The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest Part 1: Into the Meat Grinder

The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest is one of the Second World War's great forgotten engagements. A brutal, grinding and attritional affair, fought in one of the deepest, darkest forests of Western Europe, the two month long battle in many ways epitomizes the human tragedy of World War Two. Yet, despite the enormous valor, perseverance and sacrifice displayed by both the United States Army and the Wehrmacht, the Hurtgen Forest is a battle which history has forgotten. Outshone by the technological and logistical masterpiece of Operation Overlord, and the gargantuan engagements on the Eastern Front and the Hitler's dramatic final role of the dice in the Ardennes, the wider Siegfried Line Campaign is, perhaps, a chapter of Second World War military history that most American historians would prefer to forget. A nightmare of pillbox and barbed wire, of MG-42 and Schü-mine, of endless defenses and relentless counterattacks, one that those who fought it thought may never end. But despite its comparative obscurity, the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, and the wider Aachen campaign, are a vital and fascinating chapter of World War Two. In this multi-part series, we examine the battle in detail, from its strategic background, the operational decision making of both sides, the impact of terrain and the influence of force structure, technology and doctrine, in order to understand why this battle became one of the worst meat grinders of the Second World War. 0:00 Germany's French Disaster 14:33 Market Garden and the Logistical Crisis 31:10 Hitler's Miracle 42:14 Germany's Maginot Line; the Westwall 48:24 The Battle of Aachen 1:03:23 The Hurtgenwald 1:11:36 The 9th ID Enters the Forest 1:28:29 Kampfgruppe Wegelein's Counterattack 1:36:49 The American Way of War