Hell in Hürtgen Forest: The Ordeal and Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment (Modern War Studies) - Hardcover

Rush, Robert S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0700611282 ISBN 13: 9780700611287

Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas, 2001

Synopsis

Some of the most brutally intense infantry combat in World War II occurred within Germany's Hürtgen Forest. Focusing on the bitterly fought battle between the American 22d Infantry Regiment and elements of the German LXXIV Korps around Grosshau, Rush chronicles small-unit combat at its most extreme and shows why, despite enormous losses, the Americans persevered in the Hürtgenwald "meat grinder."

On 16 November 1944, the 22d Infantry entered the Hürtgen Forest as part of the U.S. Army's drive to cross the Roer River. During the next eighteen days, the 22d suffered more than 2,800 casualties--or about 86 percent of its normal strength of about 3,250 officers and men. After three days of fighting, the regiment had lost all three battalion commanders. After seven days, rifle company strengths stood at 50 percent and by battle's end each had suffered nearly 140 percent casualties.

Despite these horrendous losses, the 22d Regiment survived and fought on, due in part to army personnel policies that ensured that unit strengths remained high even during extreme combat. Previously wounded soldiers returned to their units and new replacements, green to battle, arrived to follow the remaining battle-hardened cadre.

The German units in the Hürtgenwald suffered the same horrendous attrition, with one telling difference. German replacement policy detracted from rather than enhanced German combat effectiveness. Organizations had high paper strength but low manpower, and commanders consolidated decimated units time after time until these ever-dwindling bands of soldiers disappeared forever: killed, wounded, captured, or surrendered. The performance of American and German forces during this harrowing eighteen days of combat was largely a product of their respective backgrounds, training, and organization.

Rush's work underscores both the horrors of combat and the resiliency of American organizations. While honoring the sacrifice and triumph of the common soldier, it also compels us to reexamine our views on the requisites for victory on the battlefield.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"A gripping tale of American GIs facing combat under the worst imaginable conditions."--Peter Mansoor, author of The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945

"A superb combat history that shatters long-held concepts on American versus German performance and vividly describes the horror and agony of close combat."--Edward G. Miller, author of A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hürtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945

"Convincingly challenges popular beliefs on motivation in battle. Professional soldiers simply cannot ignore the lessons of this provocative, benchmark study."--Michael D. Doubler, author of Closing with the Enemy: How GIs Fought the War in Europe, 1944-1945

About the Author:

Robert Sterling Rush, Command Sergeant Major (ret.), served in the U.S. Army at every organizational level and at the U.S. Center of Military History. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University and is the author of The Soldier's Guide: 5th Edition and The NCO Guide: 6th Edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0700611282
• ISBN 13: 9780700611287
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 403