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Some WW2 photos of the Hurtgen forest - rarely mentioned in history, it was something the US forces were not so eager to remember. It was the brutal fight which preceded the much more talked about "Battle of the Bulge". Over 50,000 troops died in a little over 3 months of fighting, progress wasn't measured in miles but metres.
WW2 Sherman tank treads melted into the ground still there today - Kall Valley, Hurtgenwald
The same forest trail entering the Kall Valley. This was the one and only route available for the US divisions to move their tanks and infantry. Mines were everywhere and tanks frequently blocked the path- they were simply rolled down the hill.
Relics still scatter the forest today - some only a few cm under the surface. Because of this, people are strictly advised to stay on the paths and not to venture off into the trees. Every village in Germany today has a 24/7 bomb disposal unit and the Hurtgenwald area is one of the busiest areas. People still die today from the countless unexploded ordinance.
Most of the German defensive structures were so well built, they were not easily destroyed so they too still scatter the forest today.
Foxholes/trenches had to be covered with logs and other forms of protection to shield the troops from treebursts. The forest was so dark during the winter months they often had to spend 16 hours a day shivering in them, their clothes wet and in pitch darkness, just waiting for the break of dawn and the inevitable artillery which followed. Trench foot and combat fatigue cases were severe.
WW2 Sherman tank treads melted into the ground still there today - Kall Valley, Hurtgenwald
The same forest trail entering the Kall Valley. This was the one and only route available for the US divisions to move their tanks and infantry. Mines were everywhere and tanks frequently blocked the path- they were simply rolled down the hill.
Relics still scatter the forest today - some only a few cm under the surface. Because of this, people are strictly advised to stay on the paths and not to venture off into the trees. Every village in Germany today has a 24/7 bomb disposal unit and the Hurtgenwald area is one of the busiest areas. People still die today from the countless unexploded ordinance.
Most of the German defensive structures were so well built, they were not easily destroyed so they too still scatter the forest today.
Foxholes/trenches had to be covered with logs and other forms of protection to shield the troops from treebursts. The forest was so dark during the winter months they often had to spend 16 hours a day shivering in them, their clothes wet and in pitch darkness, just waiting for the break of dawn and the inevitable artillery which followed. Trench foot and combat fatigue cases were severe.
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