Battle of Aachen

Battle of Aachen
Part of the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine during the Western Front of World War II

American M1919 machine gun crew in action against German defenders in the streets of Aachen on 15 October 1944
Date12 September – 21 October 1944
(1 month, 1 week and 2 days)
Location
Aachen, Germany
50°46′35″N 06°05′00″E / 50.77639°N 6.08333°E / 50.77639; 6.08333
Result American victory
Belligerents
 United States  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

United States First Army

Nazi Germany LXXXI Army Corps

Strength
100,000 soldiers 13,000 soldiers
5,000 Volkssturm
Casualties and losses
7,000+ casualties[2]
including 2,000 killed[3]		 5,000 killed (estimate),
5,600 captured[2]

The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944.[4][5] The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on Germany's western border; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and advance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although most of Aachen's civilian population was evacuated before the battle began, much of the city was destroyed and both sides suffered heavy losses.

It was one of the largest urban battles fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and is considered one of the toughest urban encounters in the entire war.[5][6] As a result, Aachen became the first city on internationally recognized German soil to be captured by the Allies.[c] Despite the battle ending with a German surrender, their tenacious defense significantly disrupted Allied plans for the advance into Germany.[7]


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  1. ^ a b c d e "The Battle of Aachen". The National WWII Museum Blog. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b Ambrose (1997), p. 151
  3. ^ Lindale, Paul. "The WWII 300th Combat Engineers". 300thcombatengineersinwwii.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  4. ^ 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. 76
  5. ^ a b Whitlock, Flint (27 November 2020). "The Battle of Aachen: Breaking Down the Door to Europe in WWII". Warfare History Network. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  6. ^ Wahlman, Alec (7 August 2015). "(W)Archives: Urban Warfare, Back in the Day". War on the Rocks. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  7. ^ Video: Allies Set For Offensive. Universal Newsreel. 1944. Retrieved 21 February 2012.