The Bloody Forest: The Battle for the Huertgen, September 1944 - January 1945

For nearly five months, starting in mid-September 1944, American GIs battled for the Hurtgen Forest, a 50-square mile tract of extremely inhospitable terrain. The definitive account of one of World War II’s bloodiest campaigns—the five-month battle between American and German forces in the Huertgen Forest—told through the words of the men who were there. From the preface: “In the course of research and interviews while writing a series of books on World War II, I became increasingly aware of the campaign for the Huertgen Forest. While survivors of other battles sometimes criticized the strategy and the orders they were given, there was a depth of anger about the Huertgen that surpassed anything I had encountered elsewhere. The unhappiness with what occurred and the absence of much objective coverage in the memoirs of those in the top command slots convinced me to produce this history. As I have reiterated in all of my books, which rely heavily on oral or eyewitness reports, there are always the dangers of flawed memory, limited vantage points, and the possibility of self-interest in such accounts. But the almost universal condemnation of their superiors’ critical decisions by individuals who were under fire in that ‘green hell’ offers a cautionary note on the accuracy and the truths of histories that draw from the official documents and the personal papers of the likes of Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Courtney Hodges (who apparently left little in the way of records), J. Lawton Collins and others in similar positions. . . . Each new war differs from that of the past, but to ignore what happened in the Huertgen enhances the possibilities for another bitter victory, if not a defeat.” For Nearly Five Months, Starting In Mid-september 1944, American Gis Battled For The Huertgen Forest, A Fifty-square Mile Tract Of Extremely Inhospitable Terrain. Unfortunately For The American Soldiers Involved, The Huertgen Forest Campaign Turned Out To Be One Of The Deadliest Of The War. During Its First Month, The 9th Infantry Division Supported By The 3d Armored Division Managed To Eke Out A Gain Of Only 3,500 Yards. This Paltry Advance Was At The Cost Of 4,500 American Casualties, Less Than A Yard Per Man. One Has To Go Back To The Charnel Houses Of World War I To Find Comparable Ratios. Surprisingly, Little Has Been Written About This Bloody Battle. Its Beginning Was Overshadowed By Field Marshall Montgomery's Audacious And Ill-fated Operation Market Garden (september 17), The Bridge Too Far. As The Battle For The Huertgen Forest Neared Its End, The Massive Nazi Attack That Became Immortalized As The Battle Of The Bulge (december 16) Exploded Into Belgium. Also, As A Purely American Affair, The Huertgen Forest Campaign Has Been Largely Overlooked By British Military Historians Who Dominated Much Of The Postwar Scholarship.--jacket. Gerald Astor. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 377-379) And Index. "For nearly five months, starting in mid-September 1944, American GIs battled for the Huertgen Forest, a fifty-square mile tract of extremely inhospitable terrain. Unfortunately for the American soldiers involved, the Huertgen Forest campaign turned out to be one of the deadliest of the war. During its first month, the 9th Infantry Division supported by the 3d Armored Division managed to eke out a gain of only 3,500 yards. This paltry advance was at the cost of 4,500 American casualties, less than a yard per man. One has to go back to the charnel houses of World War I to find comparable ratios.". "Surprisingly, little has been written about this bloody battle. Its beginning was overshadowed by Field Marshall Montgomery's audacious and ill-fated Operation Market Garden (September 17), "the bridge too far." As the battle for the Huertgen Forest neared its end, the massive Nazi attack that became immortalized as the Battle of the Bulge (December 16) exploded into Belgium. Also, as a purely American affair, the Huertgen Forest campaign has been largely overlooked by British military historians who dominated much of the postwar scholarship."--BOOK JACKET. Participants in the battle for the Huertgen Forest recount their experiences, describing a poorly conceived and directed campaign that turned out to be one of the deadliest of the war.