The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (German: Schlacht im Hürtgenwald) was a series of fierce battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, between American and German forces on the Western Front during World War II, in the Hürtgen Forest, a 140 km 2 (54 sq mi) area about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the Belgian-German border. It was the longest battle on German ground during World War II.
The Battle of Huertgen Forest occurred before the Battle of the Bulge. It was a tactical victory for the Germans, who prevented the Americans from achieving their objectives.
My father fought with the 28th Infantry Division in both.
After Huertgen, his unit was transferred to the Ardennes, believed to be a rest area. Warnings of a big German buildup sent back to HQ were ignored.
His unit was right at the point of the initial German attack, and was completely overrun the first day of the battle. He was captured, marched into Germany, and spent the rest of the war in a German prison camp. In the 5 months or so he was in the camp, he lost half his body weight.
My father passed away in 2004 at the age of 84.
The battle of the Hurtgen Forest preceded the Battle Of The Bulge. It was the costliest battle of WWII in terms of American lives lost. All caused by the stupid decision to go thru the forest rather than go around it. My Uncle lost his life there on December 1st, 1944. He was with the 28th Infantry Division.