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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2023
- The Last Hill: The 2nd Rangers and the epic Battle for Hill 400
With Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
Part of a series of shows about the battles for the Hürtgen Forest - September 1944 to February 1945
• The Hürtgen Forest
They were known as "Rudder's Rangers," the most elite and experienced attack unit in the United States Army. In December 1944, Lt. Col. James Rudder's 2nd Battalion would form the spearhead into Germany, taking the war into Hitler's homeland at last. In the process, Rudder was given two objectives: Take Hill 400 . . . and hold the hill by any means possible. To the last man, if necessary. The battle-hardened battalion had no idea that several Wehrmacht regiments, who greatly outnumbered the Rangers, had been given the exact same orders. The clash of the two determined forces was one of the bloodiest and most costly encounters of World War II.
Castle Hill, the imposing 1320-foot mini-mountain the American Rangers simply called Hill 400, was the gateway to a desperate Nazi Germany. Several entire American divisions had already been repulsed by the last hill's dug-in defenders as--unknown to the Allies--the height was the key to Adolf Hitler's last-minute plans for a massive counterattack to smash through the American lines in what would become known to history as the Battle of the Bulge.
Thus the stalemate surrounding Hill 400 could not continue. For Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, there was only one solution: Call in Rudder's Rangers. Of the 130 special operators who stormed, captured, and held the hill that December day, only 16 remained to stagger back down its frozen slopes.
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin are the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of, most recently, The Last Hill, as well as Blood and Treasure; The Heart of Everything That Is; Lucky 666; Halsey's Typhoon; Last Men Out; Valley Forge; and The Last Stand of Fox Company, which won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award. They live in Manasquan, New Jersey, and Sag Harbor, New York, respectively.
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Thanks to JD from History Underground for the video footage
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Woody, this one hits home for me in a big way just like the Pointe Du Hoc episode. I was in the 2nd Bat, 75th Ranger Regiment from 2002 until 2004 and then with the 3rd Bat, 75th Ranger Reg from 2004 until 2006. At the 2nd Bat HQ main hallway is nothing but hundreds of photos of the units history in battle with a large portion obviously focusing on WWII and specifically the Normandy campaign to include Pointe Du Hoc and the Hurtgen forest campaigns. These battles are honored and remembered constantly on their anniversaries and we are taught the stories and lessons of those Rangers that came before us. The photos of the Hurtgen forest are vivid and even though in black and white you can truly see the hell that these men faced. There are countless awardees of the Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Stars for Valor and on and on. The heroics displayed there in 1944 was to be forever embodied in our Ranger Creed and would form the training and dedication to duty that each Ranger pledges when he takes the oath upon receiving his tan beret.
We fought hard in Afghanistan and Iraq and even though the outcome of the GWOT was not what we had hoped as a nation, those of us who fought there did so for the man next to him and to save a nation from terror and another 9/11. I doubt our battles will be immortalized in the way our past battles have but I did my duty and came home and that's all the satisfaction I need.
Thank you for your service, and for sharing here. I’ve always wondered what contemporary Rangers learned about the Rangers, like my father, that fought in WWII. I’m grateful that they are remembered and honored still. Thanks again for everything. Never think any less about your contribution to history. I remember distinctly when my father showed me his Combat Infantyman’s Badge. I learned at an early age that that was the only one that mattered to him.
I really appreciate your input here. Not to mention your service as a soldier. I have often wondered about how the contemporary Rangers are taught about their history. My father was a Ranger in WWII, at Pointe du Hoc and hill 400 . I have learned a lot about their training as well as their history and I have always hoped that the modern Ranger knew about what my dad and his companions accomplished. I hope that you continue in the tradition of, not only being a successful soldier, but being a real human being, who has a purpose in fighting for life, and the life of democracy.
The terrain in the Hurtgen Forest negated many of the Allies’ advantages of maneuver, close air support and to some degree artillery. It became more of an infantry fight which favours the defenders. I know this isn’t a revelation but maybe it helps with the algorithm a little.
From what I have read they never even put the slow flying Obs. planes up to see what the terrain was like. It was a blood bath and the US worst defeat in WW2 in the ETO
My father was there and I am very frustrated that I don’t know what role he played in the assault. I know a lot about what happened to him at Pointe du hoc. It’s a tragedy in my life that dad died when I was so young. Of course it was a tragedy for him, that he didn’t enjoy a long life in which he could see his children grow up. I would have loved to talk with him about all of his experiences. I didn’t have a great relationship with him as a child. He was a man I learned to love about ten years after his death. I agree that the Army didn’t know exactly what to do with the Rangers after Normandy. I really enjoy your discussions about this history. It’s very personal to me. I wish my mind was more focused when I spent time with Len Lomell during the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Ah well…. If only. I’m glad you are keeping the memories alive. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your approach.
Hurtgen Forest, a series of battles time tried to forget. People like focusing on the underdog stories or the brilliant victories, not the bloody slogs. But all of it needs to be studied. There is more to be learned from failures, disasters, and even mediocre outcomes, than from victories or instances of luck (luck can't be replicated on command in the future, and thus cannot be relied upon as a strategy for success).
Very well said! The Hurtgen was not often discussed and an utter failure! A waste of men and lack of general leadership!
American generals, historians & Ted Danson gave Monty stick over Caen failure (in fairness Monty didn't help his own case with contradictory statements during and after war). But when it comes to Hurtgen, the likes of Bradley, Hodges and historians then dress up the battle as an unfortunate roller coaster of events outside their control with new objectives springing up halfway through, ( its all about the Roer Dams now) to justify the loss of life for so little ground gained. This was a battle that arose because of "see the hill, take the hill".
@@marks_sparks1 agreed. Just like Stalingrad and many other military failures. people fixated on a target, rather than just going around. Military leaders often get fixated and lose sight of the bigger picture.
I've also experienced this first hand in my own personal combat experiences. You try to show the leadership there is a better way, and they get upset, think they can force the issue, will a victory, even when it makes no sense. And even when you show them later in other battles that you were right, they stick their head in the sand deeper rather than adapt, learn, and move on.
Pride is the enemy of greatness.
@@marks_sparks1 I think the claim that the Huertgen campaign was a waste of life, or somehow a foolish endeavor, sugar coats the situation outside of the Huertgen. Consider that the American effort to break through the Stolberg Corridor, capture Aachen, and clear the open area from that city to the Roer River (northwest and north of the Huertgen) took about three months and involved at least seven U.S. divisions, at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties. Then we can look at the loss of life involved around Metz in the fall of 1944, as well as the failed efforts to break into Germany at places like Sevenig and Harspelt, the Schnee Eifel, Wallendorf, the Saarlouis area. It was bloody and difficult just about everywhere American troops tried to clear away German soldiers in along the Siegfried Line. Why the Huertgen campaign as a whole gets special criticism for being foolish is a bit surprising.
Also, American forces captured most of the forest relatively quickly. The 9th Infantry Division cleared almost half of the Huertgen in two weeks in September, and did not really get stopped until reaching the villages of Germeter and Vossenack. The 1st and most of the 4th Infantry Divisions secured most of the northern half of the Huertgen during two weeks of fighting in November 1944. While the fighting was difficult, the most notable battle sites were, again, the villages--not the rough wooded terrain itself. The 28th Infantry Division, perhaps most famous for high casualties in the forest, likewise suffered its casualties at or near key villages, like the 112th Infantry Regiment being in the open and vulnerable to German artillery (Vossenack) as well as tanks (Schmidt and Kommerscheidt). The 109th Infantry Regiment fought in the woods, but its advance only stopped when it reached the tree line and faced a mile of open ground to the village of Huertgen. Unable to continue forward unsupported, the 109th Infantry soldiers dug in within the cover of the forest and then faced a week of mortar and artillery. The 110th Infantry also fought in the woods of the Raffelsbrand, but captured a great deal of territory, only being held up by very strong German defensive positions guarding the road to Schmidt.
This is why I also dispute the authors' claim that Hill 400 had repulsed several U.S. divisions. The 8th Infantry Division arrived in late November and relieved the 4th Infantry Division around Vossenack. Within a week, the 121st Infantry Regiment and the 28th Infantry Regiment alongside elements of the 5th Armored Division, systematically advanced to secure all of Vossenack, capture the town of Huertgen, capture Kleinhau, capture Brandenberg, clear German troops from the wooded gorge between the Vossenack and Brandenberg ridgelines, and then capture Bergstein. Once Bergstein was secure, after a vicious German counterattack, the Rangers were called up to assault Hill 400. Meanwhile, the 121st Infantry cleared most of the woods north of Brandenberg and Bergstein over the next week.
My point is that there were certain areas where fighting bogged down in the Huertgen Forest and it was especially terrible. But the campaign was also the scene of steady American successes. In reality, it was not much different than other (although perhaps smaller) operations or campaigns in other areas of western Germany in the latter part of 1944, like the Stolberg area, Geilenkirchen area, Wahlerscheid Crossroads, etc.
The Best US war movie I have ever seen was "When Trumpets Fade" a B movie that showed the absolute carnage that they went through and the complete inept Leadership by Bradley and Hodges.
Nice interview with these two fine gentlemen. The US Army has always tended to look askew at specialized units as costly and that they take the best soldiers out of the more standard units which weakens them. The argument against this view is that when they are needed, thank God that they exist. The US Army infantry motto is "All the way Sir!" and the Ranger's is "Rangers Lead the Way!" as they are considered to be the elite infantry soldiers within the Army. If one needs an assault performed against a difficult position, it is the Rangers that often get the call. Thanks to The History Explorer for his excellent photo and video work to enhance the story.
Had the opportunity to meet Leonard Lomell several times, as he lived in my home town. He was an extremely humble man and very polite. He achieved a lot after the war and there are a few things in town bearing his name.
I just finished this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched and written it tells a unique story. My uncle was a Mustang who was an OCS promotion. As a new 2LT. with the 28th ID he landed in Normandy on June 10th with his heavy weapons platoon. He told me once that after Normandy he spent the next year taking a walking tour of Europe while getting shot at! He received both the Silver and Bronze stars, the CIB, and 2 Purple Hearts. Our family remembers this greatest generation and what they paid such a high price for.
These talks remind me so much of my grandfathers and great-uncles; ordinary men who achieved incredible things. They're all gone now, and perfectly at peace.
New stories are always great to hear, and when they come with wonderful footage of the area then they're even better. Thanks all.
Good show and presentation by Bob & Tom of a unknown battle. Everyone forgets about 2nd Rangers once DDay is over. Would love to hear more of what they did in Brittany. The drone and on ground footage of Hill 400 does give a good appreciation of the terrain, before you add in the cold, ice and bullets.
One of the hardest parts of Call of Duty, Hill 400. Many a reload and do-over required.
Thank you.very interesting...another book to read..😊
Extraordinary... Heroic... Tragic....So many words come to mind. Greatly appreciate learning all this from Messrs. Drury and Clavin.
The Rangers took a beating there! Leonard Lomell I saw discuss this battle and it was atrocious!
The fact that the Rangers complained that they were being treated like regular infantry and that it wasn't fair really angered the infantry fighting with them at Hill 400 such as the 121st Infantry Regiment.
That is the way of these Special Forces IT was the Infantry that won the War not the SAS Rangers etc etc They only helped It was the normal soldiers that did the hard yards. It was the normal soldier that was there at the Start of a campaign Not the special forces
Fascinating show. The Hürtgen Forest campaign is definitely a lesser known campaign for me anyway.
I have been there 2 days ago, took the small trail from Zerkal, woow, it's hard to imagne/understand to go up there and fight your way up. Heroes are those men, i can't thank them enough. Everyone who is interested should walk this hill 400, there is also an demaged bunker behind the playground just arround the corner. Been also in Vossenack and Kommerscheidt via the Kall-trail, very steep and even harder to imagne/understand how they did it, Let us NEVER forget this Heroes please. At Simmerath are pieces of the Siegfried line, Westwall, had to visit this also, yesterday i went to Bastogne and Foy, a visit worth it, Bois jacques aswell, all this is impressive for me., grt Eric Belgium
My Father-in Law is Mike Sharik and he has been featured in at least three books, two A&E videos and even German versions all mention him at Hill 400. He was one of the 16 guys who staggered down the hill when it was over (and I think he dubbed the hill "Sugarloaf"). He wasn't walking when he came down late on December 8th - he got his knee nailed with white-hot shrapnel, but he and Bud Potratz became life-long friends. I never met him in-person - I only had one brief conversation with him after I married his daughter - we had planned to go visit him in Ohio, but he passed away before we got the chance. What all of the authors who have written about the 2d Ranger Bn. don't know is that when I began looking at all of his decorations and assignment patches, he was on the Manhattan Project (a VERY rare patch to have, as well as a Sandia Labs patch). But one of the most interesting parts was when he was stationed in Europe, he met a German girl (Anna) and they ended up getting married. When Anna took him home to meet her father, he found out that her father was in the 6th Fallshirmjager Regiment, with whom 2d Ranger faced at the Port of Brest, as well as at Hill 400, where the fighting was hand-to-hand and the shooting at point-blank range. So these guys could very well have been shooting at one another! I commented that I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that meeting, but according to my wife, Anna said they sat and drank a toast as soldiers, doing their respective duties. You just can't make that stuff up!
the human angle story trumps all other stories and ropes you in. great stuff !
Met them all at the 45th and 50th anniversary with my father, who was a crew member of LCA884 from the Ben My Chree.
Found this book at Costco. I’m not a ETO guy so it was interesting to read a book about Army special forces unit and compare it to Marine Raiders in the Pacific. I was able to make a lot of similarities throughout reading the it book. It’s inspired me to keep at it researching and writing about my grandfather’s unit.
Great to see my Dad in this video. And a great Book. I visit the Hill every year.
The famous photo depicting American infantry men on a firing line in the snow was taken by a young soldier with his own personal camera. The soldier was not an official Army combat photographer but a young Italian-American who had been granted permission by his company commander to take snap shots only when taking shots with his M-1 was unnecessary. He was part of the 83rd Division known as the Thunderbolt Division which eventually did, in fact, cross the Elbe River (although later told to retreat back to the west bank and the fact of the crossing was then suppressed to appease our Red Army allies). After the war, that young man became a highly acclaimed photographer. His photographs of the war were later collected and published in a book called Entering Germany. His name was Tony Vaccaro and it was both my honor and privilege to have known him. Tony passed away a year or so ago at the age of 99.
Yep, I saw an exhibition of Vaccaro's work in Normandy a couple of years ago
Great to see another episode dedicated to the Hurtgen Forest battle! Very nice to hear the authors talk about how they got to find out about this fight and great to hear some of the stories of the men highlighted. I always applaud anyone taking the time to research these stories and tell them in the form of a publication.
I have read the book when it came out and thought that the authors did a good job in telling the stories of some of the men who fought there.
While I don’t mean to put the book down by any means, I personally feel that the book makes it sound as if this was the most important fight of the Hurtgen campaign, but personally I feel this is just one of the many battles fought in the area. If I remember correctly there were many casualties on both sides because of the Artillery used in the area.
The book mentions the often used general information about the battle, but there is nothing wrong with that; the info is good.
Also note: The men on the cover of this book are not Rangers, but men of the 83rd Infantry Division near Bihain.
If you read this and also read Robert W. Black’s book “Rangers in WWII” you will have a good idea of what happened in Bergstein and on Hill 400. It is impressive to walk the grounds in that area and see how far the view reached from the observation bunker on top of the hill.
Thank you for the interesting episode.
Fascinating presentation. Just bought the book on Kindle.
The Hurtgen, overshadowed by the Ardennes offensive. Been on a tour around Merode in 2013, found some pieces of some GI shoepacs and a large piece of a US blanket.
All of these soldiers in the campaign are heroes
Please remember Ranger Thomas Ryan born 6th of June 1922, scaled the cliffs at Point-du-Hoc and wounded at Hill 400. Tom was my baseball coach.
I believe that is where my uncle Joe died. If you look at the battle maps and troop movements near Hill 400, you’ll see the 121st Infantry Regiment and the part of the 2nd Rangers above Bergenstein. Below Bergenstein you’ll see the 28th Infantry Regiment and the other part of the 2nd Rangers. Those two Infantry Regiments belong to the 8th Infantry Division. The maps shows their movements from December 5-7. My uncle Joe was KIA December 11th, 1944. Sgt. Joseph A Boggs 28th Infantry Regiment 8th Infantry Division US Army.
Another great interview and that book is definitely on my list to get.
THERE WAS A RANGER REUNION AT TOM RYAN'S HOUSE. I WAS JUST S KID, BUT I LISTENED. THE RANGERS HAD REUNIONS QUITE FREQUENTLY.
Has there ever been a war where "Home by Christmas" hasn't been a mantra?
The emu war? lol
Well, Christmas is kind of a knew thing. But, home by such and such has always been a thing. Along with God is with us. And that tried and true they're down to old men and kids. Excuse me Sir, but old men are smart and kids are MEAN.
Thanks
You just don’t stipulate which Christmas or whether they’ll be alive when they get shipped home.
Hurtgen Forest got lots of people hurt. Thank you for good show
Brilliant as always Paul. Just bought the book👍🏻
I learned of this meat grinder about 20 yesrs ago. It should be remembered for the heros. Good program. Sounds like I need another book.
Go and get "When Trumpets Fade" A B movie that does not sugar-coat any part of the Battle. It was a disaster regardless of what some bloke on here in saying
A great book...a must read for all WWII buffs.
AT TOM RYAN'S FUNERAL MANY RANGERS SHOWED UP. I WAS HONORED TO BE A PALL BEARER.
The loss of 2nd Batt’s surgeon on Hill 400 is evocative of the loss of the 6th Batt’s surgeon at Cabanatuan in the P.I.
I did not like this book. The authors can tell a good story, but enough details were wrong that I questioned how much they actually knew about the subject. Too many times I found myself thinking, "No. That's not right!". One typical example among many: They describe Rangers being driven over by "M4A3E8 tanks" during training in 1943, and they even described exactly what an M4A3E8 was, apparently without realizing the M4A3E8 did not appear until the final months of the war. It's as if they just googled "US tank world war II", found the M4A3E8, and decided that was it.
I agree with you ! Although I really did enjoy when they covered the Brittany campaign I couldn't stop finding errors here and there ESPECIALLY when describing the Normandy landing at the beginning of the book (almost stopped reading at this point). Errors like presenting the 28th Infantry division as a veteran division and being present at Vierville-Sur-Mer on DDay, thus mixing the 1st Inf. Div. and the 29th Inf. Div... Talking about Stein and Petty fighting off the counterattacks inland on the night of the 7th while Stein was protecting Rudder's CP back to the Pointe (btw is that really Stein at 49:02 ? It doesn't really look like him, but maybe here I'm doing the mistakes), and so many other errors I don't understand...
Thank you alll...
👍👍👍👍👍😊😊😊😊😊 In other words 5 of 5!
Bloody battles overshadowed by the Bulge.
Wins usually do overshadow disasters.
just finished the book
it's a goog one
I was there after reading Dog Company a few years back, the most poignant thing for me is its the same as then, surrounding villages, forested hill, view all the same and you could then envisage from the book the terrain. That was the most disappointing thing for me at Kohima it was very hard to envisage location and the difficulties or the terrain as the ridge is fully built on.
There are a lot of good things in this book, and I really enjoyed the background info about the Rangers. However, I feel like the authors engage in a lot sensationalism. German troops on Hill 400 had not repulsed any U.S. divisions. Elements of the 5th Armored Division and the 121st Infantry Regiment secured the town of Bergstein, in the shadow of Hill 400, a couple of days before and defeated a bitter counterattack, but no Americans had tried to capture the hill before the Rangers were called up. The hill was lightly held when the Rangers attacked and the German observation troops were actually surprised by the initial Ranger assault. The worst fighting occurred after the Rangers captured the heights, when Germans bombarded the hill and sent repeated counterattacks over the next 24 hours.
Another exaggeration is the scale of the hill from Bergstein. The steepest slope is on the east side--the German side--which drops precipitously to the Roer River and is daunting to climb. The slope on the side of Bergstein, from which the Rangers attacked, is definitely NOT 400 meters high. It is a couple of hundred feet above Bergstein street level, not an easy climb but certainly not a Point-du-Hoc type of challenge. It is pretty common to see elderly Germans walking up the hill on paved paths.
I also believe the argument that "the Huertgen was such a waste" is also becoming a cliche, its own burgeoning myth. I'm not saying there is not an argument to be made about U.S. mistakes in the Huertgen, but that the claim that the Huertgen was an "unnecessary slaughter" ignores so many factors about the military situation in and around the Huertgen and ignore the number of casualties from the ground fighting outside of the Huertgen.
In any case, I appreciate this interview and always enjoy hearing from the authors.
Did the Germans still control the Forrest ?Yes? Did the US retreat? Yes? then it was a defeat regardless of what bloody hill they defended .
@@jacktattis The Huertgen Forest is roughly 50 square miles. Every U.S. division that entered the forest captured and held territory. The Germans never regained the forest. The best they did was hold some areas for a few weeks and push back one regiment in a couple of villages.
The Huertgen was not a U.S. defeat. It was the scene of harsh fighting and heavy casualties, and some mistakes were made at the division level. But that was common along most of Germany's western border. People who call the Huertgen a "waste" or a defeat seem to have unreasonable ideas of what was going on in late 1944 or what options the U.S. Army had along Germany's Siegfried Line.
@@thebattlefieldhistorian8990 wICKI - A German Defensive Victory
Cont: 2.U.S. Army Combined Centre [ Mil ] by Thomas G Bradbeer Major Gen Cota & the Battle of Hurtgen Forrest A failure of Battle Command It was one of the Bloodiest and Disastrous Campaigns the US Army had in in WW2
3. Warfare History Network A Tactical Nightmare by Michael D Hull
Now 33000 to 50000 is not a victory and not even a Draw. it went fr 3months one site says 5 months
@@jacktattis I can guess from your list of random sources that you haven't actually studied the battle in detail and are just repeating bits and pieces of information you've come across. That illustrates my original point, that claims of the Huertgen being a terrible failure are usually old talking points repeated without careful examination and discussion of what factors were at play, what the objectives were, and what the U.S. Army experienced in other areas along Germany's western border.
You roughly quote Thomas Bradbeer's article, where he describes the Huertgen as a "disastrous campaign." His statement was a sort of throw-away line, but I'm sure he would make a good argument for the description. I would likely disagree based upon different perspectives. For example, his article focuses on the 28th Infantry Division, which had the worst experience, with the least success, of the entire campaign. Looking at the Huertgen through the lens of that division would certainly cast it in a dark light, sort of like focusing on the 29th Infantry Division's experience on Omaha Beach as a representation of the entire Normandy invasion. But I think a broader look at the Huertgen reveals a lot more, and shows that American troops systematically captured their objectives in the overwhelming majority of instances. Casualties were high, and the experience of the average soldier was terrible. But that could be said about many, many other World War II battles that do not receive the same criticism as the Huertgen campaign. For instance, the 30th Infantry Division suffered around the same number of casualties fighting in the villages north of Aachen in October 1944 (around 3,000) as the 1st Infantry Division lost fighting in the Huertgen the following month (around 3,300). Or, consider that two regiments of the 84th Infantry Division lost 2,000 soldiers in barely over a week of fighting around Geilenkirchen in November 1944, in the area many people say was "better" terrain for the U.S. Army to focus on than the Huertgen Forest.
It's not just casualties, though, that tell the story of a battle. A good example can be found in this passage by historian Robert Rush, who studied the 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, in the Huertgen Forest. He wrote, "Although the 22d suffered more casualties than any other unit in the Hurtgen, it lost no ground that was not immediately recovered. The last days of the battle saw fresh German battalions breaking through decimated companies of the 22d, only to be cut off, killed or captured by other equally understrength companies rushed into the battle. During the battle, the 22d captured 764 Germans. There is no existing casualty figures for German units, outside of those captured. However, it must be assumed that German casualties were at least as high, if not higher, than those of the 22d. German companies suffered the same fate as the 22d’s, but they lacked the ability to regenerate and were burned in the flame of Hurtgen." (Robert Rush, "Hell in the Huertgen Forest," Army Historical Foundation)
You say that 33,000-50,000 casualties means a battle is not a victory. The U.S. Army suffered those casualties over the course of five months. Compare that to 24,000 U.S. casualties in barely over one month at Iwo Jima. Would you say that proves Iwo Jima was a disaster and a failure?
Rangers, lead the way.
Not so they lead part of the way It is the Regular soldier that wins Wars
Obvious point is obvious. Are you unfamiliar with Gen Cota's famous exhortation?@@jacktattis
So sorry I missed this live. Just a correction: Colonel Rudders letters are at Texas A&M; not Texas Tech, and not The University of Texas at Austin. I wonder if that might be like mixing up Man City with Man U? I'm not sure if that's a great analogy, but . . . yeah, Texas A&M.
L-ROD PETTY OFTEN CALLED MY FRIEND SGT THOMAS RYAN DRUNK. PETTY HAD SERIOUS TRAUMATIC STRESS. TOM WOULD TALK TO HIM ALL NIGHT LONG. OH THE STORIES TOM TOLD ME.
RLTW
“Crazy Russian” replacement ?
I get no sense from this video of the quality of German defenders or their number. Judging the quality of the Rangers' performance is rather dependent on this.
Full details in the book of course, this was a chat about the Rangers
The Rangers were facing depleted elements of the German Grenadier Regiment 980 of the 272nd Volks Grenadier Division. Author / Historian Douglas Nash wrote a great account of this engagement in his book “Victory was beyond their grasp” if you want to dive deeper in the German side of this story.
@@YuriBeckers9thID Thanks. I see that 272nd VG Division was only three months old and contained up to 50% combed out Luftwaffe personnel with limited infantry training. If they were also depleted, then the main thing they had going for them was the terrain and some prepared emplacements. Perhaps the Rangers weren't the only ones performing above themselves.
Thanks for the details
Your so far behind so many real books that are beyond reading lists.. pak 88's flying through the field as they charged up to the entrance to the Hurtgen... a
An 88 hit a guy and took his top torso off, his auto rotation and running kept going for 3 steps, before the heap hot the ground...
You also need to know more about the hurtgen forest
I've hosted a whole series of shows about the Hurtgen Forest, this is just one
You have a strange axe to grind and it's got to be said, you come off as nothing but petty and childish in your complaints.
Huh?
People like @rupben01 rarely come back to defend their positions
You have spoken to 600 authors.. you have never spoken about one unit that is out there and published... you are a t. W. That is not AT..
And in English?