The Battle of Hurtgen Forest in September-December 1944 was a clear defeat for the US. It remains the longest single battle in US military history and cost 33,000 US casualties vs. 28,000 Germans for little tactical, operational or strategic gain.

The forest is part of the Western border of Germany with Belgium on the edge of the Eifel region south of Aachen. It is very difficult terrain as it consists of heavily wooded hills with steep slopes and ravines. It was also fortified as part of the West Wall (Siegfried Line) with tank traps and pillboxes. The Germans had prepared the ground to ensure that their artillery was ranged effectively and could be accurately directed by spotters on higher ground.

By September 1944 the Allies were overstretched after an unexpectedly rapid advance from Falaise in Normandy to the German border. In July, before the American break out from the Normandy beach head (operation COBRA) the Allies were 6 days behind where they had planned to be. By the end of the break out they were 11 days ahead of the plan; 99 days after D Day they had reached objectives planned for D+350. Thus in September 1944 they held objectives they hadn't expected to reach until May 1945.

Although this was an excellent performance, Allied logistics couldn't keep up. Deepwater ports had taken a long time to capture as the Germans had defended them strongly, rail lines had not been repaired sufficiently and there was no large depot between Chartres (near Paris) and the German border. The line of communication for the US First Army was thus about 500km long and the US 12^th Army Group as a whole was undersupplied by around 5,000 tonnes per day.

The aim of the Hurtgen offensive was to cross the River Roer (not to be confused with the Ruhr) in order to secure the Allied southern flank ahead of an advance into Germany through the Rhineland. Later in the battle it became clear that dams at the head of the Roer would pose a significant threat to the allied advance if they were breached as they would cause significant floods across the Dutch/German border and these became the primary objective.

Initially the Americans failed to conduct an effective reconnaissance of the area. They were well aware that they were upon the West Wall, but had little understanding of the terrain of the Eifel or the strength of German defensive units. Repeated attacks by the 9^th and 28^th Infantry Divisions throughout September and October were repeatedly beaten back. The Germans had an intimate understanding of the terrain and were able to reorganise quickly to meet American assaults. German artillery was very accurate and the Americans couldn’t call on air support because of weather and the terrain prevented effective use of armour. This was also the first time the Americans had fought in a forest of this kind. Densely packed pine trees meant the environment was dark and damp, visibility was extremely limited and defensive positions were well camouflaged. It also became clear that artillery shells bursting in the trees sent shrapnel hurtling to the ground so lying down, as you would under bombardment in the open, was a really bad idea. Counter-intuitively protection from artillery was best afforded by standing up and hugging a tree. The terrain also made it very easy for units to lose contact with each other and become isolated.

This first phase of the Battle lasted until early November by which time the weather had worsened considerably making the forest even wetter and colder. The second phase was launched by the American 4^th Infantry Division which then handed over to 8^th Division. By this point in the war these were the only Allied land units in action on the German border from Switzerland to the North Sea. They were isolated tactically, operationally and strategically, and became engaged in a brutal slugging match with the German defenders consisting of a series of attacks and counter attacks. These fared no better than previous attacks. Over the course of the Battle the 4^th, 8^th, 9^th and 28^th Infantry Divisions were effectively ruined as fighting units owing to heavy casualties.

The Battle was ended by the German Ardennes Counter Offensive (Battle of the Bulge) in December 1944; part of the reason for the stiff German resistance was to cover preparations for the counter offensive. US front line units had suffered a 25% casualty rate with nothing to show for it. Fighting in the forest was a deeply unpleasant experience, probably comparable only to the British experience of jungle fighting in Burma. US soldiers were not prepared for the terrain, the level of resistance or the strength of the defences. The allies also failed to combine the Hurtgen offensive with action anywhere else on the front line meaning that defence of the Eifel was Germany’s only defensive task after the end of MARKET GARDEN in October 1944.

Ultimately the Eifel region was bypassed by Operation VARSITY, the Allied airbourne crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.

The United States fought a large amount of battles against Germany in conjunction with Allied forces, primarily British. In Africa, the British had been fighting since June 1940 and much of their focus was on Egypt with fighting the Italians. This is important to remember as the first major action by American soldiers against Axis forces occurred with the success of Operation Torch on November 8,1942. Operation Torch was an Allied victory against a largely Vichy French force. The Allies were now established in the Northwestern part of Africa, and in the Middle East, British and Commonwealth forces had been fighting for a couple of years already. Many different battles were fought in the North African campaign as American and British forces pushed eastward following Operation Torch. In December of 1942, the "Run For Tunis" took place which was an allied effort to reach Tunis,Tunisia before Axis reinforcements arrived. Tunisia and Tunis itself were particularly important to the Axis as it was only a days travel by sea from Sicily to bring in reinforcements. Also, since the window for interception was quite small, Allied interruption of the route was ineffective. The Allies ultimately could not get enough troops to the city and the smaller scale attacks they did carry out were repelled by well dug in Axis forces. For a while, Germany and Italy were able to build up forces and fortify their position. The first notable engagement between American and German forces took place at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia beginning February 19,1943. Battle hardened German general Erwin Rommel seeking to push back inexperienced and poorly led Allied Forces, sent his troops to attack through the Kasserine Pass and ultimately won a decisive victory and inflicting heavy casualties on the Allies. The Allies were pushed back and forced to regroup, completely overhaul unit organization, and sack commanders. Kasserine Pass was the first major defeat for the United States in the war so far.

In Europe, American defeats came late in 1944. Following D-Day in June, Allied forces had been making considerable ground in France, essentially securing most of the country by mid September. Fighting was constant across the front as the year progressed. British General Montgomery pressed to General Eisenhower the need to encircle German industry. Eisenhower was reluctant to agree to his plan but in the end agreed to allow the operation to continue. Code named Operation Market Garden, Airborne troops were to be dropped into the Netherlands and Germany to seize control of key bridges to allow armored units to cross. Beginning September 17,1944, the first parts of the battle were successful with the Allies capturing several bridges. As the operation went on longer, the operation spun out of control as the Germans quickly responded with SS Panzer Divisions. The airborne troops that were deployed suffered high casualties as they had limited ammo, food, supplies, and anti tank weapons and were unprepared for an extended engagement like regular army elements.

Beginning at around the same time, the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest was getting underway. As the Allies pushed east they faced the formidable Siegfried line, a series of fortified towns, pillboxes, defensive emplacements, and other sights unwelcoming to Allied troops. In mid September, the goal of American and British commanders was to pin down the Germans and hopefully get a flanking force around the Germans but only as a secondary objective. The Hurtgen Forest was large, and comprised of 50 square miles of wooded land. The first American attacks began on September 19,1944 and the battle raged until mid December of that same year. The Hurtgen Forest proved to significantly hold back the allied advance and inflicted heavy casualties on both sides but more so the Americans. American estimates come in at around 33,000 whereas German casualty numbers are around 28,000. The conclusion of the battle set up the Germans for the 1944 winter offensive which eventually led into the Battle of the Bulge.

In WW2 there were so many different battles, campaigns, and forces involved that there were plenty of victories and losses on each side. Hopefully, I have been able to outline some of the major American/Allied defeats that you would be interested in.

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