Lost my uncle at Vossenack 18 Dec 1944. (Company B, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division.)

Thanks for taking on one of the most ignored battles in U.S Army history. The fact that this battle was one of the,if not the longest battles the U.S. ever fought and so over looked is sad. Online history is better for having you,as you are producing such high end content.

@fazole

4 жыл бұрын

It was like a "Vietnam War" in the middle of the European Theater and that's why it's been ignored for so long.

@kofManKan

4 жыл бұрын

This is one of the most publicised battles in the ETO in WW2 IMO. HBO even id a film on it a while back "When Trumpets Fade".

@jkdm7653

4 жыл бұрын

@@kofManKan I owned the DVD movie, "When Trumpets Fade"...what a movie! Harsh, dark, sobering! Realistic, eh? I recommend it to all WW2 movie fans.

@lostinpa-dadenduro7555

4 жыл бұрын

This was a result of a total failure of the American command who decided to engage in a WWI like attritional battle. Dumb. The GIs paid the price.

@explorer1968

4 жыл бұрын

Always someone from the highest position dictates what's important for himself and cares nothing for the rest and their opinions!

My grandfather served in that theater.. He said in no other terms.." We got our asses kicked daily".. It was numbers and air support that won the war.. We probably lost good people that didn't have a chance.. I'm paraphrasing of course.. Rip all men that fight...

@chaosXP3RT

4 жыл бұрын

You shouldn't discredit how hard your grandfather and America's greatest generation fought

@farqitol

3 жыл бұрын

@@chaosXP3RT having your butt kicked is not an indication of how hard you fought. Eg. Warsaw uprising.

@Kurogumo

2 жыл бұрын

@otto Lincoln Most effective army in history is a stretch considering they lost almost every fair fight they fought from 1943 onwards. And got outsmarted numerous times from then on. Take your wehraboo ass somewhere else.

@walterthecat2145

Жыл бұрын

@@Kurogumo Imagine the 200 divisions on the eastern front there on dday the allies would of got destroyed.

@Kurogumo

Жыл бұрын

@@walterthecat2145 Maybe, but typical German incompetence would turn things around in no time, rest assured.

Wow thank you for this information, I have been investigating since I found out a distant cousin was KIA during this time. S/Sgt. William C. Mumford, Jr. (Company B, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Division) was killed in action on 1 December,1944 near Vossenack, Germany during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest

Thanks man! I just camped out there and hiked all around Hürtgenwald for a day. It was an amazing place to be in

For years I listened to my Father-in-law experiences with the 28th in the Hurtgen before the internet was invented. Your videos, commentary and maps have helped me to really visualize what he was telling me. Thank you for all your research and uploads.

Well researched, nice graphics and relevant photos and footage, very good indeed, many thanks for sharing.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it!

@rudolfkraffzick642

4 жыл бұрын

East of Aachen is not the Ruhr River, but the Rur River. The Ruhr R. is east of the Rhine River, the Rur is a tributary of the Maas River,flowing northwest.

Thank God your back. I have been patiently waiting. Perfect description of the battle. As usual you are on your game. Thanks.

Your reviews of these battle fields, and operations are brilliant. Thank you very much for your comprehensive research.

My father was at the Hurtgen Forest he was a scout/sniper

The hills on the map are greatly appreciated, thanx. I also like the level of detail your docs get into. Even the actions of individual squads are mentioned. This must be most unique to your channel.

Very much enjoyed it! It seems that this campaign was for some US troops a taste of what the fighting conditions were like on the Eastern Front. The environment and Terrain reduced many of the advantages they had enjoyed in Normandy and by now the Germans had became very adept in these defensive type of engagements. Its good to watch a detailed description of these battles instead of the usual overviews and summaries.

I think you're doing a great service to take these battle reports and bring them to video with maps, footage and present day video! Maybe you might consider bringing some of the human element to these stories, though. I've read accounts of men lying in freezing ditches for days, some bleeding to death because the fire and thick mud made movement impossible. Tanks going down the Kall Trail, simply slip off the side and tumble down a ravine like toys. Men forced to walk hunched over in back breaking positions due to low hanging tree branches. Whole platoons wiped out in one encounter with hidden bunkers, etc. I think adding these descriptions would bring remembrance to the great suffering and sacrifice these men endured imho. Thank you for your honest work.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I will actually discuss the difficulties of the Kall trail in a future episode. The trail was just too narrow and indeed, some tanks just slid of the side.

Appreciate the effort of covering this very bloody battle, great job.

Great video, I always wanted to know more about the battle of the Hurtgen forrest.

Nice! Don’t have time right now, will watch it later but thanks again for the topic and the video itself! There is too less attention for this battle, it was bloody and lasted more than a few weeks. Somehow it was the meat grinder of the Westfront, where some allied divisions took the path from experienced down to green. A hell for both sides. I’m living in Cologne, not that far from the forest and even today, the forest is a national park, u have several warnings in local guides, where they are warning about the danger of mines or unexploded shells. So once again: Thanks for keeping up the remembrance of the poor lads who gave their lives in important battles, which aren’t that popular. Love how u stay close to military facts without filling the video with unnecessary facts.

MOAR! This is fascinating. TY

I live close and visited Vossenack. They keep their history alive

I really like these long videos and in particular the European front. I am waiting for part two!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

I'm happy to hear that, the second part should be finished in two weeks.

@710carioca

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheAceDestroyer Oh fantastic! I am signed up to several WW ll channels including this one ,but must say your prospective and detailed approach to these videos is what make them very unique and interesting. I tend to watch these a few times each video so I just get my over sized microwave popcorn and a couple bottles of Bud Light and roll away through these battles LOL!!

A wonderful wealth of historical detail.

These videos are so underrated. Very nice infos, animation and clips from the battlefield! Awesome

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm very happy to see that you enjoyed the video!

@fxzeedits5456

4 жыл бұрын

The AceDestroyer looking forward to your new videos!

Great video. Very thorough and detailed.

Just a meat grinder of a battle, where so much was in the defenders favor. But the Americans seemed to not realize how determined the Germans were to be during this battle.

@fazole

4 жыл бұрын

This campaign was very political. Ike approved it and Gen. Cota, a very popular general, executed it (and the 28th ID in the process). The broad front strategy came to a sudden halt with the end of Market-Garden. Patton was stuck getting into the Vosges. There weren't enough troops to go through the Ardennes and the Huertgen Forest simultaneously due to the manpower planning errors in the States. Ike wanted to keep the pressure up somewhere and on a map, this looked good. It was small, close to the Ruhr factories, and a straight shot to the Rhine.

one very grateful for deep analysis, don't stop your work - it is impressive

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Happy to hear that!

Solid and detailed combat history. Good work!

Awesome job... as usual! Thank you :)

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Thank you for watching!

Excellent documentary. Really looking forward to next part. Loved the ww2 footage with your words. But also when it changed to colour and you could see what ot looks like today. I am a subscriber who learns from your excellent work. Thank you.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Well, thank you for watching! I'm very happy to see that you enjoyed it!

This is an excellent account of the first phase of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, a very overlooked battle in the U.S. Army's Siegfried Line campaign on the Germans' Western Front in the autumn of 1944.

Well put together Sir, footage combined with map work - took me there with education. Excellent.

Just awesome. I wanted to know these things ever since I was 8 or 9 and WW2 theme opened up. Beautiful.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Nice, seems like we got interested in the wars around the same age category.

Added to the content here, i also watch WW2 History hunter. The amount of trench work still existing in these former battle fields is amazing.

Fantastic, another entertaining and thorough account. Some I have to listen two twice to take in all the detail! ...or I could use more ears-great job ace, looking forward to the continued Ardenne series-Hitlers bulging brainchild-thank you👍🤩

Excellent work!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Very good quality documentary. Very much appreciated.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

Thanks Ace!

amazing video as always

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Tomster! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

great work Ace

The first decent and most detailed docu abouth the battle for Vossenack with the 707 Tk/Bn; -- My BIG respect; - One remark, ... The map shows also the post war Panoramastreet from Vossenack to Schmidt. that might be confusing because people may wonder why the Americans didn't use that road; - I've adopted the grave of George West and I'm an honorary member of the 707 Tk/Bn.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Oh, I'll try and change it for the next video! Oh wow! That's really great thank you!

Great Video thanks

Superb well done keep it up

Thank you for covering the under-examined Huertgen Forest campaign! Great maps too!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

It's my pleasure! Thanks, happy to see that you like my maps as well!

@fazole

4 жыл бұрын

Would it be very difficult to overlay the battles on a 3D representation like Google Earth? I know Germany doesn't allow street view anymore. Just a thought.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but than I have Google maps copyright I believe, and I don't want those. Although I don't earn anything from my videos I like to have no copyright claims.

A battle that did not need to be fought. Thanks for this video on a subject the US army likes to ignore. Like your showing picture of what the battlefield looks like today

@rcgunner7086

3 жыл бұрын

Not to argue with you, but I don't really think that is a fair statement. I personally didn't even know about this battle until I took a military history course that was offered to me by the US Army. Also, I would point out that the principal source about this action is the "Three Battles: Arnaville, Altuzzo, and Schmidt" text (here's a better link to the actual Army publication which is offered for free by that service: history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-7-1/CMH_Pub_11-7-1.pdf ) with is an official Army publication. This particular book HIGHLIGHTS three different battles- some that were won and lost by the Army because the Army's historical department decided that there were things to be learned from that action. That doesn't really strike me as an ignored battle. Quite the opposite really. But that's my .02 worth.

Very nice video, keep it up.

Excellent commentary and documentary history of this Western-front battle.

Awesome video very informative

If there is an example that slowed the Romans from reaching into Germanic lands it was the forests of these regions. Deep and full of danger, led their leader Arminius and his alliance of the Cherusci, Bructeri, Marsi, Sicambri, Chauci, and Chatti destroyed 3 Legions and left their remains unburied as a reminder in 9 AD, at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Rome did return to exact revenge in subsequent years for restoring pride, but heavy casualties led Tiberius to determine it was too costly an endeavor and tactically withdrew.

You are the best...yor vids are so cool...god bless you

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm very pleased to hear that!

AWESOME

Nice One! Cheers

A total nightmare for all soldiers who went into that hellish place. The US soldiers were used as cannon fodder by commanding officers who never even had the decency to go there themselves to see the problems their troops were facing. Hürtgen was a death trap and too many raw replacements were thrown into the battle to die - on both sides. However, the Germans had some excellent troops fighting there who were vastly experienced after over 5 years of war serving on all fronts, from Poland, France, Russia, North Africa, Italy, Normandy to Germany itself. No wonder that the Americans had such trouble defeating such veterans.

fighting germans in forests is always a bad idea. the Romans lost 3 legions in the battle for Totemburg forest.

@lyndoncmp5751

3 жыл бұрын

The British and Canadians did it well in the Reichswald.

@redram5150

2 жыл бұрын

Teutoburg Forest

@tremainetreerat5176

Жыл бұрын

Totemburg? Teutoburg. I believe the principle is not German-specific, but rather a broader concept, applicable to avoiding large-scale combat in dense, heavily-forested terrain, defended by native formations for whom the region is familiar, or who can at least legitimately expect the assistance of locals. The most obvious instance of this that comes to mind being the entire United States experience in Vietnam. The Germans took advantage of the somewhat bewildering US commitment (German generals ,at first, could not believe their luck) to the Hürtgen campaign, as the Americans had previously been quite successful in bypassing such areas, with their philosophy of highly-mobile warfare. The Germans were able to hand the American forces a heavy defeat in the Hürtgen, although the Wehrmacht units involved suffered significant casualties, as well.

Just found your channel, you are awesome!!!! Subbed and liked!

@TheAceDestroyer

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much! Welcome to the channel!

Thanks for the upload! I must compliment you on your map animations. They are different from conventional battle maps. That being said, I think they are very easily interpreted and appealing to the eye. 👍

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! I'm glad to see that you like the maps. I put great effort in making them.

@CFarnwide

4 жыл бұрын

The AceDestroyer Another thing that really stands out about your videos is your extensive use of individuals names. It really drives home the fact that these were real people and not just a statistic on paper or a pawn on the chessboard. For example, simply stating “the First Lieutenant was hit by a burst and died immediately” isnt nearly as impactful as “First Lieutenant (Insert first name) Scott was hit by a burst and died immediately”. My apologies, I dont remember if you stated Mr. Scotts first name in my example. Keep up the good work!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

@@CFarnwide Yeah, I always try to tell the stories of the people who actually fought the battle rather than just the units or divisions involved.

Battle of Kesternich, also a part of the Siegfried line just south of the Hurtgen Forest is also an interesting engagement. In fact, the town to the West of Kesternich, Simmerath, would likely have been the starting point of the German counteroffensive in Winter 1944. The fall of Simmerath and Kesternich forced the Germans to start their offensive from Germany and thus they had to advance more towards their goals during the Battle of the Bulge.

@queen.of.coney.island

Жыл бұрын

No way, I literally live in Kesternich and never knew that!

You can play battle of Vossenack in Forgotten Hope 2. :) Good documentary, thanks! Looking forward to more parts

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Happy to hear that!

Thank you for another clear and unbiased account of this historical event.

Great video. I like it that you created map animations with all movements of the units in accordance to your story. In the last video I had a hard time to follow on the map what you described.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Also happy to hear that I improved the map making as well.

A big bloody lesson for the us Army.

Reading through the comments, I realise there is little that I can add, other than to compliment you on a job well done, I read an excellent book on the hurtgen campaign, I will attempt to find it & edit the comment. The book is The Battle of the Huertgen Forest, by Charles B MacDonald. It complements the video very well. MacDonald was an official U. S. war historian, as well as a veteran, his books are very good indeed.

Another excellent video. I visited Vossenack and the rest of the Hurtgen battlefields last year, so once again your film is a refreshing and informative view. Really like the modern scenes as well, which have a "then and now" feel to them. Look forward to watching the other three films about what was arguably the worst US defeat in WW2. Have you thought of producing these on DVD?

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! No I haven't actually. I think I'll just keep posting these on KZread, it's the easiest for me personally.

Love your videos. You should put a North, south indication on the maps.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Happy to hear that! Well, top is always north unless a compass is added. That way you don't have to worry about the directions.

When you think about it . It's actually freaking crazy that it took SIX months more fighting to meet up with the Russians after capturing Aachen .

@Veldtian1

4 жыл бұрын

Fighting withdrawals are the Wehrmacht's specialty. Manstein's the king.

@klausbrinck2137

4 жыл бұрын

Meanwhile the Soviets were joking: "The Germans surrender with fanatical sturdiness to the Americans". The western front was a joke compared to the eastern front, all the fanatic resistance had to be broken by the Soviets...

@chaosXP3RT

4 жыл бұрын

@@klausbrinck2137 That's a really awful thing you said. A lot of Allied soldiers fought hard and died trying to liberate Europe

@klausbrinck2137

4 жыл бұрын

Facts don´t have to be convenient, just Facts. The Americans had enough to do with keeping their Pacific colonies by them, the Soviets took care of Europe, Americans arrived too late, did too little themselves anyway, and "a lot of soldiers" need to be defined: Altogether, 29 millions Soviet soldiers and citizens died, the number of allied soldiers is extremely little compared. The amount of their progress too, compared too the willingness of the Wehrmacht to surrender to the western allies, and its fanatic resistance to the Soviets. And the Wehrmacht/nazis were right, they got treated by the Americans as kings, many got new, highly paid jobs in the US or as advisors of fascistic south americans dictatories, the rest kept ruling western Germany till the mid 1970´s... The ones arrested by the Soviets, were sure to die, and die they did! The Soviets were the natural enemy of nazism, while nazis and americans had many common things after all, for example their belief in a singular entity, taking care of everything, for the nazis the "Führer", and for the americans the "Market", both silencing the responsibility of the individual in the forming of culture.

@chaosXP3RT

4 жыл бұрын

@@klausbrinck2137 That's funny because the Soviet single entity was Stalin. A fascist wearing Russian clothes

This is an excellent documentary! I cannot wait to see what else you produce. If there is a way to help support your channel, please let your subscribers know.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Happy to hear that! Thank you! No, please, just watching the video and giving an occasional comment is more than enough for me.

My father-in-law, Hurley Sutton, lost his leg there. He was drafted just out of high school in 1943. He told me that he was hit when his unit ran straight at a German MG position without seeking cover.

@fazole

4 жыл бұрын

A lot of these guys went through shortened infantry training and were sent to the Huertgen at age 18, really almost clueless. The US did not plan adequately for the casualties and there were many service exemptions so the US government had to drop the conscription age and length of training.

@randyz697

3 жыл бұрын

@@fazole Interesting point you bring up. My Father-in-law was drafted into the Army at age 30 and quickly ended up in the Huertgen with the 28th, 109th, K Company and earned a Bronze Star on 11-12-44. He told me guys he knew would claim to be farmers to avoid the draft but he never held it against them. He never had anything bad to say about anybody except the cab driver that wanted $5.00 to drive him from the train station to his house after he was discharged. Truly part of the greatest generation.

17:00 Should sound familiar for anyone who used to play Advanced Squad Leader. A depressing situation for the US player. Of course, this really happened. These infantry attacks against an entrenched defender should never have been ordered. Because Eisenhower was embarrassed by Montgomery's spectacular failures at a pinpoint drive to the Rhine, he ordered an advance across the entire front. Attacking the forest this way was nothing short of suicide. Casualties rose so high that rear units and command staff were handed guns and told to report to the front. These untrained "infantry" suffered terribly. Morale was so low that the veterans would not even recognize the replacements, since the odds were that they would not survive their next advance. Terribly situation.

If I'm not mistaken the 2nd Ranger battalion were involved in the fighting at Vossenak. My father would have been there. I know they had the worst days of the war at hill 400 in Schmidt. The Ranger battalion may have moved into the area after a lot of this action had been completed

Not enough on the Hurtgen. Think it was a very confusing battle for many. Nice.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was a very confusing battle indeed!

Just discovered this Series a couple of days ago. I really enjoyed the first Episode, it is great how much Detail and effort you put in there :) But where did you find this fascinating footage of the battle? Could you give me a lead where i can get startet ? :) Best greetings from Germany

suggestions for further videos:Kustrin,Posen,Cherkassy,The Halbe Pocket,Tarnow

Excellent!

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest was arguably the worst conceived Allied offensive in North-West Europe during WW2. From the very start, the US troops sent in to take the forest and the more important River Roer dams attacked from the completely wrong direction, in the north from the west, while their task was to take the dams situated in the south- east of the region ! This meant that the American troops were forced to attack uphill through dense forest defended by well entrenched and tough German forces, who couldn't believe their luck or the sheer stupidity of the American high command ! The result was of course horrendous casualties and to heap insult on pain, the dams inevitably could not be taken before the Germans blew them up in the faces of the advancing US soldiers. The futility of the whole affair beggars belief - tens of thousands of casualties for absolutely nothing. It can be said that even the doomed Operation Market - Garden brought more advantage to the Allies than the Hürtgen disaster.

@lyndoncmp5751

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, Market Garden actually had benefits.

dont ever follow germans into the forrest.

@fazole

4 жыл бұрын

No one learned about Rome and the Teuteborg Forest, I guess.

@BAZZAROU812

4 жыл бұрын

Real history.. Americans were literally out matched..

@AudieHolland

4 жыл бұрын

No, the Hürtgen Forest was something else indeed. In a different documentary, the narrator informed us how the trees were rather old and so close to each other that, even during the day, some parts of the forest remained dark. It is as *Mitch Paul* hinted, the big bad forest of Grimm tales.

@kpl455

3 жыл бұрын

A rule from ancient rome

Hi, always like your presentations. My question is, was the german garrison in Vossenack surprised by the attack? In previous urban combat videos, german were much harder to dislodge. Usually allies had bomb the position its ruin, before they could take it. The entrenched MGs in the forest pinned appropriately, but the town was cleared easily. The houses were not manned. The minefield were not covered, artillery support wasn't used on pinned targets or as ambush, but as a reflex, i think.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Indeed, that's one of the questions I had as well, there were only a handful of strongholds in the village. I don't know why the Germans gave it up so 'easily'. I do think that the tank support in the end really helped the Americans though. But other than that I don't really have a clue.

@pancakes3250

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheAceDestroyer Wow, regardless thank you.

Read "Road to Huertgen: Forest in Hell " by Lt. Paul Boesch....fantastic account from the ground.

It was german doctrine to retake ground lost to the enemy as soon as possible. The germans are also known to be more assertive in the first world war, in (re)taking ground after mines (big explosives in tunnels under trenches) have gone off. I dont know what the doctrine of today is, but back then you could expect the germans to attack you soon after you took their turf. Greetings, Jeff

@jeffjefferson2676

4 жыл бұрын

Be the way The AceDestroyer; have you played "blitzkriegmod" for "company of heroes", because your name does ring a bell.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

@@jeffjefferson2676 No, I'm not really into games. I used to play World of Tanks a few years ago, but that was under my own name.

Place yourself here and its a goddamn nightmare. The Army's Iwo Jima.

Looking forward to information on the 8th Infantry Division in the Huertgen Forest if possible.

@robertalbonico3682

4 жыл бұрын

8th Inf regiment

@robertalbonico3682

4 жыл бұрын

I. SERVED IN co B 2nd Bn 8th RVN

@robertalbonico3682

4 жыл бұрын

IT is 8th Inf Regiment, I served in Co B 2nd Bn 8th Inf in RVN

@stevenunzicker3175

4 жыл бұрын

The 8th Division is mentioned in Part V on the 18th of November. They would go on to the town of Huertgen with John Minick being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was with the 8th Division, 121 Regiment, Company I. My Father was there with the 8th Division 13th Regiment Company K. This series from I though V was outstanding.

another quality video? AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE PARTS? sign me the fuck up

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Hhaha! Thanks!

Great upload man! Hey dude if it isn't too much trouble would you be able do this type of video for eastern front battles and pockets? Or would you be interested in making that type?? . Thanks for the upload. Keep up the good work, cheers!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah, I have a script ready for a battle involving an ad-hoc Panzer formation with Panthers and Tigers under Bäke, I believe to counter the Cherkassy pocket, but I'm still putting the final touches to it.

Splitting tank platoons?

If the Western Allies' armies were only facing 30 percent of the Wehrmacht's army and the Soviets' Red Army facing the other 70 percent, it raises the hypothetical of how the Western Allies' armies would have fared in the war had they to face 100 percent of the Wehrmacht's army. The mind boggles.

The death factory.

👋💪🙏.

I live in germany and they call the unit with the red symbol the "blutiger Eimer".....translates to the bloody bucket.

A famous War Thunder map. Don't know why the Americans were so slow. We usually clear this in 15 minutes tops. :)

Where is part 2?

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

It should be ready by Saturday. I usually take out two weeks to make a video. Thanks for the interest!

Such a disaster. They could have simply bypassed the Hurtgen Forest, surrounded it and waited for the Germans in there to starve. There was little risk of a flank attack by the Germans from the Hurtgen Forest for the simple reason that - as the Americans found out - the terrain was impossible for tank attacks and German infantry attacking alone would have been slaughtered.

Bart, Novack, Kaufman, Beck...killing and being killed by their cousins and ancestors. No more brother wars.

Why everyone want me so bad

The Allied generals should have been court-martialed for their carelessness in this battle. An entire division was thrown away for an objective easily bypassed. Bypassing strong points was how generals like Patton was able to reach further than expected, not by this type of useless slaughter. This was pure tomfoolery by US generals and a real disgrace. It's not in the history books due to the disgraceful conduct of the battle. I knew a gentleman who fought there and he did not like to talk about his time there - it still hurt to talk about some 40 years after the battle. These men are just about all gone now, and we'll probably never learn everything about this fiasco.

@richardfabrizio8998

4 жыл бұрын

Gringo I heard it all firsthand from my father. 4 th infantry 1st army. Stories you wouldn’t believe if I told you

@chaosXP3RT

4 жыл бұрын

Hurtgen Forest, Market Garden and Anzio were pretty devastating defeats for the Allies and strategic mistakes. I think it's one of the shocking things learning as an American since in school you really only hear about the victories. But it shows that we're human too. Our generals are just as subject to mistakes and our soldiers lost battles just as the Germans, Russians, Brits, etc did. Americans paid with their lives and fought with vicious tenacity. Idk how Russians can claims the US didn't contribute anything to the war

@jduff59

4 жыл бұрын

@@chaosXP3RT Yep, my Pop fought under Patton at one point and had mixed feelings about the US leadership. He didn't fight in Hurtgen - thank God.

@lyndoncmp5751

3 жыл бұрын

@@chaosXP3RT Market Garden was 90% successful and had benefits. Pattons Lorraine campaign was a far bigger failure.

keystone.......you mean bloody bucket

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

If I recall correctly, both the Bloody Bucket and Keystone nicknames were given to the 28th Infantry Division. The Name Keystone comes directly from the Divisional emblem while I think the bloody bucket was given to it after it's bloody battles.

@tomhorn6679

4 жыл бұрын

the germans named it bloody bucket. its emblem. the greatest honor is to have respect from ones enemies.

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

@@tomhorn6679 Oh, I didn't know the Germans gave them that nickname. Thanks for the info!

@tomhorn6679

4 жыл бұрын

theres a book out there ive read about them. a main reason at the ardense the germans did not option for the right turn to capture troops easily is becase the 28th was the unit that they wouldve had to convince to surrender.

@tomhart6568

2 жыл бұрын

28th Division was the Pennsylvania National Guard. Pennsylvania is the Keystone state because it was the link between the Northern and Southern original 13 colonies

The Hurtgen was one of the biggest American leadership failures of the European campaign. They sent formations into the forest against prepared defenses and negated all American tactical advantages. They wound up in an attritional battle and kept going with the same plan for far too long.

@chaosXP3RT

4 жыл бұрын

Anzio

@lostinpa-dadenduro7555

4 жыл бұрын

chaosXpert That’s up there too.

@jackd1582

4 жыл бұрын

Germans did that on a far larger scale " KURSK

@lyndoncmp5751

3 жыл бұрын

Eisenhowers entire broad front strategy. Went nowhere for seven months and wasted vast resources and me.

They never bother to tell you this in wwii "history" books. Hmm

@dustyrustymusty3577

4 жыл бұрын

They hardly bother teaching any WWll history any more.

Never understand how someone surrender,why not till death especially when you're defending you father land, it's heartbreaking nd embarrassing

@bethjohnson8353

4 жыл бұрын

Well Singh, that’s a typical Asian viewpoint ,dying uselessly and still losing the war! German soldiers killed at least four to one vs any opponent. They didn’t need to fight to the death to win. Ask the Japanese how well that death before defeat strategy worked for them! Why didn’t eastern armies fight to the death vs any European army? The Germans only lost because yhey fought on two fronts and had Hitler making decisions

The footage has absolutely nothing to do with the battle - it's just a hodgepodge of newsreel footage from Italy 1943 and the spring fighting in 1945. I wish this guy would skip the bad footage from WW II - it's just distracting.

the hurtgen forest fight should have never happened. it was a waste for both sides. a lot of krauts started to surrender because they knew the war was lost.

Stupid battle. Burn down the forest. At that time the allies had air superiority and napalm. They didn't use it.

My god, this was the most boring WWII doc I ever saw!

@TheAceDestroyer

4 жыл бұрын

Well, the in-depth nature of it isn't for everyone. I know.

@jackd1582

4 жыл бұрын

KDF ....Praps you should have unclicked your mute button then #Muppet

@der.kdf.brother

4 жыл бұрын

@@jackd1582 OK BEAKER