City on the Edge

The encirclement of Aachen – the first significant German city reached by the Western Allies – began in earnest on 2 October when the city’s suburbs were attacked from both north and west. After five days of combat, the 30th, attended by tanks of the 2nd Armored Division, had …

1944-10-08

O10

The encirclement of Aachen – the first significant German city reached by the Western Allies – began in earnest on 2 October when the city’s suburbs were attacked from both north and west. After five days of combat, the 30th, attended by tanks of the 2nd Armored Division, had pushed five miles past the West Wall. Progress was so swift that General Hobbs, the 3oth’s commander, declared, “The job is finished as far as this division is concerned.” But scattered German counterattacks began and took the wind out of the advance in front of Aachen, devolving into a series of hostilities among the coal mining villages north of the city.

Alsdorf, Germany

The Battle of Aachen was a major combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 2–21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on Germany's western border; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and advance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although most of Aachen's civilian population was evacuated before the battle began, much of the city was destroyed and both sides suffered heavy losses. It was one of the largest urban battles fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and the first city on German soil to be captured by the Allies. The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tenacious defense significantly disrupted Allied plans for the advance into Germany.

German

American

Scenario Type = Standard