Hell Hurtgen Forest
Tuesday September 19, 1944 marks the first day of the Battle of the Hurtgen Forerst (Hürtgenwald). Actually, until that day the area has never been called by this name. The Americans award it first with shudders. Three spearheads form the wave of attack of the Americans. From the village of Lammersdorf in direction of the Paustenbacher hill and Rollesbroich from Zweifall on the one hand through the Gierschbach valley direction Hürtgen and on the other hand by the Gieschbach valley direction Todtenbruch (Raffelsbrand). The edge of the Todtenbruch is reached fast since the bunkers are not occupied in the attack direction. The two other attacks get on, however, only sluggishly. In the direction of the Hürtgen they are completely stopped by September 22 since German counterattacks make reinforcements necessary at Schevenhütte
Between September 22 and 29 the 9. U.S. Division suffers serious losses in the Todtenbruch and remains cut off from their backward communications for three days. Only on October 4, the 9. takes the initiative and tempts to take hill Ochsenkopf. Tanks do not take part in any clashes for known reasons within these days. Only on October 8, tanks manage to make it via the Wehebach valley to the mountain ranges. They do not have great influence on the clashes yet.
The fight for the bunkers now enters a hot phase. The bunkers, already built in the 1930s, do not correspond to the needs of the Landser (German name for a private) in October 1944. They rather resemble mousetraps. Often, only friendly fire on the own bunker helps to escape the danger of the destruction. The Americans also use bulldozers to fill up the firing slits with earth. The end is thus automatic. In the first two October weeks the attacks go on undiminished. The Germans also fetch reinforcements and send the Regiment Wegelein to the support of the 275. Infantry Division. On October 12 at 07.00 Colonel Wegelein starts the attack in the direction of the Weiße Wehen valley but gets stopped by heavy fire of the U.S. Army after short time and falls. With him the Regiment loses 500 men. As a reaction to this attack the U.S. Supreme Command excludes an attack for its part on Vossenack and Schmidt because of the flank threat at the present time.
In the first two weeks of October the attacks carry on regardless. The Germans manage to get reinforcements und send Regiment Wegelein to support the 275. Infantry Division.
Colonel Wegelein attacks on October 12 at 07.00 direction Valley Weiße Wehe but it soon comes to a halt in the artillery barrage of the U. S. Army. Wegelein gets killed in the adssault.
Wuth Wegelein the Regiment counts more than 500 casualties. But as a result of this action the U. S. Supreme Command calls off the attack on Vossenach and Schmidt due to the threat to their flanks.
On October 21, Aachen falls as the first German town and makes reinforcements for the American front in the Hürtgenwald possible. On October 25, the terribly decimated 9. Division is replaced by the 28. Infantry Division of Major General Norman D. Cota. Cota sets up his command post at Rott and puts his mind to his targets Vossenack and Schmidt as well as the Siegfried Line fortifications in the area of Steckenborn. For this reason his division that carries a red bucket as a badge, has been reinforced with a considerable number of assault guns, tanks and sapper units. Schmidt is the main target because it rules like a spider the net of roads along the ridges.
At first the attack time which is planned for October 30 must be postponed because of torrents until November 2, Allerseelen (All Souls Day). Moreover, it has got cold. Temperatures around the freezing point let the mud desert look even more hopeless. The mud concentrates in the foxholes and the GIs who do not have any winter sets yet, experience the worst time of their existence as an infantryman.
