World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

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Tidewater

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Yah, the sights are offset slightly to the left to avoid the magazine. But being a LMG, I think it was used more for spraying anyway.
Anyone who has toted a bunch of ammo over long distances to the gunner's position appreciates aimed fire over spraying.
Just sayin'.
 

bama579

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Recalling some of the WW2 histories read when younger, the forest battles were among the more brutal of the Europe Theater. Not as commonly known as the Bulge and some of the Italian battles, but bloody and, well, brutal.

Thanks again for keeping this going.
 

crimsonaudio

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November 7, 1944: It’s Tuesday - today marks 22 weeks (154 days) since the D-Day Invasion and the beginning of the Battle of Normandy. In the Scheldt, the Canadian 1st Army continues clearing Walcheren Island, attacking around Moerdijk. To the south, German 19th Army counterattacks the French 1st Army around Gerardmer.

Back in the Hürtgen Forest, elements of the US 1st Army are heavily engaged around Kommerscheidt and Vossenack. A few days have passed since the so-called Allerseelenschlacht (All Souls' Day Battle, November 2) which was a disaster for the Americans. General Hodges of the First Army approves the withdrawal of all troops from beyond the Kall Bridge, but as American troops try to retreat across the bridge to Vossenack, great parts of the Kall Valley are already cut off by the Germans. A German regimental doctor (Hauptmann Guenther Stuettgen) manages to negotiate an unofficial ceasefire with the Americans at the Kall Bridge (which will last from today through November 12) in order to attend to the wounded of both sides. The lives of many American soldiers are saved by German paramedics.

Nearby, the battle in ‘Green Hell’ continues - Marcus Dillard, a mortar gunner with the 12th Infantry's Company M (still six weeks shy of his 19th birthday) who had stepped onto Utah Beach on D-Day, shared the following:
________
“We were alerted to move at once on the 6th of November. We were told to cover our division insignia on our helmets, remove or cover our shoulder patches and all markings on our vehicles. At about 1800 hours we started moving north. It was cold, miserable and raining. We arrived and started de-trucking about 0200 in the morning of the 7th.”

“It was dark and I mean dark, raining, cold, wind blowing. We all wondered, 'Where are we?' This was a secret move, and no one except the top brass knew where we were. I looked up trying to see something, and all I could make out were the tops of trees swaying and hear the wind whistling through them. We were told to move out and to follow the man in front as close as possible. We didn't want anyone to get lost. We were told to leave our 81mm mortars behind. We would take the ones left by the unit we were relieving, and they would get ours. We walked, stumbled and slipped for the next couple of hours, barely able to see where we were going. We finally halted and were to stay in place. Wet and miserable as I was, I dropped off to sleep — I don't know for how long — but then we were told we would take the foxholes and positions of the soldiers we were to replace. It was starting to get daylight, and we could see the shoulder patches of the 28th Division. They didn't say much. They just moved out and looked tired and exhausted.”

“As it got brighter, what I saw scared me. Shell holes all over, the trees, most of them looked like shredded matchsticks with points. Half of the trees standing, the bark was torn off by shrapnel. Just utter devastation. It was cold, rainy, foggy. Just plain miserable. No hot food, just K rations. Our positions must have been the only open area around because we had to have clearance overhead in order to fire our 81s. The Germans had to know our positions because of that. We could not see our targets but were told what they were.”

“The artillery fire on us was very intense. The Germans started a barrage that lasted over three hours. We had cut logs and put them over the slit trenches that had mounds of dirt around them. We could not even get out to our mortar positions, which were about 20 to 30 feet out in the clearing. The telephone line to the company CP was cut by the barrage, and we had no communication. We could not give supporting fire until we fixed the cut lines.”
________

In Italy, British 8th Army begins an offensive at Forli, while US 12th Air Force aircraft provide ground support and attack transportation targets in northern Italy and attacks rail lines around the Brenner Pas.

Pictured: The Kall Trail, showing the Kommerscheidt side of the gorge in the background



A Weasel (M29 Cargo Carrier), similar to those used for evacuating wounded, pulls jeep out of the mud during the retreat



Situation map from Novemebr 7, 1944

 

TIDE-HSV

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Hürtigen Forest was one of those battles best left forgotten. Not sure how that would have turned out, if the Battle of the Bulge hadn't siphoned off all their assets. It was the closest we came to falling back into WWI trenches battle...
 

crimsonaudio

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November 8, 1944: German resistance on Walcharen Island ceases and the garrison survivors surrender to the forces of the Canadian 1st Army. The US 3rd Army begins a new offensive around Metz and to the south. During the day, the Seille River is crossed, and Nomony captured. Allied troops capture Veere and Koudekerke in the Netherlands.

The fight for Vossenack is described as "savage as was the struggle for Aachen, — and one of much greater scope." It is said that fighting of "unexcelled bitterness" is raging continuously over all the Hürtgen Forest region. The Town of Schmidt, which the Germans recaptured in a counter-attack two days ago, is still in enemy hands. Despite the house-to-house nature of the fighting in Vossenack, American artillery continues blasting away at German positions in the upper part of the town and fighter-bombers (389 sorties flown) pinpoint targets along the main street. Special dynamite units are used to blow up enemy pillboxes. "In the Schmidt area alone there are up to 50 German tanks. The enemy is holding on all over this front, which covers the approaches to Duren and to Cologne itself, as he has rarely held on to any local area in this campaign,” according to Associated Press Correspondent William S. White.

A German counter-attack is repulsed west of Hürtgen, and fighter-bombers bomb and strafe military buildings northeast of Gelsenkirchen and hit targets at Juelich, and fuel and ammunition dumps at Dueren. US 1st Army continues withdrawing from Kall brideghead.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Merseburg with 193 bombers, Rheine with 77 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 19 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 136 aircraft to attack Homberg during the day, 59 aircraft to attack Herford overnight, and 50 aircraft to attack Hannover overnight. Luftwaffe ace Major Walter Nowotny claims his 258th victory after shooting down a B-24 Liberator bomber over Hesepe near Osnabrück, Germany - moments later, his Me 262 jet fighter is hit by a US P-51 fighter (possibly the one piloted by 1st Lieutenant Richard Stevens). Nowotny does not survive the crash.

In Italy, British 8th Corps (part of British 8th Army) launches new attacks south of Forli as well as towards Modigliana, Dovadola, and Castrocaro. Meanwhile, US 12th Air Force aircraft provide ground support and attack transportation targets in northern Italy.

After the German propagandist Joseph Goebbels publicly announces the on-going V-2 rocket campaign against Britain to the world for the first time, Prime Minister Churchill admits that the mysterious explosions in southeast England, in recent weeks, are in fact the result of the missile strikes.

25,000 Jews are forced to walk over 100 miles in rain and snow from Budapest, Hungary to the Austrian border, followed by a second forced march of 50,000 persons, ending at Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Many die en route from starvation, cold, and exhaustion.

Pictured: 2nd Lt. Joseph Alter (B Company, 1340th) volunteered to assist in the evacuation of wounded in the Hurtgen Forest on November 8, 1944. As he was looking for a vehicle, he passed through the village of Vossenack where he found an M29 Weasel - perfect to travel over a foot a snow that had fallen.



Shattered remains of a church in Vossenack

 

crimsonaudio

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November 9, 1944: As the fight in ‘Green Hell’ (the Hürtgen Forest) continues, the attack has effectively been halted, with loss of most of the ground gained in its early phases. Kommerscheidt, the village between Vossenack and Schmidt taken by US 1st Army, is lost and American infantry is driven back 500 yards to high ground to the northwest. Considerable progress has been made in clearing Hürtgen Forest and the Germans have suffered severe casualties, primarily due to superior Allied artillery. Vossenack is still the scene of heavy house-to-house fighting, with each side holding approximately half the town.

In Hürtgen , 4th Infantry Division troops begin an attack designed to eliminate a salient that extended into the Weisser Wehe Valley. Companies I and K are designated as the main assault units, but a 500-yard-wide minefield separates them. The German gunners, mines and soldiers with small arms effectively break up the attack, inflicting severe losses. When some GIs try returning to their old foxholes, they find Germans in residence. Again, command and control breaks down - shortages of food and ammunition afflict the Americans. The splintered 12th Regiment reverts to the 4th Division. Only three days after being committed, it is in shambles, counting 562 casualties among its complement of 2,300.

Elements of US 3rd Army cross the Moselle River around Metz with support from US 8th Air Force (730 bombers attack Metz and 47 bombers attack Thionville) and US 9th Air Force (74 bombers attack Metz). Further south, US 12th Corps continues advancing beyond the Seille River, capturing Chateau Salins. US 7th Army clearing Rao-l'Etape sector.

After finishing clearing Walcharen Island yesterday, Canadian 1st Army is regrouping and clearing the sector along the Maas. German troops withdrew from the Moerdijk bridgehead in the Netherlands across the Meuse River.

Over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 277 aircraft to attack Wanne-Eickel during the day and launches a third raid on Homburg.

In Italy, Allied troops crossed the Montone River, British 4th Division (an element of British 8th Army) captures Forli, and US 5th Army captures Monte Budriatto.

Pictured: GIs prepare to move out on patrol in the Hürtgen Forest



Members of Battery A, 4520 AA stand by and check their equipment while the convoy takes a break



Members of a mortar company of the 92nd Division pass the ammunition and heave it at the Germans in an almost endless stream near Massa, Italy. This company is credited with liquidating several machine gun nests.

 
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Tidewater

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Members of a mortar company of the 92nd Division pass the ammunition and heave it at the Germans in an almost endless stream near Massa, Italy. This company is credited with liquidating several machine gun nests.

In the mid-1990s, I once went to a National Guard training base in Wyoming, and drew some 81mm mortar rounds to fire for training. I was not sure when the rounds themselves were some produced, but the illum rounds came in boxes that had firing data cards that had been printed 2 June 1945. I remember the illum rounds burning a yellowish color, Illum rounds normally burn bright white. Maybe these were so old they had partially oxidized.
It is interesting that I might have fired a mortar round from near these mens' time
 

jabcmb

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Anyone who has toted a bunch of ammo over long distances to the gunner's position appreciates aimed fire over spraying.
Just sayin'.
Equally as bad or worse is finding the gun out of service after humping said ammo.
 

crimsonaudio

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November 10, 1944: On the western front, Forces of US 3rd Army is heavily engaged as it continues to advance beyond the Moselle River to the south of Thionville and farther south beyond Metz, while US 7th Army attacks around Etival, Vanemont, and La Houssiere.

In the continuing battle for the Hürtgen Forest, army commander General Hodges directs establishment of a new corps boundary between the V and VII Corps in preparation for the beginning of the main 1st Army drive. The 12th Infantry takes control of the 4th Division, which is moving into the Hürtgen Forest to fight under the VII Corps in the coming offensive. But before the 12th Infantry passes to the VII Corps, General Cota orders an attack to assist the attached regiment in securing the other half of the proposed line of departure overlooking Hürtgen. The attack is to be made by the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry. Driving north from the Vossenack church into the wooded (Tiefen creek) area separating the Vossenack and Brandenberg-Bergstein ridges, this battalion is intended to gain that part of the woods line that had remained in German hands despite repeated American attacks from the north of Germeter.

Even with some replacements the rifle companies of 109th ID totaled only 62, 55, and 73 men, respectively. A heavy German artillery concentration holds up one company and another gets lost in the woods, while the third reaches the objective. There the company is alone - nobody knows where the company was. For three days the men remain undetected while Germans shuffle past them in the forest. Even without enemy action, just staying alive begins to become a critical mission. Aggravated by snow, sleet, and cold, and with no way to treat it, trench foot sweeps through the ranks. Some men stand guard in muddy foxholes on their knees. By the time the Germans discover the company on 14 November, food is already exhausted. As the enemy surrounds them, the men cling to their position without food, drinking water, or ammunition (other than that in their belts). To the 89th Division defense of this position becomes a "point of honor." Three days later a relief column finally breaks through to halt the attack. Two days later the men fight their way back to Germeter. Only 33 of the 190 were left.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Cologne with 193 bombers, Hanau with 290 bombers, and Wiesbaden with 178 bombers while the RAF Bomber Command sends 59 aircraft to attack Hannover overnight.

In Italy, British 8th Army is attacking beyond Forli against strong resistance and the US 5th Army continues pushing forward around Monte Ponpegno and Monte Bassana. US 12th Air Force aircraft provide support to ground forces and attack transportation targets in the Po valley and Brenner Pass.

The British government lifted the ban on reporting rocket attacks on Britain after Prime Minister Churchill announces to the Parliament that British cities had been under rocket attack "for the last few weeks"; German V-2 rocket attacks had in fact started on 8 Sep 1944, or more than two months prior to Churchill's announcement. On the same day, a V-2 rocket hit Goulson Street in Stepney, London, England United Kingdom, killing 19, seriously injuring 97, and lightly injuring 323.

Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg (former ambassador to the Soviet Union) is executed for participation in plot against Hitler. Also on this date, Hitler approves plans for Ardennes offensive.

Pictured: GIs from 1st Battalion fighting in Hürtgen



Men of 2nd Platoon, D Company, 39th Infantry Regiment in action



Situation map from November 10, 1944

 

crimsonaudio

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November 11, 1944: In the Hürtgen Forest, the American advantage in numbers (roughly 5:1), armor, mobility, and air support has been greatly reduced by weather and terrain - relatively small numbers of determined and prepared German defenders are thus highly effective. As the American divisions continue taking casualties, inexperienced recruits are brought up to the front as replacements. The incredibly dense forest also limits the use of tanks and hides anti-tank teams equipped with panzerfausts. Improvised rocket launchers are made using rocket tubes from aircraft and spare jeep trailers. Continued bad weather means the planned First and Ninth Army’s attack to cross the Rur River is postponed until weather permits the needed large-scale air support via Operation Queen.

US Third Army establishes 3 bridgeheads across the Moselle River in northern France. In response, German First Armee moved its headquarters out of Metz.
________
The ‘Green Hell’ of Hürtgen as described by a replacement to 28th Division who arrived on November 11, 1944:
“First came the report of the firing cannon, distant and muffled. This would be quickly followed by a sibilant rustling, the first hint of which was easily mistaken for the wind whistling through the pine trees - and vice versa. I dove headlong into my hole a number of times, terrified and completely at sea, before I began slowly to be able to tell the difference.

The rustling then grew to a roar and was followed by a blinding overhead flash of light and an ear-splitting detonation, very staccato, as though some giant had taken a half dozen large trees and snapped them like match sticks inside my head. These overpowering jolts were followed by the whine and scream of the fragments of shrapnel hurtling down from the overhead boughs, and the final echoes of the tumult resounding from the nearby hills, until - after many seconds of quiet - it seemed safe to unwind from my fetal position in the bottom of the hole to see if I was still in one piece.

There were perhaps a dozen more or less similar occurrences during the course of that first two hours. I was experiencing “harassing fire” and tree bursts, as I later came to learn. Harassing fire was intended not so much to cause casualties as to keep those at whom it was aimed nervous, awake and uptight. It sure did the job that night! Tree bursts meant that the artillerists had set the fuses of the shells so that they would detonate on slightest impact, as by grazing a tree branch. This was intended to shower the troops below with the scythe-like action of shrapnel from above, on the theory - an entirely accurate one, usually - that more damage would be done that way than if it struck the ground, to be muffled by earth and snow.”
________

The Allies continue taking advantage of air superiority by attacking the German infrastructure: US 8th Air Force attacks Gelsenkirchen with 100 bombers, Bottrop with 124 bombers, Oberlahnstein with 146 bombers, Koblenz, Rheine, and targets of opportunity with 50 bombers while US 15th Air Force attacks several locations with a total of 100 bombers. meanwhile, RAF Bomber Command sends 122 aircraft to attack Castrop-Rauxel, 237 aircraft to attack Harburg, 209 aircraft to attack Dortmund, 41 aircraft to attack Kamen, and 12 aircraft to attack Osnabruk (most RAF raids were overnight).

In Italy, the bloody battle at the Gothic Line continue as British 8th Army pushes toward the Montone River and US 5th Army unsuccessfully attacks Monte San Bartolo. US 12th Air Force aircraft provide support to ground forces and attack transportation targets in the Po valley while US 15th Air Force attacks an airfield and three bridges in northern Italy.

Pictured: US 9th Infantry Division men walk through the Hürtgen Forest



The aftermath of German tree burst shelling. “The days were so terrible I would pray for darkness, and the nights were so bad I would pray for daylight.”



Newspaper image of the Allied advances around Metz

 

Tidewater

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I believe that the American way of tactics relied heavily on the massive application of firepower. The average American has no conception of the amount of ammunition artillery fires. A division will fire literally trainloads of ammo in a high intensity attack.

A small example.
The fact that Antwerp was not yet open and the operational ports were small and so far away meant the throughput of Allied logistics could not sustain the American predilection for the massive application of firepower. So the American army resorted to the restricted application of firepower and relied more on maneuver and the raw courage of American infantrymen. The results were predictable.
The rustling then grew to a roar and was followed by a blinding overhead flash of light and an ear-splitting detonation, very staccato, as though some giant had taken a half dozen large trees and snapped them like match sticks inside my head. These overpowering jolts were followed by the whine and scream of the fragments of shrapnel hurtling down from the overhead boughs, and the final echoes of the tumult resounding from the nearby hills, until - after many seconds of quiet - it seemed safe to unwind from my fetal position in the bottom of the hole to see if I was still in one piece.
The best protection from tree-burst artillery for infantry in the woods is a foxhole with overhead cover, a lesson the 28th ID learned the hard way.
 

crimsonaudio

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The best protection from tree-burst artillery for infantry in the woods is a foxhole with overhead cover, a lesson the 28th ID learned the hard way.
Yah, this quote comes from a man who decries the foxhole as being about 4' x 8', about 2' deep, with a 2' overhang of timber covered with dirt. They were so tired when they crashed they slept through all this artillery exploding overhead - I simply can't fathom it...
 

Tidewater

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Yah, this quote comes from a man who decries the foxhole as being about 4' x 8', about 2' deep, with a 2' overhang of timber covered with dirt. They were so tired when they crashed they slept through all this artillery exploding overhead - I simply can't fathom it...
Most WW II artillery was point detonating. The shells exploded when they hit something hard enough to set them off. For infantry in a field, this meant getting below ground level as shrapnel was whizzing around at ankle level. In the woods, however, artillery could set the fuzes to "quick," and a branch could set the round off.
Some of the shells could be set to go off after a certain flight time and burst in the air over enemy troops, but you had to be very precise in calculating the flight time to the target and setting the time fuze to go off just before it hit the ground. Hard to do, but effective, even against troops in foxholes/trenches. Tree branches made this a lot easier.
Nowadays, artillery has "proximity" fuzes which go off a certain distance above the ground, which is particularly nasty even for troops in foxholes in an open field.
 

crimsonaudio

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November 12, 1944: On November 12, and the next day, and the next, the ground troops and their commanders anxiously scan the skies for a break in the bad weather, but no perceptible change appears in the overcast. The troops of US 1st Army can only hope for a break in the weather pattern so that full brunt of the attack will not fall on the ground forces, as by Thursday (November 16), the ground troops are to attack - air support or not.

Even in the Green Hell of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the character of good men is apparent - early in the morning, a wounded American can be heard calling from the middle of a German minefield, in a no man's land separating the combatants. "Help me" the man cries. However, his unit has withdraw and no U.S. troops are close enough to hear. German LT Friedrich Lengfeld orders his men not to shoot if Americans come to rescue the man. But none come and the soldiers weakening voice is heard for hours. "Help me" he called, again and again. At about 10:30 that morning, Lengfeld can bear the cries no longer. He forms a rescue squad, complete with Red Cross vests and flags, and leads his men toward the wounded American, but he never makes it. Approaching the soldier, he steps on a land mine, and the exploding metal fragments tear deeply into his body. Eight hours later Lengfeld is dead.

US 3rd Army continues to work to encircle Metz while US 7th Army is attacking around Raon-l'Etape and Corcieux.

In Occupied Norway, Operation Catechism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Catechism) is underway - 31 British Lancaster bombers attack German battleship Tirpitz, anchor in Tromsofiord, with Tallboy (12,000 pound) bombs, scoring three hits and several near misses which, combined, cause the ship to capsize. A total of 971 German sailors (of the 1,700 on board) are killed in the attack. The planes are from No. 9 and No. 617 Squadrons, none of the Lancaster bombers were lost. Offshore, British Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers attack a German coastal convoy.

Over Italy, British 8th Army attacks across the Montone River, while Allied bombers attack the Brenner Pass railway. US 12th Air Force fighters provide ground support and attack transportation targets in the Po valley in limited operations due to poor weather conditions and US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets in northern Italy with 107 bombers. Kriegsmarine vessel KT-35 is sunk at Genoa by Allied aircraft and Kriegsmarine vessel KT-36 is attacked by Allied aircraft and run aground. US Navy destroyer Woolsey bombards German positions around San Remo

Pictured: Litterbearers carrying an injured soldier to a medical station



The plaque on the monument erected for LT Friedrich Lengfeld



Tirpitz under attack while at anchor at Håkøya Island near Tromsø, Norway. Tirpitz, to the right of the bomb splashes, can be seen firing a salvo from her forward turrets. Only a portion of the shipis visible through the smoke. Tirpitz finally rolled over after receiving three direct hits from Tallboy bombs.

 

crimsonaudio

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Found and uploaded this great video from Nov 12, 1944 - featuring live footage from the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz, the Hürtgen Forest campaign, and the Danish resistance. Features bonus footage of the Packers / Giants game.

 

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November 13, 1944: Elements of US 3rd Army have crossed the Moselle River north of Thionville and constructed a bridge at Cattenom. South of Metz, other elements from US 12th Corps are attacking toward Morhange and Falquemont. To the south, German forces withdraw from St. Die under pressure from forces of the US 7th Army.

The bloody battle for the Hürtgen continues, with little success for the Americans - as of today, all the officers in the rifle companies of the oldest Division in the US Army, the 28th Infantry Division, have been killed or wounded (most of them are within a year of their twentieth birthday). Overall in the Hurtgen, the 28th suffers 6,184 combat casualties, plus 738 cases of trench foot and 620 battle fatigue cases. These figures mean that virtually every front-line soldier is a casualty. The 28th Division has essentially been wiped out.

However, Generals Bradley and Hodges remain determined to take the Hürtgen Forest. Having eliminated the 28th Division, they send in the 4th Infantry Division. This division led the way onto Utah Beach on June 6th, and had been through many battles since. Not many D-Day veterans are still with the division - most are dead or badly wounded by now. Here in the Hürtgen Forest, the 4th Infantry Division is asked to pour out its lifeblood again. Between November 7 and December 3, the 4th Division loses over 7000 men (about ten per company per day). "Replacements flowed in to compensate for the losses but the Hürtgen’s voracious appetite for casualties was greater than the army's ability to provide new troops." Lieutenant Wilson recorded his company's losses at 167 percent for enlisted men. "We had started with a full company of about 162 men and had lost about 287." Sgt. Mack Morris was there with the 4th and reported: "Hurtgen had its fire-breaks, only wide enough to allow two jeeps to pass, and they were mined and interdicted by machine-gun fire. There was a mine every eight paces for three miles. Hurtgen's roads were blocked. The Germans cut roadblocks from trees. They cut them down so they interlocked as they fell. Then they mined and booby trapped them. Finally they registered their artillery on them, and the mortars, and at the sound of men clearing them, they opened fire."

In the English Channel, German submarine U-978 sinks 3 Liberty ships (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_ship).

In Italy, British 8th Army is attacking around Monte Poggiolo and San Varano and US 5th Army captures Monte San Bartolo. US 12th Air Force aircraft provide ground support and attack transportation targets in the Po valley in limited operations due to poor weather conditions.

Pictured: US half-track, camouflaged with foliage, towing an anti-aircraft (AA) gun in the Hürtgen Forrest - as the Allies enjoyed near-total air superiority, AA crews were brought in to use their powerful guns against German infantry



Soldiers of the 461st Antiaircraft Battalion fire a 40mm Bofors



Two GI’s inspect a German machine gun position - around the tunneled outpost are 2 MG42’s, field radio and telephone, rifles, helmets, ammunition, and multiple grenades

 

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November 14, 1944: It’s Tuesday - today marks 23 weeks (161 days) since the D-Day Invasion in Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

In the Hürtgen , the 8th Division is transferred to the V Corps and ordered (along with 2nd Ranger Battalion) to relieve what was left of the shattered 28th Division (which had relieved the 9th Division just two weeks earlier). The 2nd Ranger Battalion, having been a vital part of D-Day, has yet to set foot in Germany, so as they cross the border for the first time (after receiving orders to relieve the battered 2nd Battalion of the 28th Infantry Division), what they see in Vossenack shocks them - there are dead men and animals everywhere in the shattered village. As the Germans spot the changeover, they welcome the Rangers with a heavy barrage, missing the Rangers but hammering the departing 28th Infantry Division. It turns into a massacre and the Ranger medics scramble to save as many men as possible.

The British 12th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) launches attacks to eliminate German positions west of the Maas River around Nederweert, near Venlo. On the right flank of the Allied line, the French 1st Army launches attacks on Belfort. General De Lattres's Free French troops launched a snow-bound attack against Belfort, France. To the north, US 95th Division started capturing forts around Metz, France. US 7th Army attacks around Leintrey, Ste Pole, and Ancerviller

In Italy, British 8th Army continues pushing across the Montone River toward the Samoggia River and the US 12th Air Force manages to get 17 fighters into action in adverse weather conditions.

Pictured: A farmhouse on the main route through Hürtgen served as shelter for the HQ CO. of the 121t IR/8th ID. It became known as the "Hürtgen Hotel.”



Captured German pillbox in the Hürtgen Forest - note the amount of damage it took to breach the pillbox



US Army Sergeant Joseph H. Kadlec delivering Christmas packages sent from home, near Aachen, Nov. 14 1944

 

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

November 15, 1944: In Hürtgen, the Allied forces prepare for Operation Queen, desperately hoping the weather clears allowing the planned bombing raids before tomorrow’s ‘go’ date.
________
1st Battalion 22nd Infantry: Regimental Situation, 15 November
The day by day postponement of the attack from 11 November through 15 November provided the regiment with valuable time for preparation for the attack.
All company grade officers received additional instruction in the conduct of woods fighting and adjustment or artillery fire.
In anticipation of serious communications problems during the attack, plans were made to augment the normal communications system. A surplus of wire and radio equipment was obtained, communications personnel within the rifle battalions was increased, and plans were made to provide double wire lines to all battalions during the attack.
Evacuation difficulties were also expected. To take care of this problem, extra litter squads were organized. Plans were made to use “Weasels” (Carrier, cargo, M-29) to evacuate wounded from areas impassable to the 1/4 ton truck, which proved unable to operate in deep mud. The weasels were not effective since logs, stumps, and rots caused them to throw their tracks very frequently.
All 81-mm mortars of the regiment were massed and placed so as to be capable of supporting any unit of the regiment. Wire communication was maintained between each battalion and the mortar position.
The regiment was supported by the 44th FA Battalion (105-mm
Howitzers), which was reinforced by the fires of the 20th FA Battalion (155-mm Howitzers). Attached to the regiment were the medium tanks or Co. C, 70th Tank Battalion; one platoon or light tanks from Co. D, 70th Tank Battalion; Co. C; 87th Cml Battalion (less one platoon); one platoon Co. C, 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP); one platoon Co. C, 4th Engineer (c) Battalion; and Co. C, 4th Medical Battalion. Tanks and tank destroyers were initially held in reserve, as the rough terrain and dense woods were not suitable for their effective employment.
The regiment planned to attack initially in a column of
battalions, in the order 2nd, 1st, and 3rd.
________

British 2nd Army is attacking toward Zig Canal and US 3rd Army continues attacking all around Metz, to the south of the city, the Metz-Sarrebourg rail line is cut. US 7th Army continues advancing along the line north of St. Die and attacking around Avricourt, Halloville, Ancerville, and Raon-l'Etape while the French 1st Army attacks in the area around Le Tholy, Arcey, Hericourt, Colombier-Fontaine, Ecot, and Ecurcey. US 9th Air Force conducts limited operations due to poor weather conditions.

Over Germany, US 15th Air Force attacks Linz, Innsbruck, and other targets, RAF Bomber Command sends 177 aircraft to attack Dortmund during the day and 36 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

In Italy, US 5th Army captures Modigliana.

Pictured: Members of Anti-Tank Company, 22nd Infantry November 1944 in the Hürtgen Forest



New York Times headlines from November 15, 1944

 

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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

November 16, 1944: Operation Queen commences with one of the heaviest Allied tactical bombings of the war - between 11:13 and 12:48, Allied bombers conduct the preliminary bombings (the ground offensive was to begin immediately after the air raids, allowing the defenders no time to re-establish fortifications, supply routes and communications). 1,204 heavy bombers of the U.S. 8th Air Force hit Eschweiler, Weisweiler and Langerwehe with 4,120 bombs, while 339 fighter bombers of the U.S. 9th Air Force attack Hamich, Hürtgen and Gey with 200 tons of bombs. At the same time, 467 Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster heavy bombers attack Düren and Jülich; 180 British bombers hit Heinsberg - in total over 3,000 aircraft of the British RAF and US 8th Air Force drop 10,000 tons of bombs on the German Siegfried defenses in the Hürtgen Forest. The result of the bombing is mixed - the German towns hit suffer from severe destruction. German communications after the bombing are heavily impaired, and there is a considerable effect on the morale, especially on units consisting of more younger and inexperienced troops. However, the direct damage dealt to the German frontline troops is low, and casualties are few. Allied air commanders admit that the bombing did not measure up to expectations. About 12 aircraft are shot down during the initial bombing by meager anti-aircraft fire.

The operation - aimed against the Rur River, as a staging point for a subsequent thrust over the river to the Rhine into Germany - is conducted by the 1st and 9th U.S. Armies. The US 1st Army attacks toward Duren, east of Aachen. To the left, the US 9th Army advances toward Geilenkirchen and Eschweiler with the objective of reaching the Roer River. The two infantry regiments attack in parallel columns: the 8th along the northern edge of the forest towards Düren, the 22nd further south in parallel. The open flanks invite infiltration. Similar tactics elsewhere in Hürtgen "invited disaster". Attacks by the 8th Infantry Regiment on Rother Weh Creek hit heavy resistance and are repulsed with heavy losses. The 22nd fails to take Raven′s Hedge (Rabenheck), beaten back by heavy machine-gun and artillery fire along the firebreaks. After three days, there were 300 losses, including officers and NCOs.

Further north, British 2nd Army captures Meijel unopposed and reaches Zig canal. US 3rd Army continues attacking around Metz, US 7th Army attacks Barbas and Nonhigny and the French 1st Army is attacking around Ste Marie, Montbeliard, and Roches-les-Blamont.

With sufficient ports now usable by the Allies in Europe, the Red Ball Express was shut down. The Red Ball Express was an enormous truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in 1944. The route, marked with red balls, was closed to civilian traffic; the trucks were marked with the same red balls and also given priority on regular roads.

In Italy, British 8th Army pauses for regrouping along the Montone River and Cosina River while US 5th Army does the same. US 12th Air Force aircraft provide ground support and attack transportation targets in the Po valley and at the Brenner Pass.

Pictured: The ruins of Düren, 97% of which was destroyed on November 16th as part of the massive bombing campaign of Operation Queen. Duren had 6,431 houses before the assault, and only 131 after. There is no building in Duren today which dates from before 1945.



Captured Tiger II with improvised US markings



Map of Operation Queen, ‘The Drive To The Roer’

 
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