Battle of Aachen

The battles of Aachen was a battle of the Second world war which lasted six weeks until the October 21st 1944, in the German city of Aachen (German: Aachen).

The September 16th 1944, the troops American arrived in front of the town of Aachen, where lived still approximately 20.000 civilians (against 160.000 at the beginning of the war, in 1939), and who was strongly defended by 5.000 German soldiers under the command of the Oberst (colonel) Gerhard Wilck.

During the night of the 1 {{er}} with the October 2nd, the American artillery rammed the city, and in the morning the first American army (ordered by the general Hodges) inserted the Ligne Siegfried. In spite of the attempt at various units of Panzers, the Americans succeeded in keeping the open breach and, after several days of violent one engagements, the Germans transfer themselves encircled by the American troops. The garrison refused to go and launched a counter-attack in order to break the circle formed by the American army, but this attempt failed.

Indeed, Aachen is a symbolic system city of the history of Germany and it was also the first big city on the German ground which was reached by the allies on the face of the west, which had led Hitler to order to defend it at all costs. The American command had then decided to be satisfied to besiege the city and to cut it its ways of provisioning and communication.

But the 9th American army, which had been spread in the north and the south of the city, considered that this pocket could constitute a threat and the command then decided all the same to take the city immediately. American had then to face the enemy in street battles without mercy which gave the advantage to German who was on their ground and who knew the places well. During the most difficult phase of the battle, the American forces deployed in the city 2nd and the 3rd Bataillon of the 26e regiment of infantry as well as the 745e armor-plated battalion, while the 30e division attacked Aachen by north. But after a few days only, this division had already more than 2000 soldiers put out of combat, with the result that the 29e division was called in reinforcement.

The October 16th, the Americans finally succeeded in completely encircling the city on the level of the Krefelder Straße .

And finally, the October 21st 1944, the remainder of the garrison, which counted 300 more men who did not hold any more that some streets, capitulated to the bunker of the Rütscherstraße and colonel Wilck signed the rendering of his troops. The assessment of this battle of 5000 had died in the two German camps and 5600 soldiers captive facts.

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