From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Battle of the Hurtgen Forest was a fierce battle between the Americanss and the Germans in the Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German Border that began on September 19 1944 It was hoped the Americans could quickly break through and push into Germany, but the forest took away the Americans' main advantage of effective Artillery and Air support. The Germans were heavily entrenched in the Forest and inflicted heavy casualities in the longest battle the American Army has ever fought in its history. The Americans lost well over 25,000 killed and wounded, but it is much forgotten as the Battle of the Bulge took its limelight away.
It was the perfect battleground for an overstretched German army, for an area that had little strategic importance as if taken quickly the Germans could have easily flooded the whole Hurtgen Valley from the surrounding dams.
Interestingly, some of the troops fighting in the Hurtgen Forest also fought at Omaha Beach and they said that the Hurtgen was a much bloodier fight than Omaha beach.
