The
Battle of Hürtgen Forest is the name given to the series of fierce battles fought between U.S. and German forces during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the Hürtgen Forest, which became the longest battle on German ground during World War II, and the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. The battles took place from 14 September 1944 to 10 February 1945, over barely 50 mi2, east of the Belgian–German border.
The U.S. commanders′ initial goal was to pin down German forces in the area to keep them from reinforcing the front lines further north in the
Battle of AachenThe Battle of Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, which occurred between 2–21 October 1944. By September 1944, the Wehrmacht had been pushed into Germany proper, after being defeated in France by the Western Allies...
, where the Allies were fighting a trench war between a network of fortified towns and villages connected with field fortifications, tank traps and minefields. A secondary objective may have been to
outflankIn military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
the front line. The Americans′ initial objectives were to take Schmidt and clear
MonschauMonschau is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the district Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the Hohes Venn – Eifel Nature Park in the narrow valley of the Rur river.The historic town center...
. In a second phase the Allies wanted to advance to the
Rur RiverThe Rur , — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse...
as part of
Operation QueenOperation Queen was an American operation during World War II at the Western Front at the German Siegfried Line. The operation was aimed against the Rur River, as a staging point for a subsequent thrust over the river to the Rhine into Germany. It was conducted by the 1st and 9th U.S...
.
Generalfeldmarshall Walter ModelOtto Moritz Walter Model was a German general and later field marshal during World War II. He is noted for his defensive battles in the latter half of the war, mostly on the Eastern Front but also in the west, and for his close association with Adolf Hitler and Nazism...
intended to bring the Allied thrust to a standstill. While he interfered less in the day-to-day movements of units than at
ArnhemThe Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
, he still kept himself fully informed on the situation, slowing the Allies′ progress, inflicting heavy casualties and taking full advantage of the fortifications of the Germans called the
Westwall, better known to the Allies as the
Siegfried LineThe original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
.
The Hürtgen Forest cost the U.S. 1st Army at least 33,000 killed and incapacitated, including both combat and noncombat losses; Germans casualties were 28,000. Aachen eventually fell on 22 October, again at high cost to the U.S. 9th Army. The 9th Army′s push to the Rur fared no better, and did not manage to cross the river or wrest control of its dams from the Germans. Hürtgen was so costly that it has been called an Allied "defeat of the first magnitude", with specific credit being assigned to Model.
The Germans fiercely defended the area for two reasons: it served as a staging area for the Ardennes Offensive (what became the
Battle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
) that was already in preparation, and the mountains commanded access to the Schwammenauel Dam at the head of the Rur Lake (Rurstausee) which, if opened, would flood low-lying areas downstream and deny any crossing of the river. The
AlliesThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
only recognized this after several heavy setbacks, and the Germans were able to hold the region until they launched their last-ditch offensive on the Western Front into the
ArdennesThe Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
.
Background
By mid-September 1944, the Allied pursuit of the German army after the landings at Normandy was slowing down because of extended supply lines and German Army rebuilding. The next strategic objective was to move up to the
Rhine River along its entire length and prepare to cross it.
Courtney HodgesGeneral Courtney Hicks Hodges was an American military officer, most prominent for his role in World War II, in which he commanded the First United States Army in Northwest Europe.-Early life and military career:...
′ 1st Army experienced hard resistance pushing through the Aachen Gap and perceived a potential threat from enemy forces using the Hürtgen Forest as a base.
The
U.S. 1st Infantry DivisionThe 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army is the oldest division in the United States Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917...
arrived in early October, joining elements of the
XIX CorpsXIX Corps started as the III Armored Corps at Camp Polk, Louisiana on 20 August 1942 under the command of Major General Willis D. Crittenberger....
and VII Corps, which had encircled
AachenAachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. Although the 1st Infantry Division called for the surrender of the German garrison in the city, German commander
OberstOberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Gerhard WilckColonel Gerhard Wilck was the German commander who defended the German city Aachen in the Battle of Aachen. He surrendered on 22 October 1944 against the orders of Hitler, after a stubborn defence and bitter urban warfare.-References:* Ambrose, S. E. . Citizen soldiers : the U.S...
refused to capitulate until 22 October.
It was also thought necessary to remove the threat posed by the Rur dam. The stored water could be released by the Germans, swamping any forces operating downstream. In the view of the American commanders,
BradleyOmar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, Hodges and
CollinsJoseph "Lightning Joe" Lawton Collins was a General in the United States Army. During World War II, he served in both the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations. His elder brother, James Lawton Collins, was also in the army as a Major General...
, the direct route to the dam was through the forest.
Military historians are no longer convinced by these arguments.
Charles B. MacDonaldThis article refers to Charles B. MacDonald, military historian. For the U.S. golfer, refer to Charles B. Macdonald.Charles B. MacDonald was a former Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army...
—a U.S. Army historian and former company commander who served in the Hürtgen battle—has described it as "a misconceived and basically fruitless battle that should have been avoided."
Geography
The Hürtgen Forest occupies a rugged area between the Rur river and Aachen. The dense conifer forest is broken by few roads, tracks and firebreaks; vehicular movement is restricted. In the autumn and early winter of 1944, the weather was cold and wet and often prevented air support. Ground conditions varied from wet to snow cover.
The German defenders had prepared the area with blockhouses, minefields, barbed wire, and booby-traps, hidden by the snow. Also there were numerous bunkers in the area, mostly belonging to the deep defenses of the Westwall, which were also centers of resistance. The dense forest allowed infiltration and flanking attacks and it was sometimes difficult to establish a front line or to be confident that an area had been cleared of the enemy. The small numbers of routes and clearings had also allowed German machine-gun, mortar and artillery teams to pre-range their weapons and fire accurately. Apart from the bad weather, the dense forest and rough terrain also prevented proper use of the Allied air superiority which had great difficulties in spotting any targets.
The American advantage in numbers (as high as 5:1), armor, mobility, and air support was greatly reduced by weather and terrain. In the forest, relatively small numbers of determined and prepared defenders could be highly effective. As the American divisions took casualties, inexperienced recruits were brought up to the front as replacements.
The impenetrable forest also limited the use of tanks and hid anti-tank teams equipped with
panzerfaustThe Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
s. Improvised rocket launchers were made using rocket tubes from aircraft and spare jeep trailers. Later in the battle, it proved necessary to blast tank routes through the forest. Transport was similarly limited by the lack of routes: at critical times, it proved difficult to reinforce or supply front-line units or to evacuate their wounded. The Germans were hampered by much the same difficulties, of course; their divisions had taken heavy losses on the retreat through France and were hastily filled up with untrained boys, men unfit for service, and old men. Transport was also a problem because of the difficult roads and the lack of trucks and fuel. Most supplies had to be manhandled to the front line. But the German defenders had the advantage in that their commanders and many of their soldiers had been fighting for a few years and had learned the necessary tactics for fighting efficiently in winter and forested areas, whereas the Americans were often well-trained but inexperienced.
The tall forest canopy also favored the defenders. Artillery fire was fused to detonate as
tree burstsAn air burst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target or a delayed armor piercing explosion....
. While defenders were protected from shell fragments (and wooden splinters from the trees) by their dug-in defensive positions, attackers in the open were much more vulnerable. Conversely, U.S. mortar platoons needed clearings in which to work; these were few and dangerous, being pre-ranged by German troops, so mortar support was often unavailable to rifle platoons.
Opposing armies
The Hürtgen Forest lay within the area of
Courtney HodgesGeneral Courtney Hicks Hodges was an American military officer, most prominent for his role in World War II, in which he commanded the First United States Army in Northwest Europe.-Early life and military career:...
′ U.S. 1st Army. Responsibility fluctuated between the V Corps and VII Corps.
At the start, the forest was defended by the German 275th and 353rd Infantry Divisions; understrength but well prepared—5,000 men (1,000 in reserve)—and commanded by
Generalleutnant Hans SchmidtHans Schmidt was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, they had little artillery and no tanks. As the battle progressed, German reinforcements were added. American expectations that these troops were weak and ready to withdraw were not matched by events.
U.S. divisions
- 1st Infantry Division
- 4th Infantry Division
- 8th Infantry Division
- 9th Infantry Division
- 17th Airborne Division
- 28th Infantry Division
- 78th Infantry Division
- 82nd Airborne Division
- 83rd Infantry Division
- 104th Infantry Division
- 3rd Armored Division
- 5th Armored Division
- 7th Armored Division
- 366th Fighter Group
The 366th Fighter Wing is a Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho...
- 2nd Ranger Battalion
German divisions
- 85th Infantry Division
The 85th Infantry Division, designated 85. Infantriedivision in German, was a Wehrmacht division used in the Second World War.- History :...
- 89th Infantry Division
- 275th Infantry Division
- 344th Infantry Division
- 347th Infantry Division
- 353rd Infantry Division
- 3rd Parachute Division
- 3rd Panzergrenadier Division
- 116th Panzer Division
The 116th Panzer Division, also known as the "Greyhound 'Windhund' Division", was a German panzer division that saw combat during World War II. It was reconstituted in the Rhineland and Westphalia areas of western Germany in March 1944 from the remnants of the 16th Panzergrenadier Division, and...
- 12th Volksgrenadier Division
- 47th Volksgrenadier Division
The 47th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the Heer during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945....
- 246th Volksgrenadier Division
The 246th Infantry Division was a Third Wave division of the Wehrmacht formed in Trier and initially stationed on the Saar Line, later in South-western France from August 1941 until January 1942....
- 272nd Volksgrenadier Division
The 272nd Volksgrenadier Division , was a German Army volksgrenadier division formed following the defeats of the Normandy Campaign in 1944...
- 326th Volksgrenadier Division
First phase
This phase concentrated on the town of Schmidt, astride an important German supply route, within the southern part of the forest.
The engagement began on 19 September 1944, with a probe by the
U.S. 60th Infantry RegimentThe U.S. 60th Infantry Regiment is a regimental unit in the United States Army. Its 2nd and 3rd Battalion conducts Basic Combat Training.The battalion is a part of a regiment that holds one of the most illustrious battle records in the U.S. Army during the 20th century...
that entered the Hürtgen Forest but was beaten back by the terrain and opposition.
On 5 October, the
U.S. 9th Infantry DivisionThe 9th Infantry Division was created as the 9th Division during World War I, but never deployed overseas. Later, the division was an important unit of the United States Army in World War II and the Vietnam War...
attacked the town of Schmidt using the 60th and 39th Infantry Regiments while the 47th held a defensive position. The Monschau-
DürenDüren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, capital of Düren district. It is located between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.-Roman era:Celts inhabited Düren's area before the Romans. They called their small settlement Durum . After the Celts other Germanic tribes settled this area...
road was quickly cut, but both regiments were slowed by defenses and suffered significant casualties: the 60th′s 2nd battalion was reduced to a third after the first day. The 39th was halted at the Weisser Weh Creek; there were problems with narrow paths, air bursts in trees, and fire breaks which were blocked or enfiladed. Evacuation and supply was difficult or impossible.
The slogging match continued. By 16 October, 3000 yd (2,743.2 m) had been gained at the cost of 4,500 casualties. The
U.S. 28th Infantry DivisionThe 28th Infantry Division is a unit of the Army National Guard and is the oldest division-sized unit in the armed forces of the United States. The division was officially established in 1879 and was later redesignated as the 28th Division in 1917, after the entry of America into the First World War...
—a
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
unit—arrived on 16 October to relieve the battered 9th.
The 28th Division was reinforced with armor, tracked
M29 WeaselThe M29 Weasel was a World War II tracked vehicle, built by Studebaker, designed for operation in snow.-Design and development:The idea for the Weasel came from the work of British inventor Geoffrey Pyke in support of his proposals to attack Axis forces and industrial installations in Norway...
transports and air support. Of its three regiments, one was deployed to protect the northern flank, another to attack Germeter, and the third to capture Schmidt, the main objective. The area had terrible terrain with the
KallKall is a municipality in the district of Euskirchen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, approximatively 20 km south-west of Euskirchen.- References :...
Trail running along a deep river ravine. The terrain was not suited for tanks, despite the need for armor to support the infantry.
The attack by 28th Division started on 2 November; the defenders were expecting it and were ready. The U.S. 109th Infantry Regiment was impeded after 300 yd (274.3 m) by an unexpected minefield, pinned down by mortar and artillery fire and harassed by local
counterattackA counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
s. One mile was gained after two days, after which the 109th dug in and endured casualties. The U.S. 112th Infantry Regiment attacked Vossenack and the neighboring ridge, which were captured on 2 November. The 112th was then halted on the Kall by strong defenses and difficult terrain. The U.S. 110th Infantry Regiment had to clear the woods next to the River Kall, capture Simonskall, and maintain a supply route for the advance on Schmidt; again, these were very difficult tasks due to weather, prepared defenses, determined defenders, and terrain. The weather prevented tactical air support until 5 November.
The 112th captured Schmidt on 3 November, cutting the German supply route to Monschau, but no American supply, reinforcement or evacuation was possible, as the Kall Trail was blocked. A strong German counterattack by tanks of the 116th Panzer Division and infantry from the 89th Infantry Division rapidly expelled the Americans from Schmidt, and they were unable to counterattack. For two days, the 112th remained hard pressed to hold its positions outside Schmidt.
On 6 November, the
U.S. 12th Infantry RegimentThe 12th Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest and most decorated units of the United States Army. The 12th Regiment has fought in seven wars from the Civil War to the Global War on Terrorism and has been awarded four Presidential Unit Citations, five Valorous Unit Awards and the Belgian...
was detached from the U.S. 4th Division and sent to reinforce the 28th Division.
Across the Kall Bridge the troops of the 28th U.S. Infantry Division pushed forward at the beginning of November 1944 to capture the village of Schmidt. After a few days, the so-called
Allerseelenschlacht (All Souls' Day Battle) resulted in a disaster for the Americans. As American troops tried to retreat across this bridge to Vossenack, great parts of the Kall Valley were already cut off by the Germans. A German regimental doctor—
Hauptmann Guenther Stuettgen—managed to negotiate an unofficial ceasefire with the Americans at the Kall Bridge from 7-12 November, in order to attend to the wounded of both sides. The lives of many American soldiers were saved by German paramedics.
At Vossenack, the 112th′s 2nd Battalion disintegrated after constant shelling and fled a German attack. Following the providential arrival of two U.S. armored platoons of tanks and
M10 WolverineThe M10 tank destroyer, formally 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage, M10 was a United States tank destroyer of World War II based on the chassis of the M4 Sherman tank. It was numerically the most important U.S...
tank destroyerA tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
s, supported by those 2nd Battalion men who had held tight, and two companies of 146th Engineers operating as infantry, the Americans held on and the fighting for Schmidt continued until 10 November.
Second phase
The second phase was part of
Operation QueenOperation Queen was an American operation during World War II at the Western Front at the German Siegfried Line. The operation was aimed against the Rur River, as a staging point for a subsequent thrust over the river to the Rhine into Germany. It was conducted by the 1st and 9th U.S...
, the Allied thrust to the
Rur RiverThe Rur , — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse...
. In this phase, the U.S. 4th Division was to clear the northern half of the forest between Schevenhütte and Hürtgen, capture Hürtgen and advance to the Rur south of
DürenDüren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, capital of Düren district. It is located between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.-Roman era:Celts inhabited Düren's area before the Romans. They called their small settlement Durum . After the Celts other Germanic tribes settled this area...
. From 10 November, this would be VII Corps′ responsibility and it was part of the main VII Corps effort to reach the Rur. The 4th Division was now fully committed to the Hürtgen, although its 12th Infantry Regiment was already mauled from its action at Schmidt, leaving just two fully effective regiments to achieve the divisional objectives. U.S. VII Corps was opposed by German forces, mainly from the LXXXI Corps, consisting of three understrength divisions. In the Hürtgen, there was the 275th Infantry Division — 6,500 men with 150 artillery pieces. They were well dug-in and prepared.
The abstract of a U.S. report describes what happened:
The VII (U.S.) Corps, 1st Army attacked 16 November 1944 with 1st Inf Div, 4th Inf Div, 104th Inf Div, and CCR 5th AD to clear Huertgen Forest and the path of 1st Army to the Rur River. After heavy fighting, primarily by the 4th Infantry Division, VII Corps' attack ground to a halt. V Corps was committed on 21 November 1944. Attacking with 8th Inf Div, and CCR 5th AD, the V Corps managed to capture Huertgen after stiff fighting on 28 November 1944.
The attack started on 16 November. The two infantry regiments attacked in parallel columns: the 8th along the northern edge of the forest towards Düren, the 22nd further south in parallel. The open flanks invited infiltration. Similar tactics elsewhere in Hürtgen had "invited disaster".
Attacks by the 8th Infantry Regiment on Rother Weh Creek hit heavy resistance and were repulsed with heavy losses. The 22nd failed to take Raven′s Hedge (
Rabenheck), beaten back by heavy machine-gun and artillery fire along the firebreaks. After three days, there were 300 losses, including officers and
NCOsA non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
.
By 18 November, tanks were deemed essential, so engineers blasted tank routes through the forest. Communications and logistics remained a problem, so the next day the attack paused to allow re-supply and evacuation of the wounded. German reinforcements arrived from 344th and 353rd Infantry Divisions and resistance stiffened further. On 20 November,
Russell J. YorkRussell J. York a native of Waterville, Maine served in World War II in 1944- 1945 as a combat medic assigned to the 4th Engineer Battalion of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. He landed at Utah Beach on D-Day under the command of Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and with the U.S...
—a medic with the
4th Engineer BattalionThe 4th Engineer Battalion is an engineer battalion of the United States Army. It is made up of combat engineers. The unit saw action in the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War...
—earned a
Silver StarThe Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
in the Weisser Weh battle when heavy shelling hampered efforts to install a bridge.
Responsibility was returned to V Corps and, on 21 November,
8th DivisionThe 8th Infantry Division, was an infantry division of the United States Army during the 20th Century. The division served in World War I, World War II, and Operation Desert Storm. Initially activated in January 1918, the unit did not see combat during World War I and returned to the United States...
attacked the Weisser Weh valley, continuing toward Hürtgen. The 121st Infantry Regiment hit heavy defenses immediately. Despite armored support from the 10th Tank Battalion, daily advances were less than 600 yd (548.6 m). Hürtgen was taken on 29 November and the battle continued to Kleinhau, 1 mi (1.6 km) north.
The final action in the Hürtgen Forest was at
MerodeLangerwehe is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km west of Düren. It is a twin city of Exmouth, United Kingdom....
, on the northeastern edge of the forest. Two American companies took the village but they were later destroyed in a German counterattack.
Elements of the 8th and the 28th Infantry Divisions then advanced on Brandenberg. The 28th Division—just like the 9th before it (and the 4th Infantry Division, which would relieve the 28th)—also took heavy casualties during its stay in the Hürtgen Forest. On 14 November, the 2nd Ranger Battalion arrived to relieve elements of the 112th Infantry Regiment. On 6 December, the Rangers moved on Bergstein and subsequently took the strategic position of
Hill 400Hill 400 is the name given by Allied forces during World War II to a high hill located one kilometre east of the village center of Bergstein, Germany . Today this hill is predominantly called by its civil name Burgberg...
from defending troops from 980th Grenadier Regiment of the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division. Shortly thereafter, on 12 December, the towns of Gey and Strass were taken by American Forces.
Military actions at the
Westwall up to 15 December alone brought death, injury, or captivity to over more than 250,000 soldiers from both sides. The 1st and 9th U.S. Army — 57,039 battle casualties (dead, wounded, captured, missing in action); 71,654 non-battle casualties, i.e. accidents, diseases such as
pneumoniaPneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
,
trench footTrench foot is a medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, and cold conditions. It is one of many immersion foot syndromes...
,
frostbiteFrostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
, and traumata. German Armed Forces presumably 12,000 dead, 95,000 captured (documented), and an unknown number of wounded.
Aftermath
On 16 December 1944, German forces began the Ardennes Offensive, more commonly known as the
Battle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. The surprise German offensive caught Allied forces off guard. The Germans attacked with nearly 30 divisions; including the
1st SSThe Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
, 2nd SS, and the
12th SSThe 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
Panzer Divisions. They forced a gigantic bulge in the American lines, but never attained their key goals in the northern sector of their attack. The key to the German advance were
RollbahnA rollbahn is a German word designating a runway. This may be:* A one lane road, for example, in the Second World War it described key routes designated by the German Wehrmacht, for example, the route Moscow-Minsk-Brest A rollbahn is a German word designating a runway. This may be:* A one lane...
s in the north that would take them directly to Antwerp. These routes were never opened.
SSThe Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
-
OberstgruppenführerOberst-Gruppenführer was the highest commissioned SS rank with the exception of Reichsführer-SS, which was a special rank held by Heinrich Himmler...
Sepp DietrichJosef "Sepp" Dietrich was a German SS General. He was one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldiers and commanded formations up to Army level during World War II. Prior to 1929 he was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard but received rapid promotion after his participation in the murder of...
′s 6th Panzer Army been selected to make the main effort. It was entrusted with the offensive′s primary objective, capturing
Antwerp. However, the Germans never came close to their objective, held up by the 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 99th Infantry Divisions who refused to yield ground in the battle for
Elsenborn RidgeThe Elsenborn Ridge is a ridge line east of the town of Elsenborn, Belgium in the Ardennes forest that was the blocking line on the northern shoulder of the Battle of the Bulge. Their area was the main line of advance for Hitler's prized 12th SS Hitlerjugend. Units of V Corps of the First U.S...
. The
1st SS Panzer DivisionThe Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
—spearhead of the 6th Panzer Army—never got more than halfway to the Meuse River.
To the south, the Germans had somewhat more success. They swept over the vastly unprepared 106th Infantry Division, overrunning two of its regiments who surrendered virtually intact, and finally capturing the key road and railroad network in
St. VithThe Battle of St. Vith was part of the Battle of the Bulge which began on December 16, 1944, and represented the right flank in the advance of the German center, 5th Panzer-Armee toward the ultimate objective of Antwerp.The town of St...
. But they didn't get far beyond the village, as the 7th Armored Division and the remaining regiment of the 106th Infantry Divisions—with elements of the 28th Infantry Divisions and the 9th Armored Division—held firm outside that town. They never captured the key town of Bastogne and were forced to bypass it, and although they got within a few miles of the Meuse River, their advance was stopped by the 8th and 104th Infantry Divisions, and the 82nd and
101st Airborne DivisionThe 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
s.
The Ardennes Offensive came to a complete halt in early January when German forces in the northern shoulder of the bulge were blocked by a strong American defence, American engineers destroyed bridges and by a German lack of fuel. In early February, American forces attacked through the Hürtgen Forest for the final time. On 10 February, the Schwammenauel dam was taken by American forces, although the Germans had jammed open the dam′s floodgates a day earlier, flooding the
RurThe Rur , — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse...
Valley and delaying the
U.S. advance to the RhineDuring World War II, Operation Grenade was the plan for the U.S. 9th Army to cross the Roer river in February 1945.On 9 February, the U.S...
for two further weeks, until 23 February, when the flood waters had receded.
Two soldiers of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division were awarded
Medals of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for action in the battle. One was
LTCLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
George Mabry, the second-most highly decorated U.S. soldier of World War II. The other was PFC
Francis X. McGrawFrancis X. McGraw was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II....
, whose medal was awarded posthumously.
Private Edward Donald Slovik—assigned to the 28th Division—chose a court martial rather than fight in the Hürtgen Forest. On 31 January 1945, he became the first American soldier to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.
Casualties
The U.S. Army′s Center of Military History has estimated that 120,000 troops, plus replacements, were committed to Hürtgen; by the end, there had been 23,000 battle casualties plus 9,000 non-battle. Two divisions—the
9thThe 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four brigade combat teams. It is a very technically advanced combat division in the U.S. Army....
and the
4thThe 9th Infantry Division was created as the 9th Division during World War I, but never deployed overseas. Later, the division was an important unit of the United States Army in World War II and the Vietnam War...
—were so badly mauled that they were withdrawn from the line to recuperate.
The battle for Schmidt cost 6,184 U.S. casualties — compared with about 3,000 casualties suffered by the landing forces at
Omaha BeachOmaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
. German casualties were fewer than 3,000.
In the second phase, the U.S. 4th Division had advanced 1.5 mi (2.4 km) by 20 November, having suffered 1,500 battle casualties plus non-battle casualties numbering in the several hundreds due to trench foot, frostbite, and exhaustion. After two weeks, 3 mi (4.8 km) had been gained for 4,053 battle and 2,000 non-battle casualties, bringing the November totals to 170 officers and 4,754 men.
Some units fighting in this operation also fought at Omaha Beach; comparing the two, veterans said the Battle of Hürtgen Forest was a much bloodier fight than Omaha.
Ernest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
—who was there—described the battle as "Passchendaele with tree bursts", an appropriate epitaph.
Erstwhile enemy remembered
There is a stone monument with a bronze plaque at the Hürtgen military cemetery dedicated by veterans of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division to the memory of Friedrich Lengfeld (29 September 1921–12 November 1944), a German lieutenant. Lengfeld died on 12 November 1944, of severe wounds sustained while helping a wounded American soldier out of the "Wild Sow" ("
Wilde Sau") minefield. It is the only such memorial for a German soldier placed by his erstwhile opponents in a German military cemetery.
The memorial sculpture "A Time for Healing"
A memorial sculpture on Kall Bridge recalls that moment of humanity amidst the horrors of war. It was officially dedicated on the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire on the Kall Bridge, November 7, 2004. It was created by Michael Pohlmann, who commented;
"I didn't want to create a monument to heroes, no theatrical representation, no pathos, but wanted to appear more unassumingly with a frugal shape, hewn in stone, dignifying the actual place of the incident. A place perhaps, at which once everything may have started rationally, then however, became more and more irrational and totally out of control until a return to sanity—or was it still emotion?—made a humanitarian encounter come true."
The plaque was created by the sculptor Tilman Schmitten, Eupen. The memorial sculpture and plaque were endowed by the Konejung Foundation: Culture
Historical analysis
Historical discussion revolves around whether the American battle plan made any strategic or tactical sense. One analysis is that U.S. strategy underestimated the strength and determination remaining in the psyche of the German soldier, believing his fighting spirit to have totally collapsed under the stress of the Normandy breakout and the reduction of the
Falaise PocketThe battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
. American commanders in particular misunderstood the impassability of the dense Hürtgen Forest and its effects of reducing artillery accuracy and making air support impracticable. In addition, American forces were concentrated in the village of Schmidt and neither tried to conquer the strategic Rur Dams nor recognized the importance of
Hill 400Hill 400 is the name given by Allied forces during World War II to a high hill located one kilometre east of the village center of Bergstein, Germany . Today this hill is predominantly called by its civil name Burgberg...
until an advanced stage of the battle.
Today tourists can visit a museum in Vossenack, look at a few of the surviving Siegfried Line bunkers, and take a walk along the infamous Kall Trail.
See also
- Battle of Crucifix Hill
The Battle of Crucifix Hill was a World War II battle that took place on 8 October 1944, on Crucifix Hill , next to the village of Haaren in Germany and was a part of the U.S. 1st Division's campaign to seize Aachen, Germany. The Battle of Aachen was part of the Drive to the Siegfried Line. The...
- When Trumpets Fade
When Trumpets Fade is a 1998 war film directed by John Irvin, produced by John Kemeny and written by W.W. Vought. It is based on a true story of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in Autumn of 1944 during World War II...
, a 1998 HBO film which depicts the battle.
External links