of the battle. This is a lessknown but very impressive battle during the allied 1944autumn offensives in western europe. Nov 10, 2015 the battle of lanzerath ridge how 18 american soldiers stopped the entire 1st ss panzer division duration. The soviet armies never moved to assist the polish. The battle caused numerous casualties on both sides. The nightmare battle of hurtgen forest warfare history. The lines fluctuated so much in the fighting that eventually medics stopped evacuating back and forth us army and german medics simply operated the same field hospitals alongside each other. Despite this, the battle is not among the famous ones of world war.
Operational performance of the us 28th infantry division september. One, it was one of the bloodiest and most disastrous. Army regards the hurtgen forest as one of the most desperate battles it has ever fought. The towns and villages have been reestablished and are today only slightly more built up than they were at the time of the battle. With this battle, the war precipitated by the nazi regime returned to germany. I make maps mainly for the call to battle mod when i have free time. Hells forest is a grandtactical simulation of that enormous campaign. Mission 6 battle of hurtgen forest allied campaign. The battle was so costly that it has been described as an allied defeat of the first magnitude, with specific credit personally assigned to nazi generalfeldmarschall walter.
Hurtgen forest and the end of world war ii free full dw. The costly battle of hurtgen forest seriously weakened hodges first army, with its extended front line unable to resist the german onslaught in the early hours of the battle of the bulge. Soon, those two cannons will be very useful to you. Despite this, ruggles felt compelled to honor lengfelds heroism during the battles 50 th anniversary. The part i liked was the focus on the effect on people, soldiers and civilians.
The battle of hurtgen forest is developing timeline. Battle of huertgen forest the longest battle of the second world war on german soil during the autumn and winter of 194445, the longest battle of the second world war on german soil took place in the huertgen forest. Yet the decision to advance into the thick forest in september 1944 proved to be a fatal mistake. The bottom line is that the 28th was given an impossible mission and disaster would have resulted no matter who was in command. This is the first time ive seen an article about the details of the battle in which my father, leon c. It was the longest battle on german ground during world war ii and is. The 2,240 counters in the game represent almost every formation, at company and battalion levels, which fought in the battle, including us, german, british, and even belgian units.
Laying on the germanbelgian border, just east of the roer river, the forest was about 50 square. It was the longest battle ever fought by the us army, thirty thousand american gis were killed or wounded. My dad served with the 28th division bloody bucket in europe through december 1944. It is better to eliminate them quickly because there is another howitzer at the bottom. Repost looking for info movie recommendations on the battle of the hurtgen forest 05282010 8.
Wilson describes the terrain as a hundredsquaremile forest of extremely steep hills, rough ridges, and. The battle of hurtgen forest took place from 19 september 1944 to 10 february 1945 and holds the dubious honour of being the longest battle on german soil during world war ii and the single longest battle that the american military has ever been engaged in. Hurtgen forest does not rank high in the annals of us military history. Two of its three battalions fled from the battlefield in a complete state of panic. Sneak up on the second cannon and eliminate the crew by using the dense forest 2. Hurtgen forest, was the first german town to be occupied by allied forces. The 82nd airborne division was about to enter the hurtgen forestthe meat grinder that had chewed up so many us army divisions during the previous fall. It was a site of great heroism and futile tragedy, in which the fighting was so deadly that soldiers called it the death factory. By this time virtually the entire area was one of almost complete devastation, reminiscent of the battlefields of. Battle of hurtgen forest september 19 december 8, 1944 september, 1944. The battle of hurtgen forest was fought in an area of heavy forestation, of some 50 square miles in an area that begins about 5 miles south and east of aachen, germany and falls into a triangle outlined by aachen, duren and monschau. It was some of the most brutal fighting of the second world war, a grinding battle in which thousands of american and german lives were lost. Jan 10, 2007 this is part one of my fathers wartime recollections of some of the fiercest fighting of the second world war.
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