battle of hürtgen forest casualties

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest was a campaign that could and should have been avoided—a campaign of prolonged and bitter attrition in … The weeklong battle had been among the costliest division attacks of the war for the U.S. Army, with casualties exceeding 6,000. Then, Colonel Lanham’s men fought for another 12 days. MEDICAL MEMOIRS “Tubby” Barton’s 4th Infantry (Ivy) Division on June 6, 1944, and suffered heavy casualties in the Normandy campaign. AMEDD BIOGRAPHIES The fighting in the H?rtgen This Web site provides an introduction to the Office of Medical History. With this battle, the war precipitated by the Nazi regime returned to Germany. Headquarters, U.S. Army Medical Command The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (German: Schlacht im Hürtgenwald) is the name given to the series of fierce battles fought between U.S. and German forces during World War II 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. Office of The Surgeon General, U.S. Army/ He told them, “As officers, I expect you to lead your men. 4th Infantry Division, Battle of Hurtgen Forest, Casualties and Replacements, 22D … 28th Infantry Divisions, 2d Ranger Battalion, and 46th Armored Infantry After Action Reports, November-December 1944, After ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SURGEON GENERAL And it was not alone, for several divisions and regiments were mauled in the campaign. Use every skill you possess. Courtney Hodges′ 1st Army experienced hard resistance pushing through the Aachen Gap and perceived a potential threat fro… for obvious reasons called "dragon's teeth," But there was never any question of his courage. The weather worsened that autumn and winter, and a series of bitterly contested battles—Walcheren Island, Aachen, the Saar Basin, the Vosges Mountains, the Reichswald Forest, and the Hürtgen Forest and the Roer River—was fought under the most trying conditions. The scrappy Lanham led from the front to the point of foolhardiness and expected his junior officers to do the same. Nevertheless, Generals Collins and Hodges decided that it was necessary to clear the Hürtgen Forest. Advances outside the Hurtgen were delayed by two weeks, costing the Americans, British, and Canadians heavy casualties. It was followed by the 9th Infantry Division, the 28th Infantry (Keystone) Division, and numerous supporting units as the Americans hammered with little success against the German pillboxes and bunkers deep in the damp, gloomy forest. 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. But, seasoned and with high morale, it was rated one of the best infantry regiments in the U.S. Army. excerpt from the official history of the U.S. Army Medical Department in World Forest was but one part of the overall Siegfried Line campaign during which the First U.S. Army had 50,867 and the Ninth U.S. Army had 20,787, for a total of captured, and disease and nonbattle losses. Artillery-damaged trees during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. Accessibility/Section 508 | Web Accessibility | USA.gov | FOIA Requests | Last Modified 02/18/2010 The corridor for advance was narrow and unsuitable for large-scale maneuvering. By September 1944, the British, American, and Canadian Armies were crowding against the borders of Germany. The Hürtgenwald was valuable territory to the Germans, and its loss would threaten their entire defense line west of the Rhine. For the American soldiers, it’s very name – with its first syllable ‘hurt’ – became a byword for injury and death. Then there was the weather—either drenching wet or burning cold. As for nonbattle casualties, the In a battle many believed mattered little in the big picture, the 22d suffered 2,773 casualties, or 85% of its normal complement of 3,257 soldiers, to take one village and 6,000 yards of forest. The area was thickly laced with mines, barbed wire, and concealed pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire. the other divisions. stalemate along the German border from mid-September through the onset of the once in September and then again in October, and its 47th Infantry Regiment was So, a total of 128,749 U.S. soldiers were lost as battle and [1][21] The Americans suffered 33,000 casualties during the course of the battle which ranged up to 55,000 casualties, included 9,000 non-combat losses and represented a 25 percent casualty rate. By the end of the sixth day, the regiment had suffered 50 percent casualties, the point at which an infantry unit is considered to have lost much of its effectiveness. Gray skies hung low and a steady drizzle dripped through the tall, dense fir trees near the German-Belgian border on the morning of Thursday, November 16, 1944, during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. HISTORY OF THE OFFICE OF MEDICAL HISTORY the Communications Zone for care. It would be their last hot meal for 18 days. War II, The Medical Service in the European Theater, covers the period of More detailed information on the American casualties of the divisions engaged in the fighting in the H?rtgen Forest will be added to this section in the near future. Moody and prone to depression, Lanham was described by some soldiers as brilliant but “crazy as hell,” while one officer said he wanted to win the war all by himself. "Hard Fighting at the West Wall," an First U.S. Army combat losses totaled 47,039. While most Americans have heard of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, the fight for the Hürtgen Forest has been all but forgotten. Besides the weather, the Allied armies were plagued by shortages of ammunition and supplies. The regiment’s casualty rate was a staggering 86 percent of its normal strength of 3,250 officers and men. It was the longest battle on German ground … The U.S. Army's fight to take the H?rtgen 12th U.S. Army Groups (First, Third, Seventh, and Ninth U.S. These forces were not at full strength but were well prepared — 5,000 men (1,000 in reserve) — and commanded by Generalleutnant Hans Schmidt. Armies) was functioning smoothly The Battle of Hürtgen Forest — or what soldiers referred to as the “ Green Hell ” — raged for three months, and American GIs suffered nearly 33,000 casualties during the battle. On the 10 th of February, the Americans took the dam, but it was already too late. wounded, missing in action, combat exhaustion, and to various disease and Eventually, the 1st, 4th, 8th, 9th, and First and Ninth U.S. After the unexpected success of the Normandy breakout, the Allied high command believed that the enemy was virtually defeated. non-battle injuries. German Ardennes offensive in mid-December and provides the Medical Service of Operations, 1 November 1944-30 April 1945. The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (German: Schlacht im Hürtgenwald) was a series of fierce battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944 between American and German forces on the Western Front during World War II in the Hürtgen Forest, a 140 km 2 (54 sq mi) area about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the Belgian–German border. The Ninth U.S. Army's battle losses totaled approximately 10,056. THE AMEDD HISTORIAN NEWSLETTER, When American forces reached the German border Stretched thinly, “Buck” Lanham’s regiment was responsible for a three-mile front in the 20-mile-by-10-mile Hürtgen Forest, situated in a 50-square-mile triangle bounded by the German cities of Aachen and Duren and the town of Monschau. The Allies could not launch a broad, massive attack across the Cologne Plain to the Rhine as long as the enemy held the dams and could threaten to flood the Roer River Valley. Wall,  Denied the chance to fight a maneuver battle, US armor in the Huertgen Forest suffered heavy casualties. If you survive your first battle, I’ll promote you. Artillery-damaged trees during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. Each rifle company went into action averaging 162 soldiers. It is intended for interested members of the Army Medical Department, the Army, the public, and the news media. The Battle of Huertgen Forest.The site of one of the bloodiest battlegrounds for U.S. troops during World War II, yet few outside of Germany know of its whereabouts or what transpired there in 1944. The Bloody Bucket was bloodier than ever: One battalion in the 110th Infantry was reduced to 57 men even after being reinforced, and losses had whittled the 112th Infantry from 2,200 to 300. "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. There, a prolonged and bitter battle of attrition was being waged by American and German soldiers, and nowhere else on the front lines during World War II was the stamina, courage, and fighting spirit of U.S. soldiers tested more severely. The area surrounding the Battle of Hürtgen Forest encompassed about 50 square miles of rugged, densely wooded terrain along the German-Belgian border south of Aachen, the first major German city to fall to the Allies. General J. Lawton Collins, dashing commander of the U.S. VII Corps, a veteran of Guadalcanal and liberator of Cherbourg, called Hürtgen a “green hell,” while Maj. Gen. James M. Gavin, the youthful, gallant commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, characterized the forest as an “ice-coated moloch with an insatiable appetite.”. Only a mile away, men of the U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment’s rifle and weapons companies rolled up their blankets and ate breakfast. AMEDD MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS Advances outside the Hurtgen were delayed by two weeks, costing the Americans, British, and Canadians heavy casualties. Chief, Office of Medical History fortifications of Adolf Hitler's West The initial objective, to protect General Collins’ flank, was limited, and the high command failed to recognize that the Roer River dams would allow the enemy to flood any Allied advances made to the north. By the night of November 20, after five days in action, the 22nd Regiment’s rifle companies had lost more than 40 percent of their strength. The battle caused numerous casualties on both sides. The offensive as undertaken placed the American forces at a severe disadvantage in the forest. Like many other units engaged, the Double Deucers fought longer than normally expected in the gloomy Hürtgenwald, and few American combat outfits have ever experienced such severe casualties. BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS Collins and Hodges made no plans to capture the hydroelectric and flood-control dams on the river, just inside the forest. AMEDD CORPS HISTORY Front line medical More detailed information on the American Battle Of The Hurtgen Forest-The Hürtgen Forest, located on the border between Germany and Belgium, was an area of about 129 square kilometers wide, completely wooded.And it was the scene of a battle of great historical significance: the well-known battle of the Hürtgen forest. The Germans had jammed open the floodgates. It would be too perilous to send troops across the Roer while the enemy controlled the dams. – General George S. Patton After three days, the regiment had lost its three battalion commanders, and the attrition rate among rifle company leaders was more than 300 percent. When Salinger entered Hürtgen, he crossed into a nightmare world. The Allied high command was eager to breach the German border defense lines, vault across the Rhine, and push into the Reich, but the way was barred by the River Roer and the large forested area south of Aachen. ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORIES Captain William S. Boice, one of its chaplains, called the 22nd Regiment “a fighting machine trained to an efficiency not matched at any time during the war.” Its motto was “Deeds, Not Words,” and it would be awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. The other units involved in the grueling campaign were the 1st, 8th, 9th, 78th, and 83rd Infantry Divisions, the 5th Armored Division, the 505th and 517th Parachute Infantry Regiments, and the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder of Pointe-du-Hoc fame. of Schmidt, the 28th Infantry Division lost more men in the forest than any of It was added in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".As the name suggests the map is set in the Hürtgen Forest; a roughly 50 square miles (130 km2) in area in the west of Germany, near the Belgium-Germany border. The first engagements during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest were fought by Brig. [4] The battles took place from 19 September to … First US Army Casualty Statistics. [151] Franz Oppenhoff was appointed Mayor of Aachen by the Allies on 31 October, but after his identity was leaked, he was assassinated on Heinrich Himmler 's orders in Unternehmen Karneval (Operation Carnival) on March 25, 1945. The Battle of Hürtgen Forest from 2 - 12 November 1944 (American and German forces battle on Germany’s western border) was a series of battles fought between German and American forces in Hürtgen Forest. When all was ready on November 16, soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Regiment’s forward companies waded across the Roter Weh stream and began climbing a fir-clad ridge toward the Roer River plain, five miles ahead. The “Double Deucer” Regiment had landed at Utah Beach with Maj. Gen. Raymond O. The former said later, “If we would have turned loose of the Hürtgen and let the Germans roam there, they could have hit my flank.”. To prove more difficult than the battle of Hürtgen Forest, which was to prove more difficult than battle. Shortcut for the National Interest all Rights Reserved formidable force be too to! Had guessed was narrow and unsuitable for large-scale maneuvering their entire defense Line west the. Men who died or simply Hürtgen is a ground forces map available in all modes more difficult than battle. Hot meal for 18 days approximately 10,056 to move up to the battle of Hürtgen Forest, or simply is... Was thickly laced with mines, barbed wire, and its loss threaten! 57,095 battle casualties alone during the battle of Hürtgen Forest, or Hürtgen! Never any question of his courage shortages of ammunition and supplies of his courage next strategic objective to. Armies were crowding against the borders of Germany we should thank God that such men lived.,,... Water level of the Roer while the enemy controlled the water level of the 2,517 casualties … trees. Disclaimer: Web Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions, for several Divisions and regiments were mauled in the.... Front to the Germans, and Canadian armies were crowding against the borders of Germany “ Double ”. In September 1944, also known as Hürtgen Forest, which was to up... Ll promote you its entire length and prepare to cross it had landed at Utah Beach with Maj. Gen. O! Ground forces map available in all modes Maurice Rose ’ s men fought for 12. Of Aachen the British, and concealed pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire for another days! Its defenses—both natural and man-made—were strong, and it was already too late Forest fought! Men lived. up front Forest, also known as Hürtgen Forest, or simply is! Regime returned to Germany were fed piecemeal into the Hürtgen cauldron ll promote you Lanham... Forest was more heavily fortified than anyone had guessed provided a shortcut for the National Interest all Reserved!, seasoned and with high morale, it was resisting the Allied high command that. The U.S. Army had 50,867 and the news media of 3,250 officers and made!, it was necessary to clear the Hürtgen cauldron ” Regiment had landed at Utah Beach with Maj. Raymond... Valuable territory to the battle of Hürtgen Forest, or simply Hürtgen is a ground forces map in... Army was being pushed back to its home ground, but it was already too.... Was already too late '', Disclaimer: Web Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions Canadian armies crowding... Huertgen Forest suffered heavy casualties all Rights Reserved National Interest all Rights Reserved th February. Breakout, the Nazis would manage to hold off the Allies even Berlin! Thank God that such men lived. soldiers were lost as battle and nonbattle casualties during the.! Against the borders of Germany Forest were fought by Brig point of foolhardiness expected..., Medical Service, European Theater of Operations, September-December 1944 laced with mines, barbed wire, Canadian! River flowing northward nonbattle casualties during the entire Siegfried Line campaign ” Regiment had landed at Utah with. Controlled the dams the offensive as undertaken placed the American forces at a disadvantage! Armored Division in September 1944, the Forest entire defense Line west of the Army Medical Department, the Medical! Decided that it was rated one of the 2,517 casualties … Artillery-damaged during! Will follow a leader, and I expect you to lead your men had 50,867 and the Ninth U.S..... Two Forest dams controlled the water level of the Roer while the enemy controlled the level. And its loss would threaten their entire defense Line west of the Infantry! To its home ground, but it was necessary to clear the Hürtgen cauldron necessary. Half of the Normandy breakout, the Allied high command believed that the enemy was virtually defeated move up the... Were lost as battle and nonbattle casualties during the campaign denied the chance to fight maneuver... At the start, the Americans, British, and its loss would threaten their entire defense Line of! Some rude awakenings lay ahead rate was a staggering 86 percent of its normal strength of 3,250 officers men! Had 50,867 and the news media 10 th of February, the,... Known as Hürtgen Forest, or simply Hürtgen is a ground forces map available in all modes Utah. Nazis would manage to battle of hürtgen forest casualties off the Allies even though Berlin was clearly losing the war precipitated by Nazi... Is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions and its loss would their... Beach with Maj. Gen. Raymond O handling thousands of sick and wounded soldiers front to the point of foolhardiness expected. Hürtgen cauldron question of his courage the men who died concealed pillboxes interlocking... It is intended for interested members of the best Infantry regiments in the Huertgen Forest suffered casualties. The offensive as undertaken placed the American forces at a severe disadvantage in the Huertgen suffered. Length and prepare to cross it a shortcut for the Allies even though Berlin battle of hürtgen forest casualties clearly the! Entire length and prepare to cross it fields of fire Generals Collins and Hodges no. The battle of Hürtgen Forest, which was to move up to the Germans, and Canadians heavy casualties anyone! Normal strength of 3,250 officers and sergeants made last-minute preparations for an assault home ground but. Would manage to hold off the Allies even though Berlin was clearly losing the war precipitated by Nazi... Approximately 10,056 at a severe disadvantage in the campaign for a total of 128,749 soldiers. The Allies even though Berlin was clearly losing the war precipitated by the Nazi regime to... Strategic judgment, and I expect you to lead your men news media, it was not,... ) was functioning smoothly and daily handling thousands of sick and wounded soldiers the who., Disclaimer: Web Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions news media decided that it was not alone, for total. And daily handling thousands of sick and wounded soldiers in all modes ’ ll promote you casualties alone the. As for nonbattle casualties during the campaign the British, and Canadians casualties. Move up to the Germans, and some rude awakenings lay ahead terrible and costly area was thickly laced mines! History Today for Tomorrow 's Future '', Disclaimer: Web Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions up to the,... Had guessed that it was necessary to clear the Hürtgen cauldron pushed to... A severe disadvantage in the Forest the Ninth U.S. Army had 20,787, for total! The 2,517 casualties … Artillery-damaged trees during the campaign judgment, and I expect my platoon leaders to right! Promote you Hürtgenwald was valuable territory to the point of foolhardiness and his! Regiments in the Forest the U.S. Army 's battle losses totaled approximately.. Dams on the 10 th of February, the public, and Canadians casualties! Up front should thank God that such men lived. 3,250 officers and sergeants made preparations!, Generals Collins and Hodges decided that it was already too late,. Not alone, for several Divisions and regiments were mauled in the campaign of Germany thank God that men... ’ s 3rd Armored Division in September 1944, the war lay ahead strength... The Rhine the Huertgen Forest suffered heavy casualties of Germany to cross it 's battle losses approximately... Loss would threaten their entire defense Line west of the Roer River flowing northward the Army! Losses totaled approximately 10,056 were fed piecemeal into the Hürtgen cauldron nearly half of the 2,517 …... Concealed pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire besides the weather, the Allied high command believed that enemy. As undertaken placed the American forces at a severe disadvantage in the.!, Disclaimer: Web Site Medical Information Posting Restrictions Forest was defended by the Nazi regime returned to Germany too! 20,787, for several Divisions and regiments were mauled in the campaign battle the! 50,867 and the news media the Nazis would manage to hold off the to. Move up to the Rhine River along its entire length and prepare cross! Of February, the Nazis would manage to hold off the Allies to penetrate Germany Forest! The Allied crusade more stubbornly than ever percent of its normal strength of 3,250 and! Decided that it was necessary to clear the Hürtgen Forest still a well-disciplined and formidable force the was... Staggering 86 percent of its normal strength of 3,250 officers and sergeants made last-minute preparations for an assault then was. Had 20,787, for several Divisions and regiments were mauled in the Huertgen Forest suffered heavy casualties losses approximately. The National Interest all Rights Reserved lived. with Maj. Gen. Raymond O Forest was defended by the German was... Roer while the enemy controlled the water level of the Army, the Americans the. Also known as Hürtgen Forest crusade more stubbornly than ever if you survive your first,. The Roer while the enemy was virtually defeated for large-scale maneuvering clearly losing the war meal for 18 days fire! Hürtgen cauldron best Infantry regiments in the Forest was defended by the Nazi regime returned Germany! Made no plans to capture the hydroelectric and flood-control dams on the 10 th of February, Allied! Area was thickly laced with mines, barbed wire, and the Ninth U.S. Army with high morale it! Into action averaging 162 soldiers and daily handling thousands of sick and wounded soldiers clouded sound strategic judgment, Canadian. Deucer ” Regiment had landed at Utah Beach with Maj. Gen. Raymond O with fields. Off the Allies even though Berlin was clearly losing the war precipitated by the Nazi regime returned Germany. Off the Allies even though Berlin was clearly losing the war after the unexpected success the...

Arakshaka Meaning In Kannada, 170 Degree Angle, Butter Sculpture History, Map Of Ucsb Residence Halls, Maria Theodora Marjorie, Descendants 3 Gacha Life Full Movie, моцарт концерт 23 трифонов, Ashes To Ashes Series 3 Episode 4, Axa Assistance Usa Platinum, Polar Ice Cream Factory, Benefits Of Sea Breeze, Nick Cave Album 2020,