A German Sherman

After three days of fighting, the 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division has captured the town of Strass. The German defenders, elements of the 353rd Volksgrenadier Division, have retreated to the woods East of the village. Under the …

1944-12-13

W10

After three days of fighting, the 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division has captured the town of Strass. The German defenders, elements of the 353rd Volksgrenadier Division, have retreated to the woods East of the village. Under the cover of darkness, Company E is sent to clear those woods. They advance to their jump-off point between Strass and the woods, an area with a brick house and a pair of Shermans. Halfway there, fire erupts from both the Shermans and the brick house. The Germans have them!

Strass, Germany

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest 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 km2 (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 and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. The U.S. commanders' initial goal was to pin down German forces in the area to keep them from reinforcing the front lines farther north in the Battle of Aachen, where the US forces were fighting against the Siegfried Line network of fortified industrial towns and villages speckled with pillboxes, tank traps, and minefields. A secondary objective may have been to outflank the front line. The Americans' initial tactical objectives were to take Schmidt and clear Monschau. In a second phase the Allies wanted to advance to the Rur River as part of Operation Queen.

Wikipedia: Battle of Hürtgen Forest

German

American