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Map of Hürtgenwald and vicinity
Battle of Hurtgen Forest ( German : Schlacht im Hürtgenwald ) is name given to series of fierce battles fought between the American s and the German s during World War II in the Hürtgen forest (or Huertgen forest). The battles took place between September 19 , 1944 and February 10 , 1945 , in a strategically insignificant corridor of barely 50 square miles (129 km²) on the Belgian -German border.
The American High Command was flush with success after the breakout at Normandy and hoped they could quickly break through and push further into Germany. Multiple divisions were sent in, only to be wrecked and replaced by still more divisions. Even with armor, air, and artillery support, all advantages held by the Americans were nullified by the forest terrain. Despite smaller numbers, the Germans were able to delay the stronger American force thanks to the difficult terrain and good defensive positions.
It was the perfect battleground for an over-stretched German army. If taken quickly, the Germans could have easily flooded the entire Hürtgen Valley from the surrounding dams, delaying American advances. The Germans were heavily entrenched in the forest and inflicted heavy casualties in the longest single battle the American Army has ever fought in its history. The Germans inflicted well over 24,000 casualties on American forces during the battle. The Americans suffered an additional 9,000 casualties due to fatigue, illness, and friendly fire. Up to 12,000 German lives were also claimed. Despite this, Hürtgenwald is largely forgotten as the Battle of the Bulge , which began shortly afterwards, took its limelight away.
Some of the units fighting in the Hürtgen Forest also fought at Omaha Beach and they said that the Hürtgen was a much bloodier fight than Omaha beach. Ernest Hemingway described the battle as " Passchendaele with tree bursts " which is an appropriate epitaph .There is an ongoing discussion whether the American battle plan made sense; one possibility is that they grossly underestimated the strength remaining in the German military at this point in the war. The Americans concentrated on the village of Schmidt and neither tried to conquer the strategic Roer-Dams nor recognized the importance of Hill 400 until very late in the battle.
Today tourists can visit a museum in Vossenack , look at a few of the many Siegfried Line -bunkers, and take a walk on the famous Kall-Trail.
A multiplayer map based upon this battle was created for the computer games Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive .
The movie When Trumpets Fade ( 1998 ), directed by John Irvin , is set during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and realistically evokes the gritty battle.