Fields of Death - The Battle of Hürtgen Forest E-Book

W.T. Wallenda

• Herausgeber: BoD - Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 321

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Topics presented in bullet points: - Key dates in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest - 275th Infantry Division - Original photos help illustrate - The novel section reflects the events of the time from the perspective of a German sniper and a grenadier. The five months of fighting in the Hürtgen Forest went down in history as one of the longest and bloodiest battles ever fought on German soil. It is also known as the 'Verdun of the Eifel'. It was the biggest defeat in the history of the US Army, but it was also hell on earth for the German defenders. The Hürtgen Forest became a killing field for soldiers on both sides.

Leseprobe

Western Front 1944 - In the fall, American troops meet fierce resistance in the Hürtgen Forest as they advance toward the German Reich.

The world-famous author and Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) was a war correspondent for the US Army in the Hürtgen Forest.

The harshness of the fighting and the cruelty of the war traumatized him so much that he wrote a novel about it.

"This was an area where it was extremely difficult to stay alive, even if you did nothing but be there," the author wrote in Across the River and into the Trees, published in 1950.

Author's private archive: PA-e-001 - Shelling, rocket launchers/artillery

Table of Contents

Preface

Key dates of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest

Period of fighting

Location/Scenery

Defenders

Bandages used

Strength

German losses

Attacker

Bandages used

Strength

US losses

Combat Operations

First Battle

Second Battle - Nicknamed the "Battle of All Souls"

Third Battle - Codename: "Operation Queen"

Note

Dates

275th Infantry Division

Structure and history of the unit

Commander of the division

Deployment of the 275th Infantry Division

War Crimes

Words about the novel part

Fields of Death - The Battle of Hürtgen Forest

Additional information about snipers

Sniper equipment (in addition to standard equipment)

Rifle

Note:

Telescopic sight (ZF)

Sniper badge:

Glossery and Landser-Jargon (Landser-Slang)

Source reference

Preface

After the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, Allied troops advanced at a rapid pace. In September 1944, American units reached the Düren area. At the Siegfried Line, the advance came to a halt due to supply problems. This situation was used by the beleaguered German troops to reorganize.

In the Hürtgen Forest, a wooded area of about 140 square kilometers northeast of the German-Belgian border, they found an ideal defensive terrain with sparse population.

Treeless hills surrounded by dense forest and deep ravines provided natural obstacles. In addition, the Rur dam behind the Hürtgen forest could be opened at any time to flood the Rur valley.

Together with other units, the 275th Infantry Division occupied the Hürtgen Forest and dug in. The US troops met with unexpectedly strong resistance.

In the coldest autumn in decades, the inexperienced American units not only had to contend with battle-hardened Russian veterans, but also fought against the early onset of winter without proper clothing.

In the vast forested areas of the Eifel, every square meter was fought over, and in the villages, every house.

The occupation of villages changed up to 28 times.

The battles in the Hürtgen Forest (Eifel) went down in history as one of the longest and bloodiest battles ever fought on German soil and is also known as the Verdun of the Eifel.

It would be the bitterest and largest defeat American troops had ever suffered.

Author's private archive: PA-05 - Train ride - food at the sliding door. Transfer from Russia to the Western Front

Key dates of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest:

Period of fighting:

October 6, 1944 to February 10, 1945

Location/Scenery:

Hürtgenwald - a sparsely populated wooded plateau of approximately 140 square kilometers, consisting of dense forest growth, treeless hills, and deep valleys.

Geographically, the highly defensible area lies northeast of the German-Belgian border, west of the Rur and its dam, and south of the city of Aachen.

The Westwall, built in the 1930s, was located at the edge of the Hürtgen Forest. This old, partly dilapidated fortification system was part of the defense.

Defenders

German Reich - under the supreme command of Field Marshal Walter Model.

Bandages used:

- 12th Volksgrenadier Division

- 89th Infantry Division

- 272nd Volksgrenadier Division

- 275th Infantry Division

- 344th Infantry Division

- 353rd Infantry Division

- 3rd Parachute Division

- 116th Panzer Division "Greyhound

Strength:

Approximately 75,000 men (although this is only an estimate, as some of the divisions had been "bled dry" and could not be replenished to their original strength).

German losses:

- 16,000 wounded

- 12,000 casualties

Author's private archive: PA-H-106 march to the front

Attacker

United States of America - under the supreme command of General Courtney Hodges.

Bandages used:

- 1st US Infantry Division "Big Red One"

- 4th US Infantry Division "Ivy Division"

- 8th US Infantry Division "Golden Arrow" or "Pathfinder"

- 9th US Infantry Division "Octofoil"

- 28th US Infantry Division "Keystone"

- 78th US Infantry Division "Lightning"

- 83rd US Infantry Division "Thunderbolt"

- 104th US Infantry Division "Timberwolves"

- 82nd US Airborne Division "All American"

- 3rd US Armored Division "Spearhead"

- 5th US Armored Division "Victory"

- 7th US Armored Division "Lucky Seventh"

Strength:

about 120.000 soldiers

US losses:

- 21,000 wounded

- 12,000 casualties

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlacht_im_H%C3%BCrt-genwald

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de

army-6164896_1920

Pixabay Lizenz: https://pixabay.com/de/service/license/

Combat Operations

First Battle

On October 6, 1944, the advancing 9th US Infantry Division clashed with the German 275th Infantry Division.

The terrain made air and heavy armor operations nearly impossible. Grueling positional and trench warfare followed. Artillery shells, mines and booby traps caused heavy casualties. In addition, the use of snipers took a psychological toll on the American fighting spirit. Just ten days into the battle, the 9th US Infantry Division had suffered 4,500 casualties, while the defenders had lost about 3,200 men. As a result, the fighting subsided.

Second Battle - Nicknamed the "Battle of All Souls"

The exhausted and discouraged 9th US Infantry Division was relieved by the 28th US Infantry Division. Supported by engineer, armored, and artillery units, the 28th US Infantry Division attacked the strategic village of Schmidt on Thursday, November 2, 1944 (All Souls' Day).

Meanwhile, the area had been further developed into a "fortress" by the German defenders. In addition to the 275th Infantry Division, the 89th Infantry Division and the 12th Volksgrenadier Division were deployed. The 116th Panzer Division "Greyhound" served as a reserve.

All German units were severely decimated and far from their original strength.

After fierce fighting and heavy casualties, the U.S. troops captured the village of Schmidt on November 3, 1944, and barricaded themselves inside. German artillery fire continued. German snipers in the woods around Schmidt kept the enemy demoralized.

Two days later, the German counterattack, led by the 89th Infantry Division and the 116th Panzer Division, followed. Schmidt was retaken after a fierce battle. The US troops again suffered heavy losses and withdrew in a hurry.

In the following days, the German troops followed up and pushed the Americans back to their starting positions in fierce fighting and extremely bad weather conditions. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, with the 28th US Infantry Division losing about 6,200 men, about twice as many as the Germans.

Third Battle - Codename: "Operation Queen"

Operation Queen was the US Army's final attempt to win the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest on November 16, 1944.

While in Phase 1 the 1st US Infantry Division and the 9th US Infantry Division attacked the German positions in the Hürtgen Forest head-on, in Phase 2 the 4th US Infantry Division fought its way through the northern half of the Hürtgen Forest with the goal of reaching the Rur.

The 275th Infantry Division, now slightly reinforced but still exhausted, was still in its positions in the Hürtgen Forest.

Heavy artillery and machine gun fire pulverized two U.S. regiments right at the start of the fighting, forcing them to retreat. Once again, the fighting was fierce and the resistance tougher than the attackers had expected. Three days later, the fighting was halted for two days to recover the wounded.

While the US troops regrouped during this time, the 344th Infantry Division and the 353rd Infantry Division were sent to the HKL to support the German defenders.

From November 21 to December 12, 1944, the American units were able to make successive territorial gains, eventually advancing to the villages of Straß, Gey, and Brandenberg, against fierce resistance.

The German defenders managed to keep the enemy away from the vital dams of the Rur valley. The area of operations for the Ardennes offensive was also kept clear of the enemy.

This major German attack began on December 16, 1944 and ended with the failure of the offensive on January 21, 1945.

By mid-January, U.S. troops were advancing again in the Hürtgen Forest. The exhausted and damaged German defenders were unable to stop the advance. The village of Schmidt was finally taken by American forces on February 8, 1945.

The battle for the Hürtgen Forest was over.

By opening the Rur dam, the Germans flooded the area around the Rur. This delayed the American advance to the Rhine for two weeks.

Note

Hazardous ordnance, including mines and grenades, are still suspected in the former combat zone.

The remains of soldiers have been found again and again. The last time was in 2008 - two US soldiers from the 28th US Infantry Division.

The museum "Hürtgenwald 1944 and in Peace" in Vossensack commemorates the events of the war. It is run by the Hürtgenwald Historical Society.

Dates

275th Infantry Division

Structure and history of the unit

The unit was reorganized in Western France in November 1943 as the 22nd Division. The backbone was formed by the staff and remnants of the 223rd Infantry Division (Army Group South), which was reduced to battalion strength during the fierce defensive fighting in southern Russia and eventually disbanded.

Initially designated the 352nd Infantry Division (until December 1943), the new unit was eventually renamed the 275th Infantry Division.

Reinforced by the XII. Luftwaffe Fortress Battalion and the XX Luftwaffe Fortress Battalion, the troops were deployed to the Hürtgen Forest, where they were involved in extremely heavy fighting in October 1944.

Again severely weakened, the losses were supplemented by the integration of the remnants of the 344th Infantry Division in December 1944.

The 275th Infantry Division was finally reorganized at Flensburg in January 1945 with the existing staff units and sent to the Eastern Front. It was finally destroyed during the fighting in the Halbe Kessel (Guben area).

Commander of the division

Dec. 1943 - April 1945 Lieutenant General Hans Schmidt

Deployment of the 275th Infantry Division

1944

February – May:

- Brittany

June – July:

- Normandy (Contentin, Falaise, and Mons area)

August:

- All Belgium

September – December:

- Hürtgen Forest

1945

January:

- Reorganization in Flensburg

February - April

- Halbe Kessel (Guben area) - Destruction

War Crimes

While researching this book, I was unable to find any war crimes explicitly attributed to members of the 275th Infantry Division.

It should be noted, however, that the relevant literature shows that during the fierce fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, at times no prisoners were taken by either side.

This raises the suspicion that both German and American soldiers may have killed their captured opponents out of desperation, anger, fear, hatred, or other motives, contrary to the international agreements in force at the time.

However, I have not been able to find a detailed report documenting such acts.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/275._Infanterie-Division_(Wehrmacht)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de

Words about the novel part

Along with other units, the 275th Infantry Division also occupied areas of the Hürtgen Forest, digging in and using the remaining old bunkers of the Westwall for defense.

When the relatively inexperienced US troops attacked in the coldest autumn in decades, they were largely without aircraft support due to the weather.

They met battle-hardened Russian veterans and were engaged in the fiercest fighting ever seen.

In addition to the unexpectedly high resistance, the American units had another problem to contend with. They were not equipped for the early onset of winter and did not have the proper clothing.

In the vast forested areas of the Eifel, every square meter was fought over for months, and every house in the villages.

Artillery fire, booby traps, minefields, numerous machine gun nests and finally German snipers demoralized the attacking US troops. But the German soldiers also experienced hell on earth in the combat zones of the Hürtgen Forest and spoke of apocalyptic battles.

The novel tells the story of one of these snipers, a Russian veteran who has returned to the front, and an assault gun crew.

With the exception of historical figures, all names are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental.

Author's private archive: PA-M-100 anti-tank barrier (Dragon's Teeth)