The Huertgen Forest in the Focus of the World Public:

The 1944 "All Souls' Day Battle" of Vossenack and Huertgen

American troops cross the German border north of Trier on 11 September and hit the Siegfried Line near Aachen on 12 September 1944, taking the first Siegfried Line pillboxes. 96 days after their landing in Normandy, the Allied forces thus occupy a line which, according to their planning, was to be reached no sooner than 330 days after D-Day, that is, on 2 May 1945. This means, among other things, that logistic planning cannot be fulfilled: The supply forces are not able to follow the unexpectedly rapid advance. The Allies' pursuit of the enemy comes to a halt, the advance can be resumed after preparation only. This explains the American troops' "hesitant" -- from the German perspective -- advance in the Aachen and Huertgen Forest sectors in September 1944. The Aachen sector lies in the VII U.S. Corps' area of responsibility.

The 3rd U.S. Armored Division is given the mission to attack south of Aachen. The American troops call this relatively open, armor-favorable terrain the "Stolberg Corridor." Even though this terrain favors the advance of major mechanized forces, the 3rd Armored Division's advance progresses slowly.

On the German side, the LXXIV (74th) Army Corps tries to consolidate and hold to the largest possible degree the front line in the Aachen sector in order to exploit the Siegfried Line and its favorable terrain for defense. The wooded terrain offers the defender the opportunity to reduce the effects of the American air, armor and artillery superiority. From 16 September 1944 on, the 12th German Infantry Division brought up from the east is employed in the counterattack on Aachen. Elements of the 353rd German Infantry Division occupy the Siegfried Lines defenses in the Huertgen Forest, while elements of the 89th Infantry Division transition to defense in the area of Monschau. At this time, the German forces' 239 tanks and self-propelled assault guns are confronted by at least 2,300 enemy tanks, that is, a ten-time American superiority.

FIRST ATTACK ON SCHMIDT: OCTOBER 1944

Having rejected the Allies' air assault operation at Arnheim (Operation Market Garden), the Germans focus their attention on preventing an Allied breakthrough to the Rhine River by reinforcing their front line troops in the Eifel low-mountain region and on securing the deployment area for the Battle of the Bulge which is in the initial planning stage.

The 275th German Infantry Division is opposed by the 9th U.S. Infantry Division, whose mission is to take the plateau around Schmidt to secure the VII U.S. Corps' right flank. Further right flank protection affords the upper course of the Roer River. After the seizure of Schmidt, the German forces putting up a Siegfried Line-backed stubborn defense in the Monschau Corridor are to be attacked from the rear and eliminated.

Following concentrated artillery fire on the entire width and depth of the battlefield, the U.S. infantry battalions launch their attack on 6 October 1944 at 1130 hours. The attacking infantry suffers severe casulties from tree bursts, while the Germans are protected in their field positions. On 7 October 1944, one battalion of the 60th Infantry Regiment loses about 100 men through tree bursts, even though it is not employed on the front line. The fighting in the forest yields very few targets that can be allocated to U.S. artillery and Air Force. As both U.S. infantry regiments have available one avenue of attack only which is interrupted by enemy mines and abatis, neither tanks nor self-propelled guns can support the attacking infantry. Elements of the 39th Infantry Regiment succeed in penetrating into the German positions west of Germeter and eliminating several pillboxes.

The heavy fighting lasts through 16 October 1944 when the units on both sides are so depleted that combat action dies down. The results of this fighting are as follows: the U.S. territorial gains amount to about 1.7 miles, with the terminus being Germeter; Schmidt remains in German hands; the U.S. casualties of about 4,500, the German casualties of about 3,200 men.

At the end of October 1944, responsibility for the Huertgen Forest sector is assigned the V U.S. Corps. On 26 October 1944, the 28th U.S. Infantry Division takes over the sector of the battle-weary 9th U.S. Infantry Division. The Germans have no choice but to leave their 275th Infantry Division -- despite its heavy losses -- in position.

SECOND ATTACK ON SCHMIDT: NOVEMBER 1944

The reinforced 28th U.S. Infantry Division is given the mission to secure the Vosse-nack/Schmidt/Lammersdorf area and to attack the German troops in the Monschau Corridor from the rear. H-hour will be 0900 hours on 2 November 1944, which is All Souls' Day. Therefore, the Germans will later come to refer to this battle as the "All Souls' Day Battle."

Prior to the attack on Schmidt, the front line runs along the Huertgen - Germeter -Rollesbroich road and from Germeter through the Richelskaul Creek close to Raffelsbrand. The ridges around Vossenack, Brandenberg, Huertgen, Kommerscheidt and Schmidt, partly covered with thick forest, are commanding heights. Their seizure requires air and artillery support. The weather and the forests, however, do not allow either air reconnaissance or air support. Artillery units are deployed in the Zweifall/ Roetgen area.

When the 28th Infantry Division enters the sector on 26 October 1944, the troops find themselves in a damp, thick forest -- a forest as it is eternalized in old German fairy tales. In addition, they come across disabled supply vehicles, trees destroyed by grenades, mines forgotten along the poor, dirty roads and trails as well as hundreds of grenade craters.

While various signs indicate an American attack, the Germans know neither its beginning nor its direction.
 
According to the American plan of operations, an artillery barrage is to precede the attack 60 minutes before H-hour. The 112th Infantry Regiment is to take Kommerscheidt, Schmidt and Vossenack; defense of the latter village is to secure the regiment's northern flank. The main direction of attack is to be through the Richelskaul Creek already secured and the Kall Creek toward Kommerscheidt and finally Schmidt. The infantry is to be accompanied by medium tanks and antitank weapons. Prior to the attack, however, own minefields emplaced along the roads east of Germeter have to be cleared.

At 0800 hours on 2 November 1944, American artillery opens the fire. One hour later, the first infantry companies leave their positions in Germeter, protected by tanks.

On 8 November 1944, the American troops break off combat action. Under cover of darkness, the remnants of the 112th Infantry Regiment are extracted: 300 out of formerly 2,200 men. From its effective strength of about 25,000, the 28th Infantry Division loses more than 6,000 men. After the 9th Infantry Division, the 28 Infantry Division is thus the second major American unit worn out in the November 1944 Huertgen Forest battles.

On 16 November 1944, the U.S. First and Ninth Armies launch a large-scale attack on the RUR River between Linnich and the Huertgen Forest, dubbed Operation Queen.

American troops take Huertgen on 28 November, Kleinhau and Grosshau on 29 November, Vossenack on 5 December and Bergstein with the commanding Burgberg Hill on 7 December. With the fall of Gey and Strass on 12 December 1944, the way to Dueren is open.

On 16 December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge begins, causing the fighting in the Huertgen Forest to die down.

After the failure of this last German offensive in the west, the U.S. troops begin to intensify combat action in the Huertgen Forest on 10 January 1945. Schmidt finally falls to American troops on 8 February, the Roer River dams are taken on 9 February 1945. These seizures mark the end of the Huertgen Forest battles.

Übersetzung 2005U-04913:
Dipl.-Übers. Ulf Böhme, TSH/FSHT (Bundeswehr) Aachen, Lützow-Kaserne, Trierer Straße 445 , 52060 Aachen