[WIKI] Battle of Aachen

7/24/2019 [WIKI] Battle of Aachen

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Battle of Aachen

The Battle of Aachen was a major combat action ofWorld War II, fought by American and German forcesin and aroundAachen, Germany, between 221 October1944. The city had been incorporated into theSiegfriedLine, the main defensive network on Germanys westernborder; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and ad-vance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although mostof Aachens civilian population was evacuated before thebattle began, much of the city was destroyed and bothsides suffered heavy losses. It was one of the largest ur-

ban battles fought by U.S. forces in World War II, andthe first city on German soil to be captured by the Allies.The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tena-cious defense significantly disrupted Allied plans for theadvance into Germany.[2]

1 Background

By September 1944, the Western Allies had reached Ger-manys western border,[3] which was protected by theextensiveSiegfried Line.[4] On 17 September, British,American, and Polish forces launched Operation Mar-ket Garden,[5] an ambitious attempt to bypass theSiegfried Line by crossing theLower RhineRiver in theNetherlands.[6] The failure of this operation,[7] and anacute supply problem brought about by the long distancesinvolved in the rapid drive through France,[8] brought anend to the headlong Allied race toward Berlin.[9] Ger-man casualties in France had been high - Field MarshalWalter Modelestimated that his 74 divisions had the ac-tual strength of just 25 [10] - but the Western Allies lo-gistical problems gave the Germans a respite, which theyused to begin rebuilding their strength.[11] In Septem-

ber, the Wehrmachthigh commands reinforcement ofthe Siegfried Line brought total troop strength up toan estimated 230,000 soldiers, including 100,000 freshpersonnel.[12] At the start of the month, the Germans hadhad about 100 tanks in the West;[13] by the end, they hadroughly 500.[11] As men and equipment continued to flowinto the Siegfried Line they were able to establish an av-erage defensive depth of 3.0 miles (4.8 km).[14]

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force(SHAEF), under the command of General Dwight D.Eisenhower, set their sights on the occupation of theRuhr, Germanys industrial heartland.[15] General George

S. Patton'sThird Armywas given the task of occupy-ing the French region ofLorraine,[16][17] while GeneralCourtney Hodges's First Army was ordered to break

through the front near Aachen.[18] Hodges had initiallyhoped to bypass the city itself, believing it to be held onlyby a small garrison, which would presumably surrenderonce isolated.

The ancient, picturesque city of Aachen had little mili-tary value in itself, as it was not a major center of warproduction. Its population of around 165,000 had notbeen subject to heavy bombing by the Allies.[19] It was,however, an important symbol to both the Nazi regimeand the German people; not only was it the first Ger-

man city threatened by an enemy during World War II, itwas also the historic capital ofCharlemagne, founder ofthe First Reich.[20] As such, it was of immense psycho-logical value.[21] The mindset of the citys defenders wasfurther altered by the different attitude the local popula-tion had toward them as they fought on home soil for thefirst time; one German officer commented, Suddenly wewere no longer the Nazis, we were German soldiers.[22]

Aachen and its sector of the front were protected bythe Siegfried Line, consisting of several belts of inter-connected pillboxes, forts, and bunkers protected by ex-tensive minefields, dragons teethanti-tank obstacles,

and barbed wire entanglements.[23] In several areas, Ger-man defenses were over 10 miles (16 km) deep. [24] Itwas, in the words of historian Stephen Ambrose, un-doubtedly the most formidable man-made defense evercontrived.[25] Learning from their experiences on theEastern Front, the Germans ran their main line of re-sistance down the center of towns located in the defen-sive wall, taking advantage of narrow streets to limit themobility of enemy armored vehicles.[26] Despite the lowquality of many of the troops manning them, the fortifica-tions protecting Aachen and the Ruhr were a formidableobstacle to the progress of American forces,[27] who saw

a breakthrough in this sector as crucial, as the terrain be-hind Aachen was generally flat, and therefore highly fa-vorable to the motorized Allied armies.[28]

Fighting around Aachen began as early as the secondweek of September, in a period known to the Germans asthe First Battle of Aachen.[29] At this time, the city wasdefended by the116th Panzer Division, under the com-mand of GeneralGerhard von Schwerin.[30] The proxim-ity of Allied forces had caused the majority of the citysgovernment officials to flee before the evacuation of itscitizens was complete.[31] (For this, Hitler had all Naziofficials who had fled stripped of rank and sent to the

Eastern front as privates.)[32]

Instead of continuing theevacuation, von Schwerin opted to surrender the city toAllied forces;[33] however, on 13 September, before he

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2 2 COMPARISON OF FORCES

Knocked-out German Panzer IV and Tiger I tanks during the

fighting on the Western Front

could deliver a letter of capitulation he had written, vonSchwerin was ordered to launch a counterattack against

American forces penetrating southwest of Aachen, whichhe did, using elements of his panzergrenadierforces.[34]

The German generals attempt to surrender the city wouldsoon become irrelevant, as his letter was never delivered;instead, it fell into the hands of Adolf Hitler, who or-dered the generals immediate arrest. He was replaced byGeneralGerhard Wilck.[35] The United StatesVII Corpscontinued to probe German defenses, despite the resis-tance encountered on 1213 September.[36] Between 1416 September the US1st Infantry Divisioncontinued itsadvance in the face of strong defenses and repeated coun-terattacks, ultimately creating a half-moon arc around thecity.[37] This slow advance came to a halt in late Septem-

ber, due to the supply problem, and the diversion of exist-ing stocks of fuel and ammunition for Operation MarketGarden in the Netherlands.[38]

2 Comparison of forces

2.1 German defenders in Aachen

Field Marshal Modelvisiting the 246th Volksgrenadier Division

in Aachen

The Wehrmacht took advantage of the brief respite onthe front by pulling the1st,2ndand12thSS Panzer Di-

visions, as well as the9thand 116th Panzer Divisions,off the line.[12] In October, responsibility for the Aachensectors defense was given to General Friedrich Kch-ling's LXXXI Corps, which included the 183rd and 246thVolksgrenadierDivisions, as well as the 12thand 49thInfantry Divisions.[39] These forces, along with the at-

tached 506th Tank Battalion and 108th Tank Brigade,numbered roughly 20,000 men and 11 tanks.[40] Kch-ling was also promised a reformed 116th Panzer Divisionand the3rd Panzergrenadier Division, numbering a totalof some 24,000 personnel.[41] The 246th VolksgrenadierDivision replaced the 116th Panzer Division in Aachenproper, the 183rd Volksgrenadier Division and 49th In-fantry Division defended the northern approaches, andthe 12th Infantry Division was positioned to the south. [42]

On 7 October, elements of the1st SS Panzer DivisionLeibstandarte SS Adolf Hitlerwere released to reinforcethe defense of Aachen.[43]

Although reinforcements continued to arrive, LXXXICorps units suffered heavily; the 12th Infantry Divisionhad lost half its combat strength between 1623 Septem-ber, and the 49th and275th Infantry Divisionshad hadto be pulled off the line to recuperate.[44] While Germaninfantry divisions generally had a strength of 15,00017,000 soldiers at the start of World War II, this had grad-ually been reduced to an official (table of organization)size of 12,500, and by November 1944, the average ac-tual strength of aHeerdivision was 8,761 men.[45][46] Inan attempt to cope with the manpower shortages plaguingthe Wehrmacht, theVolksgrenadierdivisions were cre-

ated in 1944. Their average total strength was just over10,000 men per division.[47] Although about 14of thesewere experienced veterans, half were fresh conscripts andconvalescents, while the remainder were transferees fromthe Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.[48] These divisions of-ten received the newest small-arms, but were deficientin artillery and motorization, severely limiting their tac-tical usefulness.[49] In the case of LXXXI Corps, the183rd Volksgrenadier Division, though overstrength by643 men, had only been activated in September, mean-ing that the division had not had time to train as a unit.[50]

The 246th Volksgrenadier Division was in a similar state,many of its personnel having received fewer than ten days

of infantry training.[51][52] All of these deficiencies ofpersonnel were offset somewhat by the inherent strengthof the well-planned, well-constructed fortifications sur-rounding Aachen.[53]

2.2 American forces

The task of taking Aachen fell to General Charles H.Corlett's XIX Corps30th Infantry DivisionandJosephCollins' VII Corps 1st Infantry Division.[39] General Le-land Hobbs 30th Infantry Division would be assisted by

the2nd Armored Division, which would exploit the 30thDivisions penetration of the Siegfried Line, while theirflanks were protected by the29th Infantry Division.[54]
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German grenadiers patrol nearAachen,Germany.

In the south, 1st Infantry Division was supported by the9th Infantry Divisionand the3rd Armored Division.[55]

These divisions had used the brief respite in the fightingduring the last two weeks of September to rest and refit,taking in a large number of replacements.[56] By 1 Octo-ber, over 70% of the men of GeneralClarence Huebner's1st Infantry Division were replacements, and the last twoweeks of September were spent giving these men village-fighting and weapons training.[57] The impending offen-sives plan called for both infantry divisions to avoid streetfighting in Aachen; instead, the two divisions would linkup and encircle the city, assigning a relatively small forceto capture it while the bulk of US forces continued push-ing east.[19]

Although American units were usually able to replenishtheir numbers quickly, the replacements rarely had suf-ficient tactical training. Many junior officers were shorton tactical and leadership abilities.[58] Some tankers wereshipped to Europe without having so much as driven acar before; some tank commanders were forced to teachtheir men how to load and fire their tank guns in the fieldprior to missions.[59] The American replacement system,which focused on quantity over quality, ensured that themajority of fresh troops reaching the front lines were notproperly trained for combat.[60] It was not unusual for halfof a units replacements to become casualties within the

first few days of combat.[61] These tremendous frontlinelosses required ever-more troops to be fed into the fight-ing; for instance, a freshly reinforced battalion of the US28th Infantry Division was immediately thrown into di-rect assaults against Aachen to buttress the depleted US1st Infantry Division during the final stages of the battleon 1821 October.[62]

These forces were supported by the Ninth Air Force,which had pin-pointed 75% of the pillboxes along thefrontlines and planned an opening bombardment includ-ing 360 bombers and 72 fighters; fresh aircraft wouldbe used for a second aerial wave, which included the

use of napalm.[63] With the Germans having few anti-aircraft batteries and severely limited support from theLuftwaffe, Allied dominance of the sky over Aachen was

near total.[64]

3 Battle

Section of the Battle of Aachen

For six days prior to the beginning of the Americanoffensive, Allied heavy artillery targeted German de-fenses around Aachen.[65] Although the heavy bombard-ment forced the German LXXXI Corps to halt all day-light personnel and supply movements, it had little ef-fect on the pillboxes and strongpoints.[64] The openingaerial bombardment on 2 October also caused little dam-age to German defensive positions; the 450 aircraft whichtook part in the first wave failed to register a single di-rect hit on any German pillbox.[66] Their targets had beenlargely obscured by thick smoke from the Allied artillerybarrage.[67] As the aircraft finished their assault, the ar-tillery resumed bombarding the front lines, firing 18,696shells from 372 gun tubes within a couple of hours.[68]

3.1 Advance from the north: 28 October

The 30th Infantry Division began its advance on 2 Oc-tober, using divisional heavy artillery to target Germanpillboxes; even then it took, on average, thirty minutesto capture a single pillbox. The Americans found that ifthey failed to immediately press on to the next pillbox, theGermans were sure to counterattack.[69] Heavy resistancehad not been expected, and one company lost 87 combat-

ants in an hour;[70] another lost 93 out of 120 soldiers to aGerman artillery strike.[71] The attackers were slowly ableto cross theWurm Riverand engage German pillboxes
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4 3 BATTLE

with flamethrowers and explosive charges.[72] By the af-ternoon of 2 October, elements of the 30th Infantry Divi-sion had breached German defenses and reached the townof Palenberg.[73] Here, GIs advanced house-to-house andfought a number of gruesome hand grenade duels. [74]

(PrivateHarold G. Kinerwould be awarded theMedal

of Honorfor throwing himself on a German grenade nearPalenberg, thus saving the lives of two fellow soldiers).[75]

Fighting in the town of Rimburg was equally terrible;American armor had not been able to get across theWurm River, and therefore could not provide fire supportto infantrymen who were attempting to storm a medievalcastle being used as a fort by the Germans. [76] The 30thInfantry Division subdued roughly 50 German pillboxeson the first day of the advance, often having to envelopthe structure and attack from the rear.[77] The divisionseffort was aided by the 29th Infantry Divisions diversion-ary attacks on their flank, leading the Germans to believe

that that was the Americans main attack.[78]

On the nightof 2 October, the German 902nd Assault Gun Battalionwas ordered to launch a counterattack against the 30thInfantry Division, but Allied artillery delayed the start ofthe raid, and ultimately the attempt failed.[79]

Although American armor became available to supportthe advance on 3 October, the attacking forces werebrought to an abrupt halt after a number of Germancounterattacks. [79] The town of Rimburg was taken on thesecond day of the offensive, but fighting through Germandefenses remained slow asM4 Shermantanks and 155-millimeter (6.1 in) artillery guns were brought up to blast

pillboxes atpoint blank range.[80]

Fighting had also be-gun to develop for the town of bach, where Americantanks rushed in to take the town, only to be pinned downby German artillery. Fierce counterattacks followed, withAmerican artillery fire narrowly preventing the Germansfrom retaking it.[81] By the end of the day, the forc-ing of the Wurm River and the creation of a bridgeheadhad cost the 30th Infantry Division around 300 dead andwounded.[82]

Wehrmachtsoldier on the Western Front

German forces continued their counterattacks on bach,

suffering heavy casualties to American artillery and in-fantry fire. Although the inability to retake bach per-suaded German commanders that they had insufficient

forces to properly defend the approaches to Aachen, thecounterattacks did tie down American troops which couldhave otherwise continued the advance.[83] On 4 Octo-ber, the Allied advance was limited, with only the townsof Hoverdor and Beggendorf taken, the Americans hav-ing lost roughly 1,800 soldiers in the past three days of

combat.[84] Better progress was made on 5 October, as the119th Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division capturedMerkstein-Herbach.[85] The following day the Germanslaunched another counterattack against bach, again fail-ing to dislodge the Americans.[86] German armor was un-able to cope with the overwhelming numerical superiorityof the American tanks, and as a last-ditch effort to haltthe advance the Germans began concentrated attacks onAmerican positions with what artillery and aircraft theycould muster.[87] They found themselves severely ham-strung by lack of reserves,[88] although General Koech-ling was able to deploy a Tiger detachment to the town of

Alsdorf in an attempt to plug the American penetrationof Aachens northern defenses.[89]

A counterattack developed on 8 October, composed ofan infantry regiment, the 1st Assault Battalion, a battlegroup of the 108th Panzer Brigade, and some 40 armoredfighting vehicles scavenged from available units.[90] Al-though hindered by American artillery, the left wing ofthe attack managed to cut off an American platoon, whilethe right wing reached a road junction north of the townof Alsdorf.[91] A platoon of Shermans supporting an at-tack on the town of Mariadorf suddenly found them-selves being attacked from the rear, and were able to re-

pel the Germans only after heavy fighting.[92]

Two Ger-manSturmgeschtz IVself-propelled assault guns and asquad of infantry entered Alsdorf, where they were heav-ily counterattacked. Although the two lumbering vehiclessomehow eluded American tanks, they were finally en-gaged by American infantry and forcedback to their start-ing point.[93] With casualties mounting and the Ameri-cans drawing closer, the German high command trans-ferred the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division to Aachen,[94]

followed by theI SS Panzer Corps, which included the116th Panzer Divisionand SS Heavy Panzer Battalion101, an element of the1st SS Panzer Division.[95]

3.2 Advance from the south: 811 October

In the south, the 1st Infantry Division began its of-fensive on 8 October, aiming to capture the town ofVerlautenheide and Hill 231 (dubbed Crucifix Hill)near the town of Ravelsberg.[96] Their attack was pre-ceded by a massive artillery barrage, which helped themseize their objectives quickly.[97] OnCrucifix Hill, Cap-tainBobbie E. Brown, commander of C Company, 18thInfantry, personally silenced three pillboxes with polecharges [98] and, despite being wounded, continued to

lead his men into the attack, earning the Medal ofHonor.[99] By 10 October, the 1st Infantry Division was atits designated position for link-up with the 30th Infantry
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3.3 Link up: 1116 October 5

German motorized infantry in the West, riding in a Sd.Kfz. 251

half-track

Division.[100] This success was met with a German coun-terattack toward Hill 231, which was the scene of an in-

tense firefight; the battle ended with the Germans leavingover 40 dead and 35 prisoners.[101] Despite repeated Ger-man counterattacks slowing its advance, the 1st InfantryDivision was able to capture the high ground surroundingthe city.[102]

On 10 October, General Huebner delivered an ultima-tum to German forces in Aachen, threatening to bomb thecity into submission if the garrison didn't surrender. [103]

The German commander categorically refused.[104] In re-sponse, American artillery began to pound the city on11 October, firing an estimated 5,000 shells, or over 169short tons (153 t) of explosives; it was also subjected to

intense bombardment by American aircraft.[105]

3.3 Link up: 1116 October

American casualties were climbing, both from fre-quent German counterattacks and the cost of storm-ing pillboxes.[106] The Germans had spent the night of10 October turning cellars of houses in the town ofBardenberg into fortified pillboxes; American attackerswere forced to withdraw and instead shell the town intosubmission.[107] On 12 October, the Germans launched amajor counterattack against the American 30th InfantryDivision.[108] It was disrupted by heavy artillery fire andwell-placed anti-tank defenses.[109] At the village of Birk,a three-hour fight broke out between German tanks anda single American Sherman; the Sherman managed toknock out an enemyPanzer IVand force another one towithdraw, but was soon attacked by others.[110] This lonetank was eventually joined by elements of the 2nd Ar-mored Division, and the Germans were driven from thetown.[111] The 30th Infantry Division soon found itself indefensive positions all along its front; nevertheless, it wasordered to continue pushing south for its intended link-

up with the 1st Infantry Division.[112] To accomplish this,two infantry battalions from the 29th Infantry Divisionwere attached to the hard-pressed 30th.[113]

German artilleryman loading a round into an 8.8cm Flak 36 or

37

The same day (12 October), to the south, two Germaninfantry regiments attempted to retake Crucifix Hill fromGIs of the 1stInfantry Division. In fierce fighting the Ger-mans temporarily took control of the hill, but were dis-lodged by the end of the day, with both regiments virtu-ally destroyed.[114] From 1113 October, Allied aircraftbombarded Aachen, selecting targets closest to Americanlines; on 14 October, the 26th Infantry Regiment was or-dered to clear an industrial zone on the edge of Aachenin preparation for the attack on the city itself.[115] On 15October, in an effort to widen the gap between the twoAmerican pincers, the Germans again counterattacked

the 1st Infantry Division; although a number of heavytanks managed to break through American lines, the bulkof the German forces were destroyed by artillery and airsupport.[116] On the next day, the Germans attempted tomount local counterattacks with the 3rd PanzergrenadierDivision, but, after sustaining heavy losses, were forcedto suspend further offensive action.[117]

The 30th Infantry Division, with elements of the 29thInfantry and 2nd Armored divisions, continued its pushsouthwards between 1316 October, in the sector of thevillage of Wrselen; however, even with heavy air sup-port, they were unsuccessful in breaking through Ger-

man defenses and linking up with allied forces to thesouth.[118] The Germans took advantage of the narrowfront to pound advancing attackers with artillery, and
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progress remained slow as German tanks used housesas bunkers to surprise and overwhelm American footsoldiers.[119] General Hobbs, commander of the 30th In-fantry Division, then attempted to outflank the Germandefenses by attacking along another sector with two in-fantry battalions.[120] The attack was a success, allow-

ing the 30th and 1st Infantry Divisions to link up on16 October.[121] The fighting had so far cost the Amer-ican XIX Corps over 400 dead and 2,000 wounded, with72% of those from the 30th Infantry Division.[122] TheGermans had not fared any better, as up to 14 Octoberaround 630 of their soldiers had been killed and 4,400wounded;[123] another 600 were lost in the 3rd Panzer-grenadier Divisions counterattack on the US 1st InfantryDivision on 16 October.[124]

3.4 Fight for the city: 1321 October

German prisoners in Aachen

Needing most of its manpower to stave off German coun-terattacks and secure the area around Aachen, the 1st In-fantry Division was able to earmark only a single reg-iment for the job of taking the city. The task fell tothe 26th Infantry Regiment, which had only two of itsthree battalions on hand.[125] Armed with machine gunsand flamethrowers, the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Battalionswould at first be aided only by a few tanks and a single155-millimeter (6.1 in) howitzer.[126] The city was de-

fended by roughly 5,000 German troops, including con-verted navy, air force and city police personnel. [127] Forthe most part, these soldiers were inexperienced and un-

trained, and were only supported by a handful of tanksand assault guns.[128] However, Aachens defenders couldmake use of the maze of streets which occupied its his-torical center.[122]

The 26th Infantrys initial attack on 13 October provided

important insight on the nature of the fighting; Ameri-can infantry had been ambushed by German defendersusing sewers and cellars, forcing the advancing Ameri-can infantry to clear each opening before continuing downstreets, while Sherman tanks found it impossible to ma-neuver to suppress enemy fire.[129] German civilians werecleared as the 26th Infantry advanced; no Germans wereallowed to remain in the Americans rear.[130] Successin Aachen was measured by the number of houses cap-tured, as the advance proved to be sluggish; in orderto cope with the thick walls of the older buildings inthe city, the 26th Infantry Regiment used howitzers atpoint blank range to destroy German fortifications.[131]

The howitzer created passageways that allowed infantry-men to advance from building to building without hav-ing to enter the citys streets, where they could be pinneddown by enemy fire.[132] Sherman tanks were ambushed,as they entered intersections, by concealed German anti-tank guns.[133] Soon thereafter, American tanks and otherarmored vehicles would advance cautiously, often shoot-ing buildings ahead of the accompanying infantry to clearthem of possible defenders.[134] Pinned on the surfaceby Allied aircraft, German infantrymen would use sew-ers to deploy behind American formations to attack themfrom the rear.[135] German resistance was fierce,[136] as

they launched small counterattacks and used armor to haltAmerican movements.[137]

On 18 October, the 3rd Battalion of the 26th InfantryRegiment prepared to assault the Hotel Quellenhof,which was one of the last areas of resistance in thecity.[138] American tanks andotherguns were firing on thehotel, which was the citys defense headquarters, at pointblank range.[139] That night, 300 soldiers of the 1st SSBattalion were able to reinforce the hotel and defeat sev-eral attacks on the building.[140] A furious German coun-terattack managed to overrun a number of American in-fantry positions outside of the hotel, and temporarily re-

leased pressure on the Quellenhof before being beaten offby concerted American mortar fire.[141]

Two events then aided the final advance. First, to lessenfrontline infantry casualties, it was decided to barrageremaining German strongpoints with155 mm guns.[142]

Secondly, to assist the 1st Infantry Division, a battalionof the 110th Infantry Regiment, US 28th Infantry Di-vision, had been moved up from the V Corps sector on18 October to close a gap between forward 26th InfantryRegiment elements within the city. The defensive mis-sion of this new battalion was changed on 1920 Octoberto closely support the urban assault, participating as the

depleted regiments missing third battalion. On 21 Oc-tober, soldiers of the 26th Infantry Regiment, supportedby the reinforced battalion of the 110th Infantry Regi-
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ment finally conquered central Aachen;[143] that day alsomarked the surrender of the last German garrison, in theHotel Quellenhof, ending the battle for the city.[144]

4 Aftermath

The Battle of Aachen had cost both the Americans andGermans dearly; the former suffered over 5,000 casual-ties, while the latter lost over 5,000 casualties and 5,600taken prisoner.[1] Since 2 October 1944, the 30th InfantryDivision suffered roughly 3,000 men killed and wounded,while the 1st Infantry Division took at least 1,350 casu-alties (150 killed and 1,200 wounded).[138] The Germanslost another 5,100 casualties duringthe fighting in Aachenitself, including 3,473 prisoners.[145] In the process of thebattle, the Wehrmacht lost two complete divisions andhad another eight severely depleted, including three fresh

infantry divisions and a single refitted armored division;this was largely attributed to how they fought, as althoughan equivalent of 20 infantry battalions had been used dur-ing various counterattacks against the 30th Infantry Divi-sion alone, on average each separate attack only involvedtwo infantry regiments.[146] During the conflict, the Ger-mans also developed a respect for the fighting ability ofAmerican forces, noting their capability to fire indiscrim-inately with overwhelming amounts of artillery fire sup-port and armored forces.[147] Both the 30th Infantry and1st Infantry divisions receiveddistinguished unit citationsfor their actions at Aachen.[148]

However, German resistance in Aachen upset Alliedplans to continue their eastward advance.[149] Followingthe end of fighting in Aachen, the Western Allies FirstArmy was tasked with the capture of a series of damsbehind theHrtgen Forest, which could be used by theGermans to flood the valleys which opened the road toBerlin.[150] This would lead to theBattle of Hrtgen For-est, which was to prove more difficult than the Battle ofAachen.[151]

5 Notes

[1] Ambrose (1997), p. 151

[2] Video: Allies Set For Offensive.Universal Newsreel. 1944.Retrieved 21 February 2012.

[3] Ambrose (1997), p. 117

[4] Ambrose (1997), p. 132

[5] Ambrose (1998), p. 238

[6] Ambrose (1997), p. 118119

[7] Ambrose (1998), p. 247

[8] Mansoor (1999), p. 178

[9] Mansoor (1999), p. 179

[10] Cooper (1978), p. 513

[11] McCarthy & Syron (2002), pp. 219220

[12] Yeide (2005), p. 55

[13] Yeide (2005), p. 25

[14] Yeide (2005), pp. 2526

[15] Whitlock (2008), p. 34

[16] Ambrose (1998), p. 249

[17] Ambrose (1997), p. 136

[18] Mansoor (1999), p. 181

[19] Ambrose (1997), p. 146

[20] Whitlock (2008), p. 36; Hitler considered CharlemagnesHoly Roman Empirethe First Reich.

[21] Rule (2003), p. 59

[22] Ambrose (1998), pp. 146147

[23] Whiting (1976), p. 28

[24] Whiting (1976), pp. 2829

[25] Ambrose (1997), p. 144

[26] Ambrose (1997), pp. 144145

[27] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, pp. 163164

[28] Yeide (2005), p. 34

[29] Yeide (2005), p. 35

[30] Whiting (1976), pp. 3334

[31] Whiting (1976), p. 35

[32] Ambrose (1998), p. 147

[33] Whiting (1976), pp. 3537

[34] Whiting (1976), p. 43

[35] Whitlock (2008), p. 37

[36] Hitlers Army, pp. 313314



[39] Rule (2003), p. 60

[40] Whiting (1976), p. 80

[41] Whiting (1976), p. 81

[42] Ferrell (2000), pp. 3132

[43] Ferrell (2000), p. 32, claims it was a panzer corps; Whit-ing (1976), pp. 114115, clarifies that this was the 1stPanzer Battalion of the 1st SS Panzer Division.

[44] Hitlers Army, p. 320

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empirehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Newsreelhttp://www.archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.39141https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_H%C3%BCrtgen_Foresthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_H%C3%BCrtgen_Foresthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurtgen_Foresthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Unit_Citation_(United_States)


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8 5 NOTES

[46] Fighting Power, p. 56




[50] Yeide (2005), p. 59

[51] Yeide (2005), pp. 5960

[52] Yeide (2005), p. 60

[53] Mansoor (1999), p. 182

[54] Hitlers Armyp. 321

[55] Whitlock (2008), pp. 3738

[56] Whiting (1976), pp. 7677

[57] Ambrose (1997), p. 145

[58] Ambrose (1998), p. 260

[59] Ambrose (1998), p. 262

[60] Ambrose (1998), pp. 262263

[61] Ambrose (1998), p. 264

[62] Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An En-cyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from

Battalion through Division, 1939-1946, Stackpole Books(Revised Edition 2006), p. 105; other details of US unitcommitments at Aachen can also be found on pp. 50, 51,and 76 of the same volume.

[63] Whiting (1976), p. 82


[65] Ambrose (1997), p. 147

[66] Rule (2003), pp. 6061

[67] Ambrose (1997), pp. 147148

[68] Ambrose (1997), p. 148

[69] Ambrose (1997), pp. 148149


[71] Whiting (1976), p. 89

[72] Whiting (1976), pp. 8990

[73] Whitlock (2008), p. 39

[74] Whiting (1976), p. 91

[75] Whitlock (2008), pp. 3940

[76] Whiting (1976), pp. 9192

[77] Rule (2003), pp. 6162

[78] Rule (2003), p. 62


[80] Whiting (1976), p. 93

[81] Whitlock (2008), p. 40

[82] Whiting (1976), p. 96


[84] Whiting (1976), p. 98

[85] Yeide (2005), p. 68

[86] Yeide (2005), p. 70

[87] Whiting (1976), pp. 190191

[88] Whiting (1976), pp. 102103

[89] Yeide (2005), p. 71


[91] Yeide (2005), pp. 7172

[92] Yeide (2005), p. 72

[93] Yeide (2005), p. 73

[94] Rule (2003), pp. 6364

[95] Yeide (2005), pp. 7778

[96] Whiting (1976), pp. 106108

[97] Rule (2003), pp. 6263

[98] Whitlock (2008), pp. 4041

[99] Whitlock (2008), p. 41

[100] Ferrell (2000), p. 33

[101] Yeide (2005), p. 76

[102] Yeide (2005), pp. 7677

[103] Whiting (1976), p. 110

[104] Whiting (1976), p. 111

[105] Whiting (1976), pp. 111-112

[106] Whiting (1976), pp. 113114


[108] Yeide (2005), p. 80

[109] Yeide (2005), pp. 8081

[110] Whiting (1976), p. 115

[111] Whiting (1976), pp. 115116

[112] Whiting (1976), pp. 117118

[113] Yeide (2005), p. 81

[114] Yeide (2005), pp. 8182

[115] Yeide (2005), p. 82





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9

[119] Yeide (2005), p. 83

[120] Whiting (1976), pp. 122123

[121] Yeide (2005), p. 87

[122] Yeide (2005), p. 88

[123] Yeide (2005), p. 84

[124] Yeide (2005), pp. 8788

[125] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 164

[126] Whitlock (2008), p. 42


[128] Rule (2003), p. 66

[129] Whiting (1976), pp. 137139

[130] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 167

[131] Rule (2003), pp. 6667

[132] Whitlock (2008), pp. 4243

[133] Whitlock (2008), p. 43


[135] Yeide (2005), p. 93

[136] Yeide (2005), p. 92

[137] 'Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 168

[138] Whitlock (2008), p. 45

[139] Whiting (1976), p. 148

[140] Whiting (197), pp. 149150

[141] Whiting (1976), pp. 151154

[142] Whiting (1976), p. 176

[143] Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An En-cyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from

Battalion through Division, 1939-1946, Stackpole Books(Revised Edition 2006), p. 105

[144] Combed Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 169



[147] Monsoor (1999), pp. 184185

[148] Monsoor (1999), p. 184

[149] Hitlers Armyp. 335

[150] Ambrose (1997), p. 167

[151] Ambrose (1997), pp. 167168

6 References

Spiller, Roger J., ed. (1991). Combined Arms inBattle Since 1939. U.S. Army Command and Gen-eral Staff College Press. OCLC 25629732.

the ed. of Command magazine (1995). HitlersArmy: The Evolution and Structure of German

Forces, 19331945. Conshohocken, PA: CombinedBooks Inc.ISBN 0-938289-55-1.

Ambrose, Stephen E. (1997). Citizen Soldiers: TheU.S. Army From the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge

to the Surrender of Germany. New York City, NewYork: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 0-684-81525-7.

Ambrose, Stephen E. (1998). Victors. New YorkCity, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-

85628-X.

Cooper, Matthew (1978).The German Army 1933-1945. Lanham, Maryland: Scarborough House.ISBN 0-8128-8519-8.

Ferrell, Bruce K. (NovemberDecember 2000).(decade)/nd00/6aachen00.pdf The Battle ofAachen Check |url= scheme (help) (PDF).ARMOR magazine (Fort Knox, Kentucky: USArmy Armor Center).ISSN 0004-2420.

Mansoor, Peter R. (1999). The GI Offensive in Eu-rope: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions,

19411945. Lawrence, Kansas: Kansas UniversityPress. ISBN 0-7006-0958-X.

McCarthy, Peter; Mike Syryon (2002). Panzerkieg:The Rise and Fall of Hitlers Tank Divisions. NewYork City, New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1009-8.

Rule, Richard (April 2003). Bloody Aachen. Mil-itary Heritage (Herndon, Virginia: Sovereign Me-dia)4(5).ISSN 1524-8666.

Stanton, Shelby. World War II Order of Battle: AnEncyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces

from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946. Stack-pole Books.ISBN 978-0-8117-0157-0.

Whiting, Charles (1976).Bloody Aachen.BriarcliffManor, New York: Stein and Day.

Whitlock, Flint (December 2008). Breaking Downthe Door. WWII History (Herndon, Virginia:Sovereign Media)7(7).ISSN 1539-5456.

Yeide, Harry (2005). The Longest Battle: September1944 to February 1945. St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press.ISBN 0-7603-2155-8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7603-2155-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://www.worldcat.org/issn/1539-5456https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briarcliff_Manor,_New_Yorkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briarcliff_Manor,_New_Yorkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8117-0157-0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://www.worldcat.org/issn/1524-8666https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7867-1009-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7867-1009-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7006-0958-Xhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://www.worldcat.org/issn/0004-2420https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARMOR_magazinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#bad_urlhttps://www.knox.army.mil/center/ocoa/armormag/backissues/2000shttps://www.knox.army.mil/center/ocoa/armormag/backissues/2000shttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8128-8519-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-684-85628-Xhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-684-85628-Xhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-684-81525-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-938289-55-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25629732https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLChttp://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Spiller/Spiller.asphttp://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Spiller/Spiller.asp


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10 7 FURTHER READING

7 Further reading

ChaptersXI,XIIandXIII. MacDonald, Charles B.(1990) [1963]. The Siegfried Line Campaign. TheUnited States Army in World War II.United StatesArmy Center of Military History. CMH Pub 7-7-1.

freeaachen44.de: web site about the battle(in Ger-man and in English)

Gabel, Christopher R. Knock 'Em All Down": TheReduction of Aachen, October 1944. Combat Stud-ies Institute, United States Army Command andGeneral Staff College.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Command_and_General_Staff_Collegehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Command_and_General_Staff_Collegehttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2002/MOUTGabel.htmhttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2002/MOUTGabel.htmhttp://www.freeaachen44.de/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Center_of_Military_Historyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Center_of_Military_Historyhttp://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Siegfried/Siegfried%2520Line/siegfried-fm.htmhttp://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Siegfried/Siegfried%2520Line/siegfried-ch13.htmhttp://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Siegfried/Siegfried%2520Line/siegfried-ch12.htmhttp://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Siegfried/Siegfried_Line/siegfried-ch11.htm#ch11


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11

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

Battle of Aachen Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aachen?oldid=691461429 Contributors:Szopen, Scipius, Gsl, Shim-min, Ugen64, PaulinSaudi, DJ Clayworth, Jecar, CW, PBS, Oberiko, Wwoods, Btphelps, Utcursch, Kate, Guanabot, Poldiri, CeeGee, R.S. Shaw, King nothing, Andrew Gray, Hohum, Axeman89, Tiger Khan, Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ), Bellhalla, Rocastelo, Catalan,MauriceJFox3, Toby Douglass, Tswold, Bgwhite, Agamemnon2, Sus scrofa, YurikBot, Kurt Leyman, Kirill Lokshin, Wbfergus, Manxruler,Fnorp, Hawkeye7, Tony1, Deucalionite, BOT-Superzerocool, Resigua, Capt Jim, Tyrenius, robot, SmackBot, DMorpheus, Hmains,Chris the speller, EncMstr, Moshe Constantine Hassan Al-Silverburg, Sadads, Jadger, Dr. Dan, Radagast83, The PIPE, Ohconfucius,Arvand, Nobunaga24, Volker89, Andrwsc, Igge, Civil Engineer III, Az1568, ChrisCork, CmdrObot, Shuuvuia, ShelfSkewed, Cydebot,Crowish, R-41, Q43, Nirvana77, Smith2006, .anacondabot, Dodo19~enwiki, JYeidel, Nidator, Dili, MetsBot, Gomm, BrokenSphere,Akitsumaru, MisterBee1966, Xyl 54, Thismightbezach, TreasuryTag, Philip Trueman, Broadbot, Commuood, AlleborgoBot, Cb77305,Rpm698, Ljpernic, Abraham, B.S., Binksternet, , The Thing That Should Not Be, Foofbun, Wyngideon, Socrates2008, BOTarate,Versus22, Tealwisp, Jim Sweeney, Addbot, Magus732, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Dodgerblue777, LMih, Citation bot, FreeRangeFrog, Xqbot,Wstenfuchs, Brad101AWB, Terrakyte, StoneProphet, Citationbot 1, DrilBot, , Trappist the monk, EmausBot, AvicBot, ZroBot, Demi-urge1000, Frietjes, Alphasinus, Tomseattle, Helpful Pixie Bot, BG19bot, Militaryartist, CitationCleanerBot, ChrisGualtieri, Dexbot, 30SW, Lekoren, Jss199, Artur Andrzej, Sundayclose and Anonymous: 52

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[WIKI] Battle of Aachen

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