Hurtgen Forest 1944 (1)

The first part of a detailed study of one of the longest, and most brutal, tactical operations of World War II. In September 1944, the Allied High Command continued to press eastwards with both the First and Ninth US Armies under Courtney Hodges and William Simpson. The proposed advance by Hodges' US First Army was a thrust through a wooded area known locally as the Hürtgenwald – or Hürtgen Forest – with Simpson's US Ninth Army making a parallel movement. On the opposing side, the German forces under the overall command of Walter Model would do all they could to defend the Reich, but also maintain a staging post for the forthcoming Battle of the Bulge. Fought in brutal terrain – heavily wooded, riven with razor sharp ridgelines and precipitous cliffs, and with a woefully inadequate road network – and in all elements, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest was a grinding and protracted encounter where gains were measured in feet and yards and not miles. Covering 19 September to 15 November 1944, this study explores the first phase of this bloody battle, including the 'Aachen Question' facing the Allies. Featuring stunning artwork, detailed maps and diagrams, and period images, this book provides a gripping narrative of the infamous clash in the Hürtgen Forest, concluding with an assessment of the situation in November 1944, and the preparations for the next phase of operations.