In the autumn and winter of 1944 and 1945, the longest battle of the war on German soil took place in the Hürtgen Forest. The Allies moved into the rough and unfamiliar terrain to secure their advance towards the Rhine, and encountered what they underestimated was resistance from German forces.
The battle cost many casualties on both sides. The Hürtgen Forest consisted of dense forests, barren hilltops and deep gorges. Heavy rain, snowfall and a lack of roads made it very difficult to get through. The battle lasted from mid-September 1944 to mid-February 1945, ending with an Allied victory.
For US soldiers, the name itself - with its first syllable, 'hurt' - became an adverb for injury and death. To this day, hundreds of soldiers from both sides are still missing, and their remains are still being found.
I am a 45 year old man living in Heythuysen, Limburg.
Photography is a hobby that got out of hand. In 2020 I finally started working as a photographer myself.
Have fun looking at my photos...
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