Battle of Aachen

through the front near Aachen.[18] Hodges had initially

hoped to bypass the city itself, believing it to be held only
by a small garrison, which would presumably surrender
once isolated.

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 221 October
1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried
Line, the main defensive network on Germanys western
border; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and advance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although most
of Aachens civilian population was evacuated before the
battle began, much of the city was destroyed and both
sides suered heavy losses. It was one of the largest urban battles fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and
the rst city on German soil to be captured by the Allies.
The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tenacious defense signicantly disrupted Allied plans for the
advance into Germany.[2]

The ancient, picturesque city of Aachen had little military value in itself, as it was not a major center of war
production. Its population of around 165,000 had not
been subject to heavy bombing by the Allies.[19] It was,
however, an important symbol to both the Nazi regime
and the German people; not only was it the rst German city threatened by an enemy during World War II, it
was also the historic capital of Charlemagne, founder of
the First Reich.[20] As such, it was of immense psychological value.[21] The mindset of the citys defenders was
further altered by the dierent attitude the local population had toward them as they fought on home soil for the
rst time; one German ocer commented, Suddenly we
were no longer the Nazis, we were German soldiers.[22]

Background

Aachen and its sector of the front were protected by

the Siegfried Line, consisting of several belts of interconnected pillboxes, forts, and bunkers protected by extensive mineelds, dragons teeth anti-tank obstacles,
and barbed wire entanglements.[23] In several areas, German defenses were over 10 miles (16 km) deep.[24] It
was, in the words of historian Stephen Ambrose, undoubtedly the most formidable man-made defense ever
contrived.[25] Learning from their experiences on the
Eastern Front, the Germans ran their main line of resistance down the center of towns located in the defensive wall, taking advantage of narrow streets to limit the
mobility of enemy armored vehicles.[26] Despite the low
quality of many of the troops manning them, the fortications protecting Aachen and the Ruhr were a formidable
obstacle to the progress of American forces,[27] who saw
a breakthrough in this sector as crucial, as the terrain behind Aachen was generally at, and therefore highly favorable to the motorized Allied armies.[28]

By September 1944, the Western Allies had reached Germanys western border,[3] which was protected by the
extensive Siegfried Line.[4] On 17 September, British,
American, and Polish forces launched Operation Market Garden,[5] an ambitious attempt to bypass the
Siegfried Line by crossing the Lower Rhine River in the
Netherlands.[6] The failure of this operation,[7] and an
acute supply problem brought about by the long distances
involved in the rapid drive through France,[8] brought an
end to the headlong Allied race toward Berlin.[9] German casualties in France had been high - Field Marshal
Walter Model estimated that his 74 divisions had the actual strength of just 25 [10] - but the Western Allies logistical problems gave the Germans a respite, which they
used to begin rebuilding their strength.[11] In September, the Wehrmacht high commands reinforcement of
the Siegfried Line brought total troop strength up to
an estimated 230,000 soldiers, including 100,000 fresh
personnel.[12] At the start of the month, the Germans had
had about 100 tanks in the West;[13] by the end, they had
roughly 500.[11] As men and equipment continued to ow
into the Siegfried Line they were able to establish an average defensive depth of 3.0 miles (4.8 km).[14]

Fighting around Aachen began as early as the second

week of September, in a period known to the Germans as
the First Battle of Aachen.[29] At this time, the city was
defended by the 116th Panzer Division, under the command of General Gerhard von Schwerin.[30] The proximity of Allied forces had caused the majority of the citys
government ocials to ee before the evacuation of its
citizens was complete.[31] (For this, Hitler had all Nazi
ocials who had ed stripped of rank and sent to the
Eastern front as privates.)[32] Instead of continuing the
evacuation, von Schwerin opted to surrender the city to
Allied forces;[33] however, on 13 September, before he

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force

(SHAEF), under the command of General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, set their sights on the occupation of the
Ruhr, Germanys industrial heartland.[15] General George
S. Patton's Third Army was given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine,[16][17] while General
Courtney Hodges's First Army was ordered to break
1

2 COMPARISON OF FORCES

visions, as well as the 9th and 116th Panzer Divisions,

o the line.[12] In October, responsibility for the Aachen
sectors defense was given to General Friedrich Kchling's LXXXI Corps, which included the 183rd and 246th
Volksgrenadier Divisions, as well as the 12th and 49th
Infantry Divisions.[39] These forces, along with the attached 506th Tank Battalion and 108th Tank Brigade,
numbered roughly 20,000 men and 11 tanks.[40] Kchling was also promised a reformed 116th Panzer Division
and the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, numbering a total
of some 24,000 personnel.[41] The 246th Volksgrenadier
Division replaced the 116th Panzer Division in Aachen
proper, the 183rd Volksgrenadier Division and 49th InKnocked-out German Panzer IV and Tiger I tanks during the fantry Division defended the northern approaches, and
ghting on the Western Front
the 12th Infantry Division was positioned to the south.[42]
On 7 October, elements of the 1st SS Panzer Division
could deliver a letter of capitulation he had written, von Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler were released to reinforce
Schwerin was ordered to launch a counterattack against the defense of Aachen.[43]
American forces penetrating southwest of Aachen, which Although reinforcements continued to arrive, LXXXI
he did, using elements of his panzergrenadier forces.[34] Corps units suered heavily; the 12th Infantry Division
The German generals attempt to surrender the city would had lost half its combat strength between 1623 Septemsoon become irrelevant, as his letter was never delivered; ber, and the 49th and 275th Infantry Divisions had had
instead, it fell into the hands of Adolf Hitler, who or- to be pulled o the line to recuperate.[44] While German
dered the generals immediate arrest. He was replaced by infantry divisions generally had a strength of 15,000
General Gerhard Wilck.[35] The United States VII Corps 17,000 soldiers at the start of World War II, this had gradcontinued to probe German defenses, despite the resis- ually been reduced to an ocial (table of organization)
tance encountered on 1213 September.[36] Between 14 size of 12,500, and by November 1944, the average ac16 September the US 1st Infantry Division continued its tual strength of a Heer division was 8,761 men.[45][46] In
advance in the face of strong defenses and repeated coun- an attempt to cope with the manpower shortages plaguing
terattacks, ultimately creating a half-moon arc around the the Wehrmacht, the Volksgrenadier divisions were crecity.[37] This slow advance came to a halt in late Septem- ated in 1944. Their average total strength was just over
ber, due to the supply problem, and the diversion of exist- 10,000 men per division.[47] Although about 1 of these
4
ing stocks of fuel and ammunition for Operation Market were experienced veterans, half were fresh conscripts and
Garden in the Netherlands.[38]
convalescents, while the remainder were transferees from

2
2.1

Comparison of forces
German defenders in Aachen

the Luftwae and Kriegsmarine.[48] These divisions often received the newest small-arms, but were decient
in artillery and motorization, severely limiting their tactical usefulness.[49] In the case of LXXXI Corps, the
183rd Volksgrenadier Division, though overstrength by
643 men, had only been activated in September, meaning that the division had not had time to train as a unit.[50]
The 246th Volksgrenadier Division was in a similar state,
many of its personnel having received fewer than ten days
of infantry training.[51][52] All of these deciencies of
personnel were oset somewhat by the inherent strength
of the well-planned, well-constructed fortications surrounding Aachen.[53]

2.2 American forces

The task of taking Aachen fell to General Charles H.
Corlett's XIX Corps 30th Infantry Division and Joseph
[39]
General LeField Marshal Model visiting the 246th Volksgrenadier Division Collins' VII Corps 1st Infantry Division.
land Hobbs 30th Infantry Division would be assisted by
in Aachen
the 2nd Armored Division, which would exploit the 30th
The Wehrmacht took advantage of the brief respite on Divisions penetration of the Siegfried Line, while their
the front by pulling the 1st, 2nd and 12th SS Panzer Di- anks were protected by the 29th Infantry Division.[54]

3
near total.[64]

3 Battle

German grenadiers patrol near Aachen, Germany.

In the south, 1st Infantry Division was supported by the

9th Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division.[55]
These divisions had used the brief respite in the ghting
during the last two weeks of September to rest and ret,
taking in a large number of replacements.[56] By 1 October, over 70% of the men of General Clarence Huebner's
1st Infantry Division were replacements, and the last two
weeks of September were spent giving these men villageghting and weapons training.[57] The impending oensives plan called for both infantry divisions to avoid street
ghting in Aachen; instead, the two divisions would link
up and encircle the city, assigning a relatively small force
to capture it while the bulk of US forces continued push- Section of the Battle of Aachen
ing east.[19]
For six days prior to the beginning of the American
Although American units were usually able to replenish
oensive, Allied heavy artillery targeted German detheir numbers quickly, the replacements rarely had suffenses around Aachen.[65] Although the heavy bombardcient tactical training. Many junior ocers were short
ment forced the German LXXXI Corps to halt all dayon tactical and leadership abilities.[58] Some tankers were
light personnel and supply movements, it had little efshipped to Europe without having so much as driven a
fect on the pillboxes and strongpoints.[64] The opening
car before; some tank commanders were forced to teach
aerial bombardment on 2 October also caused little damtheir men how to load and re their tank guns in the eld
age to German defensive positions; the 450 aircraft which
[59]
prior to missions. The American replacement system,
took part in the rst wave failed to register a single diwhich focused on quantity over quality, ensured that the
rect hit on any German pillbox.[66] Their targets had been
majority of fresh troops reaching the front lines were not
largely obscured by thick smoke from the Allied artillery
properly trained for combat.[60] It was not unusual for half
barrage.[67] As the aircraft nished their assault, the arof a units replacements to become casualties within the
tillery resumed bombarding the front lines, ring 18,696
rst few days of combat.[61] These tremendous frontline
shells from 372 gun tubes within a couple of hours.[68]
losses required ever-more troops to be fed into the ghting; for instance, a freshly reinforced battalion of the US
28th Infantry Division was immediately thrown into di3.1 Advance from the north: 28 October
rect assaults against Aachen to buttress the depleted US
1st Infantry Division during the nal stages of the battle The 30th Infantry Division began its advance on 2 Ocon 1821 October.[62]
tober, using divisional heavy artillery to target German
These forces were supported by the Ninth Air Force,
which had pin-pointed 75% of the pillboxes along the
frontlines and planned an opening bombardment including 360 bombers and 72 ghters; fresh aircraft would
be used for a second aerial wave, which included the
use of napalm.[63] With the Germans having few antiaircraft batteries and severely limited support from the
Luftwae, Allied dominance of the sky over Aachen was

pillboxes; even then it took, on average, thirty minutes

to capture a single pillbox. The Americans found that if
they failed to immediately press on to the next pillbox, the
Germans were sure to counterattack.[69] Heavy resistance
had not been expected, and one company lost 87 combatants in an hour;[70] another lost 93 out of 120 soldiers to a
German artillery strike.[71] The attackers were slowly able
to cross the Wurm River and engage German pillboxes

4
with amethrowers and explosive charges.[72] By the afternoon of 2 October, elements of the 30th Infantry Division had breached German defenses and reached the town
of Palenberg.[73] Here, GIs advanced house-to-house and
fought a number of gruesome hand grenade duels.[74]
(Private Harold G. Kiner would be awarded the Medal
of Honor for throwing himself on a German grenade near
Palenberg, thus saving the lives of two fellow soldiers).[75]
Fighting in the town of Rimburg was equally terrible;
American armor had not been able to get across the
Wurm River, and therefore could not provide re support
to infantrymen who were attempting to storm a medieval
castle being used as a fort by the Germans.[76] The 30th
Infantry Division subdued roughly 50 German pillboxes
on the rst day of the advance, often having to envelop
the structure and attack from the rear.[77] The divisions
eort was aided by the 29th Infantry Divisions diversionary attacks on their ank, leading the Germans to believe
that that was the Americans main attack.[78] On the night
of 2 October, the German 902nd Assault Gun Battalion
was ordered to launch a counterattack against the 30th
Infantry Division, but Allied artillery delayed the start of
the raid, and ultimately the attempt failed.[79]
Although American armor became available to support
the advance on 3 October, the attacking forces were
brought to an abrupt halt after a number of German
counterattacks.[79] The town of Rimburg was taken on the
second day of the oensive, but ghting through German
defenses remained slow as M4 Sherman tanks and 155millimeter (6.1 in) artillery guns were brought up to blast
pillboxes at point blank range.[80] Fighting had also begun to develop for the town of bach, where American
tanks rushed in to take the town, only to be pinned down
by German artillery. Fierce counterattacks followed, with
American artillery re narrowly preventing the Germans
from retaking it.[81] By the end of the day, the forcing of the Wurm River and the creation of a bridgehead
had cost the 30th Infantry Division around 300 dead and
wounded.[82]

3 BATTLE
forces to properly defend the approaches to Aachen, the
counterattacks did tie down American troops which could
have otherwise continued the advance.[83] On 4 October, the Allied advance was limited, with only the towns
of Hoverdor and Beggendorf taken, the Americans having lost roughly 1,800 soldiers in the past three days of
combat.[84] Better progress was made on 5 October, as the
119th Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division captured
Merkstein-Herbach.[85] The following day the Germans
launched another counterattack against bach, again failing to dislodge the Americans.[86] German armor was unable to cope with the overwhelming numerical superiority
of the American tanks, and as a last-ditch eort to halt
the advance the Germans began concentrated attacks on
American positions with what artillery and aircraft they
could muster.[87] They found themselves severely hamstrung by lack of reserves,[88] although General Koechling was able to deploy a Tiger detachment to the town of
Alsdorf in an attempt to plug the American penetration
of Aachens northern defenses.[89]
A counterattack developed on 8 October, composed of
an infantry regiment, the 1st Assault Battalion, a battle
group of the 108th Panzer Brigade, and some 40 armored
ghting vehicles scavenged from available units.[90] Although hindered by American artillery, the left wing of
the attack managed to cut o an American platoon, while
the right wing reached a road junction north of the town
of Alsdorf.[91] A platoon of Shermans supporting an attack on the town of Mariadorf suddenly found themselves being attacked from the rear, and were able to repel the Germans only after heavy ghting.[92] Two German Sturmgeschtz IV self-propelled assault guns and a
squad of infantry entered Alsdorf, where they were heavily counterattacked. Although the two lumbering vehicles
somehow eluded American tanks, they were nally engaged by American infantry and forced back to their starting point.[93] With casualties mounting and the Americans drawing closer, the German high command transferred the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division to Aachen,[94]
followed by the I SS Panzer Corps, which included the
116th Panzer Division and SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
101, an element of the 1st SS Panzer Division.[95]

3.2 Advance from the south: 811 October

Wehrmacht soldier on the Western Front

German forces continued their counterattacks on bach,

suering heavy casualties to American artillery and infantry re. Although the inability to retake bach persuaded German commanders that they had insucient

In the south, the 1st Infantry Division began its offensive on 8 October, aiming to capture the town of
Verlautenheide and Hill 231 (dubbed Crucix Hill)
near the town of Ravelsberg.[96] Their attack was preceded by a massive artillery barrage, which helped them
seize their objectives quickly.[97] On Crucix Hill, Captain Bobbie E. Brown, commander of C Company, 18th
Infantry, personally silenced three pillboxes with pole
charges [98] and, despite being wounded, continued to
lead his men into the attack, earning the Medal of
Honor.[99] By 10 October, the 1st Infantry Division was at
its designated position for link-up with the 30th Infantry

3.3

Link up: 1116 October

German motorized infantry in the West, riding in a Sd.Kfz. 251

half-track

Division.[100] This success was met with a German counterattack toward Hill 231, which was the scene of an intense reght; the battle ended with the Germans leaving
over 40 dead and 35 prisoners.[101] Despite repeated German counterattacks slowing its advance, the 1st Infantry
Division was able to capture the high ground surrounding
the city.[102]
On 10 October, General Huebner delivered an ultimatum to German forces in Aachen, threatening to bomb the
city into submission if the garrison didn't surrender.[103]
The German commander categorically refused.[104] In re- German artilleryman loading a round into an 8.8cm Flak 36 or
sponse, American artillery began to pound the city on 37
11 October, ring an estimated 5,000 shells, or over 169
short tons (153 t) of explosives; it was also subjected to
intense bombardment by American aircraft.[105]
The same day (12 October), to the south, two German
infantry regiments attempted to retake Crucix Hill from
GIs of the 1st Infantry Division. In erce ghting the Germans temporarily took control of the hill, but were dis3.3 Link up: 1116 October
lodged by the end of the day, with both regiments virtu[114]
From 1113 October, Allied aircraft
American casualties were climbing, both from fre- ally destroyed.
bombarded
Aachen,
selecting targets closest to American
quent German counterattacks and the cost of stormlines;
on
14
October,
the 26th Infantry Regiment was or[106]
ing pillboxes.
The Germans had spent the night of
dered
to
clear
an
industrial
zone on the edge of Aachen
10 October turning cellars of houses in the town of
in
preparation
for
the
attack
on the city itself.[115] On 15
Bardenberg into fortied pillboxes; American attackers
were forced to withdraw and instead shell the town into October, in an eort to widen the gap between the two
submission.[107] On 12 October, the Germans launched a American pincers, the Germans again counterattacked
major counterattack against the American 30th Infantry the 1st Infantry Division; although a number of heavy
Division.[108] It was disrupted by heavy artillery re and tanks managed to break through American lines, the bulk
forces were destroyed by artillery and air
well-placed anti-tank defenses.[109] At the village of Birk, of the German
[116]
On
the next day, the Germans attempted to
support.
a three-hour ght broke out between German tanks and
mount
local
counterattacks
with the 3rd Panzergrenadier
a single American Sherman; the Sherman managed to
Division,
but,
after
sustaining
heavy losses, were forced
knock out an enemy Panzer IV and force another one to
[117]
to
suspend
further
oensive
action.
[110]
This lone
withdraw, but was soon attacked by others.
tank was eventually joined by elements of the 2nd Armored Division, and the Germans were driven from the
town.[111] The 30th Infantry Division soon found itself in
defensive positions all along its front; nevertheless, it was
ordered to continue pushing south for its intended linkup with the 1st Infantry Division.[112] To accomplish this,
two infantry battalions from the 29th Infantry Division
were attached to the hard-pressed 30th.[113]

The 30th Infantry Division, with elements of the 29th

Infantry and 2nd Armored divisions, continued its push
southwards between 1316 October, in the sector of the
village of Wrselen; however, even with heavy air support, they were unsuccessful in breaking through German defenses and linking up with allied forces to the
south.[118] The Germans took advantage of the narrow
front to pound advancing attackers with artillery, and

3 BATTLE

progress remained slow as German tanks used houses

as bunkers to surprise and overwhelm American foot
soldiers.[119] General Hobbs, commander of the 30th Infantry Division, then attempted to outank the German
defenses by attacking along another sector with two infantry battalions.[120] The attack was a success, allowing the 30th and 1st Infantry Divisions to link up on
16 October.[121] The ghting had so far cost the American XIX Corps over 400 dead and 2,000 wounded, with
72% of those from the 30th Infantry Division.[122] The
Germans had not fared any better, as up to 14 October
around 630 of their soldiers had been killed and 4,400
wounded;[123] another 600 were lost in the 3rd Panzergrenadier Divisions counterattack on the US 1st Infantry
Division on 16 October.[124]

3.4

Fight for the city: 1321 October

trained, and were only supported by a handful of tanks

and assault guns.[128] However, Aachens defenders could
make use of the maze of streets which occupied its historical center.[122]
The 26th Infantrys initial attack on 13 October provided
important insight on the nature of the ghting; American infantry had been ambushed by German defenders
using sewers and cellars, forcing the advancing American infantry to clear each opening before continuing down
streets, while Sherman tanks found it impossible to maneuver to suppress enemy re.[129] German civilians were
cleared as the 26th Infantry advanced; no Germans were
allowed to remain in the Americans rear.[130] Success
in Aachen was measured by the number of houses captured, as the advance proved to be sluggish; in order
to cope with the thick walls of the older buildings in
the city, the 26th Infantry Regiment used howitzers at
point blank range to destroy German fortications.[131]
The howitzer created passageways that allowed infantrymen to advance from building to building without having to enter the citys streets, where they could be pinned
down by enemy re.[132] Sherman tanks were ambushed,
as they entered intersections, by concealed German antitank guns.[133] Soon thereafter, American tanks and other
armored vehicles would advance cautiously, often shooting buildings ahead of the accompanying infantry to clear
them of possible defenders.[134] Pinned on the surface
by Allied aircraft, German infantrymen would use sewers to deploy behind American formations to attack them
from the rear.[135] German resistance was erce,[136] as
they launched small counterattacks and used armor to halt
American movements.[137]
On 18 October, the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Infantry
Regiment prepared to assault the Hotel Quellenhof,
which was one of the last areas of resistance in the
city.[138] American tanks and other guns were ring on the
hotel, which was the citys defense headquarters, at point
blank range.[139] That night, 300 soldiers of the 1st SS
Battalion were able to reinforce the hotel and defeat several attacks on the building.[140] A furious German counterattack managed to overrun a number of American infantry positions outside of the hotel, and temporarily released pressure on the Quellenhof before being beaten o
by concerted American mortar re.[141]

German prisoners in Aachen

Needing most of its manpower to stave o German counterattacks and secure the area around Aachen, the 1st Infantry Division was able to earmark only a single regiment for the job of taking the city. The task fell to
the 26th Infantry Regiment, which had only two of its
three battalions on hand.[125] Armed with machine guns
and amethrowers, the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Battalions
would at rst be aided only by a few tanks and a single
155-millimeter (6.1 in) howitzer.[126] The city was defended by roughly 5,000 German troops, including converted navy, air force and city police personnel.[127] For
the most part, these soldiers were inexperienced and un-

Two events then aided the nal advance. First, to lessen

frontline infantry casualties, it was decided to barrage
remaining German strongpoints with 155 mm guns.[142]
Secondly, to assist the 1st Infantry Division, a battalion
of the 110th Infantry Regiment, US 28th Infantry Division, had been moved up from the V Corps sector on
18 October to close a gap between forward 26th Infantry
Regiment elements within the city. The defensive mission of this new battalion was changed on 1920 October
to closely support the urban assault, participating as the
depleted regiments missing third battalion. On 21 October, soldiers of the 26th Infantry Regiment, supported
by the reinforced battalion of the 110th Infantry Regi-

7
ment nally conquered central Aachen;[143] that day also [10] Cooper (1978), p. 513
marked the surrender of the last German garrison, in the
[11] McCarthy & Syron (2002), pp. 219220
Hotel Quellenhof, ending the battle for the city.[144]
[12] Yeide (2005), p. 55

Aftermath

[13] Yeide (2005), p. 25

[14] Yeide (2005), pp. 2526

The Battle of Aachen had cost both the Americans and

Germans dearly; the former suered over 5,000 casualties, while the latter lost over 5,000 casualties and 5,600
taken prisoner.[1] Since 2 October 1944, the 30th Infantry
Division suered roughly 3,000 men killed and wounded,
while the 1st Infantry Division took at least 1,350 casualties (150 killed and 1,200 wounded).[138] The Germans
lost another 5,100 casualties during the ghting in Aachen
itself, including 3,473 prisoners.[145] In the process of the
battle, the Wehrmacht lost two complete divisions and
had another eight severely depleted, including three fresh
infantry divisions and a single retted armored division;
this was largely attributed to how they fought, as although
an equivalent of 20 infantry battalions had been used during various counterattacks against the 30th Infantry Division alone, on average each separate attack only involved
two infantry regiments.[146] During the conict, the Germans also developed a respect for the ghting ability of
American forces, noting their capability to re indiscriminately with overwhelming amounts of artillery re support and armored forces.[147] Both the 30th Infantry and
1st Infantry divisions received distinguished unit citations
for their actions at Aachen.[148]
However, German resistance in Aachen upset Allied
plans to continue their eastward advance.[149] Following
the end of ghting in Aachen, the Western Allies First
Army was tasked with the capture of a series of dams
behind the Hrtgen Forest, which could be used by the
Germans to ood the valleys which opened the road to
Berlin.[150] This would lead to the Battle of Hrtgen Forest, which was to prove more dicult than the Battle of
Aachen.[151]

[15] Whitlock (2008), p. 34

[16] Ambrose (1998), p. 249
[17] Ambrose (1997), p. 136
[18] Mansoor (1999), p. 181
[19] Ambrose (1997), p. 146
[20] Whitlock (2008), p. 36; Hitler considered Charlemagnes
Holy Roman Empire the First Reich.
[21] Rule (2003), p. 59
[22] Ambrose (1998), pp. 146147
[23] Whiting (1976), p. 28
[24] Whiting (1976), pp. 2829
[25] Ambrose (1997), p. 144
[26] Ambrose (1997), pp. 144145
[27] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, pp. 163164
[28] Yeide (2005), p. 34
[29] Yeide (2005), p. 35
[30] Whiting (1976), pp. 3334
[31] Whiting (1976), p. 35
[32] Ambrose (1998), p. 147
[33] Whiting (1976), pp. 3537
[34] Whiting (1976), p. 43
[35] Whitlock (2008), p. 37

Notes

[36] Hitlers Army, pp. 313314

[37] Hitlers Army, pp. 315318

[1] Ambrose (1997), p. 151

[38] Hitlers Army, pp. 318319

[2] Video: Allies Set For Oensive. Universal Newsreel. 1944.

Retrieved 21 February 2012.

[39] Rule (2003), p. 60

[3] Ambrose (1997), p. 117

[40] Whiting (1976), p. 80

[4] Ambrose (1997), p. 132

[41] Whiting (1976), p. 81

[5] Ambrose (1998), p. 238

[42] Ferrell (2000), pp. 3132

[6] Ambrose (1997), p. 118119

[7] Ambrose (1998), p. 247

[43] Ferrell (2000), p. 32, claims it was a panzer corps; Whiting (1976), pp. 114115, claries that this was the 1st
Panzer Battalion of the 1st SS Panzer Division.

[8] Mansoor (1999), p. 178

[44] Hitlers Army, p. 320

[9] Mansoor (1999), p. 179

[45] Hitlers Army, p. 33

5 NOTES

[46] Fighting Power, p. 56

[81] Whitlock (2008), p. 40

[47] Hitlers Army, pp. 3334

[82] Whiting (1976), p. 96

[48] Hitlers Army, p. 34

[83] Hitlers Army, p. 326

[49] Hitlers Army, pp. 3435

[84] Whiting (1976), p. 98

[50] Yeide (2005), p. 59

[85] Yeide (2005), p. 68

[51] Yeide (2005), pp. 5960

[86] Yeide (2005), p. 70

[52] Yeide (2005), p. 60

[87] Whiting (1976), pp. 190191

[53] Mansoor (1999), p. 182

[88] Whiting (1976), pp. 102103

[54] Hitlers Army p. 321

[89] Yeide (2005), p. 71

[55] Whitlock (2008), pp. 3738

[90] Hitlers Army, p. 327

[56] Whiting (1976), pp. 7677

[91] Yeide (2005), pp. 7172

[57] Ambrose (1997), p. 145

[92] Yeide (2005), p. 72

[58] Ambrose (1998), p. 260

[93] Yeide (2005), p. 73

[59] Ambrose (1998), p. 262

[94] Rule (2003), pp. 6364

[60] Ambrose (1998), pp. 262263

[95] Yeide (2005), pp. 7778

[61] Ambrose (1998), p. 264

[96] Whiting (1976), pp. 106108

[62] Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An En- [97]

cyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from
Battalion through Division, 1939-1946, Stackpole Books [98]
(Revised Edition 2006), p. 105; other details of US unit [99]
commitments at Aachen can also be found on pp. 50, 51,
and 76 of the same volume.
[100]

Rule (2003), pp. 6263

Whitlock (2008), pp. 4041
Whitlock (2008), p. 41
Ferrell (2000), p. 33

[63] Whiting (1976), p. 82

[101] Yeide (2005), p. 76

[64] Hitlers Army, p. 323

[102] Yeide (2005), pp. 7677

[65] Ambrose (1997), p. 147

[103] Whiting (1976), p. 110

[66] Rule (2003), pp. 6061

[104] Whiting (1976), p. 111

[67] Ambrose (1997), pp. 147148

[105] Whiting (1976), pp. 111-112

[68] Ambrose (1997), p. 148

[106] Whiting (1976), pp. 113114

[69] Ambrose (1997), pp. 148149

[107] Hitlers Army, p. 329

[70] Hitlers Army, pp. 323324

[108] Yeide (2005), p. 80

[71] Whiting (1976), p. 89

[109] Yeide (2005), pp. 8081

[72] Whiting (1976), pp. 8990

[110] Whiting (1976), p. 115

[73] Whitlock (2008), p. 39

[111] Whiting (1976), pp. 115116

[74] Whiting (1976), p. 91

[112] Whiting (1976), pp. 117118

[75] Whitlock (2008), pp. 3940

[113] Yeide (2005), p. 81

[76] Whiting (1976), pp. 9192

[114] Yeide (2005), pp. 8182

[77] Rule (2003), pp. 6162

[115] Yeide (2005), p. 82

[78] Rule (2003), p. 62

[116] Hitlers Army, p. 331

[79] Hitlers Army, p. 324

[117] Hitlers Army, pp. 331332

[80] Whiting (1976), p. 93

[118] Hitlers Army, p. 330

[119] Yeide (2005), p. 83

[120] Whiting (1976), pp. 122123
[121] Yeide (2005), p. 87
[122] Yeide (2005), p. 88
[123] Yeide (2005), p. 84
[124] Yeide (2005), pp. 8788

6 References
Spiller, Roger J., ed. (1991). Combined Arms in
Battle Since 1939. U.S. Army Command and General Sta College Press. OCLC 25629732.
the ed. of Command magazine (1995). Hitlers
Army: The Evolution and Structure of German
Forces, 19331945. Conshohocken, PA: Combined
Books Inc. ISBN 0-938289-55-1.

[125] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 164

[126] Whitlock (2008), p. 42
[127] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, pp. 164166
[128] Rule (2003), p. 66
[129] Whiting (1976), pp. 137139
[130] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 167
[131] Rule (2003), pp. 6667
[132] Whitlock (2008), pp. 4243
[133] Whitlock (2008), p. 43
[134] Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, pp. 167168
[135] Yeide (2005), p. 93
[136] Yeide (2005), p. 92
[137] 'Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 168
[138] Whitlock (2008), p. 45
[139] Whiting (1976), p. 148
[140] Whiting (197), pp. 149150
[141] Whiting (1976), pp. 151154
[142] Whiting (1976), p. 176
[143] Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from
Battalion through Division, 1939-1946, Stackpole Books
(Revised Edition 2006), p. 105
[144] Combed Arms in Battle Since 1939, p. 169
[145] Hitlers Army, pp. 333334
[146] Hitlers Army, pp. 334335
[147] Monsoor (1999), pp. 184185
[148] Monsoor (1999), p. 184
[149] Hitlers Army p. 335
[150] Ambrose (1997), p. 167
[151] Ambrose (1997), pp. 167168

Ambrose, Stephen E. (1997). Citizen Soldiers: The

U.S. Army From the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge
to the Surrender of Germany. New York City, New
York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81525-7.
Ambrose, Stephen E. (1998). Victors. New York
City, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-68485628-X.
Cooper, Matthew (1978). The German Army 19331945. Lanham, Maryland: Scarborough House.
ISBN 0-8128-8519-8.
Ferrell, Bruce K. (NovemberDecember 2000).
(decade)/nd00/6aachen00.pdf The Battle of
Aachen Check |url= scheme (help) (PDF).
ARMOR magazine (Fort Knox, Kentucky: US
Army Armor Center). ISSN 0004-2420.
Mansoor, Peter R. (1999). The GI Oensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions,
19411945. Lawrence, Kansas: Kansas University
Press. ISBN 0-7006-0958-X.
McCarthy, Peter; Mike Syryon (2002). Panzerkieg:
The Rise and Fall of Hitlers Tank Divisions. New
York City, New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 07867-1009-8.
Rule, Richard (April 2003). Bloody Aachen. Military Heritage (Herndon, Virginia: Sovereign Media) 4 (5). ISSN 1524-8666.
Stanton, Shelby. World War II Order of Battle: An
Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces
from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0157-0.
Whiting, Charles (1976). Bloody Aachen. Briarcli
Manor, New York: Stein and Day.
Whitlock, Flint (December 2008). Breaking Down
the Door. WWII History (Herndon, Virginia:
Sovereign Media) 7 (7). ISSN 1539-5456.
Yeide, Harry (2005). The Longest Battle: September
1944 to February 1945. St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press.
ISBN 0-7603-2155-8.

10

7 FURTHER READING

Further reading
Chapters XI, XII and XIII. MacDonald, Charles B.
(1990) [1963]. The Siegfried Line Campaign. The
United States Army in World War II. United States
Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 7-7-1.
freeaachen44.de: web site about the battle (in German and in English)
Gabel, Christopher R. Knock 'Em All Down": The
Reduction of Aachen, October 1944. Combat Studies Institute, United States Army Command and
General Sta College.

11

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