INSIDE THE BLOODY HURTGEN FOREST - WWII THEN & NOW
The battle of the Hurtgen Forest was the longest battle on German ground during World War II and the longest single battle ever fought by the US Army. It lasted from September 19 to mid-February ‘45. The aim was to push around the city of Aachen and gain control of the Ruhr River...but the battle turned out to be real meat grinder: the German army successfully defended their lines and repelled American attacks until the start of their own last-ditch offensive in the Ardennes, resulting in least 33.000 casualties on US side.
In this video we follow a single company of the 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. A series of photographs was taken of the unit when they moved up the line in the Hurtgen Forest on November 18, 1944. The photographer, Leo B. Moran, took some exceptional photographs that are very iconic for the battle's historiography. The photographs are accompanied by footage taken by motionpicture cameraman Richard M. Montgomery. Both men served in the 165th Signal Photographic Company. Thanks to their work, we are able to walk in the footsteps of the 8th Infantry Regiment. This video was published on November 18, 2023, exactly 79 years after the photographs were taken.
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Produced & Edited by: Joey van Meesen
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My Dad, William J Kull, was in the Hurtgen at that time. Co C, 12 Inf of the 4th Div. He lived to be a hundred and two! Thank you so much for putting some meaning behind those photos.
The huge amount of work you must put into these documentaries is a very fitting tribute to those who endured those times.
My Dad's best friend from his unit was killed in Hurtgen Forest, Henry 'Hank' Gordon. He only told us about it for first time in 2003 when a nephew of Gordon's did extensive research and found my Dad was last known survivor from their unit and contacted him.
Which country from you
@@mujeebmujeeb6030Poopistan
My grandfather said the battle at the Hurtgen Forest was horrible. He said the tree bursts were terrible to contend with. He noted that he helped bury body parts of soldiers who were blown apart. The battle on the beaches of Normandy was traumatic for him but the Hurtgen Forest seemed to really stir up emotions due to the carnage.
I find it fascinating that I am watching this 79 years to the day the footage & images were taken.
Most of the men in the photos were born about 65 years after the American civil war ended.
Thank you all for watching! Please like, subscribe and share this video with your friends. Stay tuned for our Battle of the Bulge video on December 16, 2023. Edit: Please excuse us. We made a slight mistake with Bennie's middle name: His full name is Benjamin "Bennie" F. Barron.
When you find a location, for example the guys walkingpast the white house up the hill, do you knock on the house to show the owners the photos or not bother?
Bennie was my uncle, my mother's youngest brother. Such an amazing video and I didn't catch any errors😉. Thank you for this wonderful tribute to these brave men.
@@pamelawooden6012That’s incredible
Thank you for this. My father was with an independant tank battalion in support of the the 4th ID. Seeing the tanks in these photos (and the accompanying locations) was very meaningful. He also survived DDay and the Bulge, but Hürtgen haunted him the most. he died in 2009, thinking no one cared or remembered, wanting the history of Hürtgen to be presered (failures and all). he never saw all the wonderful work you young people have done on KZhead to memorioaize this pubkicly. Thank you!! On belhalf of my father and the other vets. And myself!!
Great addition to put their name along with the birth and death dates of the soldiers. Sad that so few of these brave men are still with us today. Greatest generation by far.
And yet we honor them with what we have become today. I wonder how many of them would have rushed to serve if they could see what this country, its government and people have become.
@556m4 Nice try botnik. We live in the greatest country in the world
@@SerenityMae11 Because you’ve lived in every country and are the leading source, right ? Basically proving the point of my original comment.
@@556m4 people like you don't have the right to criticize this country. I served and paid my dues. What did you do? Nothing. That's why you are the way you are.
Thank you Joey. A fantastic effort, as we have come to expect from you. My grandfather was there and suffered extreme frostbite of both feet, which plagued him for the remainder of his life. The frequently changing lines separated him from his men and he was hidden by a series of Belgian families until reunited with US troops. Afterwards, he maintained deep affection for the Belgian people. Your dedication and enthusiasm are inspiring and, often, quite emotional for me, and I venture for many other appreciative viewers. All of these scared, hungry, cold, and supremely brave men are my grandfather. Please continue your fine work. I urge all viewers to join the Snafu Docs membership and donate what you can so that Joey may pursue his passionate mission. To Victory!
My Uncle served with the 28th ID and was wounded in the Hurtgen Forest. The 28th was also sent to the quiet sector in the Ardennes after their ordeal in the Hurtgen. Fortunately, Uncle Dick was still in hospital so was spared that horrible experience of the Bulge. He never talked about his experience in the infantry but for a few snippets of times. His time there affected him for the remainder of his life, both physically (trench foot and the shrapnel wound) as well as mentally. Thank you so much for finding and sharing these images, the names of the soldiers and what happened to them, and showing the area today. Someday I hope to be able to visit the area as well.
Your painstaking attention to detail and the incredible detective work in finding the exact locations in the pictures and videos are a testament to your hard work, dedication and knowledge of the Hurtgen Forest. I salute you and your team for keeping WWII and American soldiers' memories alive with videos like this one, for so many have forgotten. As a former member of the 4th Infantry Division, I thank from the bottom of my heart. #SteadfastandLoyal
3:45 I wonder if the people who live there now know of this photograph of soldiers passing by their home. It was nice to see at the end where you show the pictures of the men in the photos that they all survived the war, though Harold Glessner died shortly after in 48. Mike Ala made it to 89 years old.
Outstanding then and now video. The photos were on the spot with the terrain. Keep up the excellent work.
Hi from France,as usual ,an awesome job for sharing these photos with us !
I always keep my eye out for Snafudocs uploads. I love the whole then and now concept from I first saw it in After the Battle magazine as a kid.
Well Done Sir. Well Done. One of the most forgotten Battles of the 2nd World War
Gänsehaut pur 😢 Ehre sei jedem Soldaten der dort gekämpft und gelitten hat! Danke für deine Arbeit
I appreciate this channel so, so much. Thank You for everything that you do.
Always nicely done. It helps me understand what my uncle went through he was in the battle of the bulge. Thank you.
My deep appreciation....I come from the Eifel and have been dealing with the Hürtgen Forest for years....your contribution from a very narrow group of soldiers shows an almost intimate insight into what happened in the deep green Hell.....
Fantastisch werk mensen, en wat geweldig om te zien hoe jonge mensen het verleden van WOII levend houden en telkens weer het menselijke aspect belichten. Complimenten!!!
❤
Man these videos give me chills, especially with the music.
This one brought a tear to my eyes, just imagining what these men went thru for almost a year. During some of the most brutal fighting as Germany knew their time was limited and expended everything they had to hold the Allies back.
The German men that fought in these battles were mere faint shadows of the earlier men in the German army. Read about the battles, from a soldiers viewpoint, in the East.
@@thomaswaynewardthere was still some hard fighting but nothing on the scale of the eastern front. The Forgotten Soldier is a must read
Some men went through the whole war..
@@thomaswaynewardthis video isn't about the men who fought for the murderous Nazi regime. It's about the American citizens who became soldiers and who crossed the ocean to fight in a war that the US could have avoided, and yet came anyway. For the second time.
They just wanted to be left alone.
God bless you for the work that you do to keep these brave soldiers in our memories.
Good to see you back and as always, a great & informative video.. 👍👍
Merci beaucoup pour tout ce travail de recherche et de mémoire 👍
You all do such great work bringing history alive and going to the exact spot of some of the most iconic WWII photographs. I love everything you do, and seeing you have a new video posted is the highlight of my day. Thank you!
As always, an interesting and unique video project with Joey and Flo! I love working with these guys!
Thank you Joey! You are doing a great service to the memories of these men. I appreciate your dedication to keeping this history alive.
Thank you Joey and and all helped produce such an awesome video of one of the most hard fought battles of WW2 looking forward to December 16th Battle of the Bulge video.
Amazing video, like all your others. Thanks for taking the time to do all the required research and traveling to the exact locations. I can experience it thanks to you.
Thank you Joey for your love for these heroes. For some reason when I watch these videos I have a tear in my eye for these men and knowing the love others like yourself have for them.
Thank you for bringing these images back to life. Your attention to detail and the desire to find and show the locations show that you are a terrific person. Thanks for allowing me to see these men in action again.
As always Joey, you created another outstanding video supported by detailed research. The way you honor the soldiers who fought in WWII is unmatched and deserves great respect. Thank you!
That was great. Standing in the same place as our Greatest Generation! .
So nice to see a young person taking such interest in those important events, that still affect the world today!
Fantastic video. Thank you so much for posting. My father-in-law was in the 4th Infantry Division, 340 Ordnance battalion. They ended up outside Bastogne during the Bulge. He made it as far as Munchen Gladbach before the war ended for him. God bless all the soldiers who fought for their country regardless of their side and their poor politics.
Man I love your work! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
Thank you for all of your efforts. This is amazing and really makes one think about what the conditions must’ve been like back then.
These videos just put chills up my spine. Incredible. Thank you.
En weer een mooie reportage van jullie,bedankt hiervoor Afgelopen zomer zelf daar rond gewandeld Zeer indrukwekkend als je deze verhalen kent
Thank you for this video. Fantastic footage, you do a great job. Thank you
Thank you for such intimate and personal accounts, the photo history and the soldiers who were there. Outstanding work you do on the projects. Your work is a favorite of mine to watch. Watching from St. Louis.
Thank you for another excellent presentation. Informative and moving in equal measure.
Always look forward to watching your videos. Thanks keep up the good work guys
Thank you for doing these videos. Lest we forget what these soldiers did for humanity.
Fascinating. I stood in these very same places for then and now comparisons about ten years ago. Great to see you had more original photographs to compare with. Lovely film, thank you.
Thank you for another great video and full respect for your detective work to not allow the past fading away 👍🏼 All the best Peter
Great video thanks for making them 👍
Good to see a new post from you folks. And I like the format.
Excellent narrative with visuals. Keep up the great work!
Another quality production. You guys are doing a fantastic job.
Outstanding! Usually I don't like historical videos that include music. But the music used in this production adds further emotion to the power of these "then and now" moments.
Simply awesome & fascinating !! Wonderful job finding these places ! I love your videos! Great great work !!
You do fantastic work with these photographs!
Excellent work guys - you put a lot of effort into finding the locations for these photos which I enjoy looking at.
Congratulations on another well produced, Researched & informative documentary.
This is absolutely amazing. I found your channel through linked in.
Thank you so much for what you do. It is important work.
Thanks for your efforts. Brings tears to my eyes😪
Nice work and thank you for keeping their memories alive!
Brilliant task you completed... finding pin-point actual locations. More power to you.
Great video glad to see you guys are back to making great informational videos thank you
Excellent work! I really enjoy watching and seeing these locations from then and now. WW2 history cant be forgotten.
What you guys are doing is absolutely amazing. Never forget!!
Thank you so much for this channel 👋
Great work guys you must feel so amazing standing in the footsteps of WW2 history
GOD BLESS YOU for doing what you do...for us to travel in time and back...when all are no longer enemies.
Excellent research and presentation. Well done!
this whole video gave me chills! great job!
Thank you for the respectful insights and approach to the subject matter. It is noted and appreciated. Army Vet.
Here from The History Underground channel and I’m now subscribed and ready to binge watch lol.
Joey, This is such a good video, outstanding job!
Such respect when speaking of these men, so personal. You’re a great ambassador for these men and I’m sure they’d be very proud in your methods of handling this. Thank you.
I've walked that terrain. I've seen a couple of those pictures. You and your friends have put this information together in an amazing way. I wish I had seen your information before I wandered aimlessly around the Kall Trail and Schmidt area. Keep up the amazing work.
Nice work! Realy appreciated
The Hurtgen forest was a complete waste of manpower and resources.The German army was amazed that the US would pick such an area for a major offensive strike. It became a meat grinder for the US Army.
I have heard other people criticize U.S. military commanders for fighting in the Huertgen Forest, but I believe these critiques miss key realities of the military situation. First, one must ask what the alternative was. Early efforts to break into Germany through narrow corridors--such as the 5th Armored Division's salient at Wallendorf, the 28th Infantry Division's attacks at Sevenig and Harspelt, the 3rd Armored Division's effort to punch through Stolberg Corridor, and of course Operation MARKET GARDEN--all failed to get the Allies into central Germany and proved that victory would only come through a broad, systematic sweep to eliminate all enemy resistance. This meant that the the Huertgen, like all parts of western Germany, would have to be captured. Second, even if one wants to argue that the Americans should have focused on the open ground north of the forest and left the Huertgen Forest alone, the reality is that the Huertgen region is on the west side of the Roer River. American and British troops could not advance eastward across the Roer north of the Huertgen while leaving a sizable German force the forest to their rear. The only real option was to eliminate all German forces east of the Roer before crossing the river. So, the Huertgen Forest would have had to have been captured by January or February 1945 anyway, in preparation for Operation GRENADE. Finally, people often overlook the cost of the fighting just outside of the Huertgen. While the 1st, 4th, and 8th Infantry Divisions were engaged in heavy combat in the Huertgen Forest in November 1944, the 29th, 30th, 84th, and 104th Infantry Divisions, as well as the 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions, were suffering tens of thousands of casualties trying to capture the open ground north and northwest of the Huertgen. Sure, those soldiers didn't have to deal with hilly terrain and thick vegetation. Instead, they had to advance across wide open ground in full view of German artillery, tanks, and machine guns. In short, fighting across many parts of western Germany was bloody, and in some cases just as bad as combat within the Huertgen Forest. This is not to say that all of the American tactical or strategic decisions within the Huertgen Forest were wise or necessary. For instance, the 28th Infantry Division headquarters' decision to send two battalions across the Kall River to capture and hold Schmidt involved a complete misunderstanding of the terrain and the military situation. However, the overall campaign itself was likely necessary, and was a bloody contest because it involved an effort to capture and hold territory in the face of a determined and deadly foe.
The whole war was a waste of manpower...
From what I understood the critics could have been led by a pre-September 1944- Montgomery, as in, go around the forest, seal the lot itself off, pick (off) the dams, and go for the industrial Ruhr. That was indeed before the Germans left France on a trot.
@annedejong1040 Yes, Montgomerys proposal of an extremely powerful concentrated northern thrust would have gone directly to the Ruhr. He wouldn't have wasted time in the Hurtgen Forest or Lorraine or Alsace. The US 1st Army should have struck towards Aachen when Market Garden was happening and while the Germans diverted forces there. Instead, they started attacks into the Hurtgen.
@thebattlefieldhistorian8990 On the contrary. Market Garden was actually the fastest allied advance against German opposition in the entire September 1944 to February 1945 period. 100km of German held ground taken in just 3 days. This showed that such thrusts could take a lot of ground quickly. The broad front strategy was a complete failure all through autumn 1944. It wasted untold men and resources for next to nothing gained. It did not even whittle German forces down to any great extent because the Germans were able to build up their forces during this period and they pushed the Americans back into a retreat at the start of winter in the Ardennes. The Hurtgen Forest was supposed to divert and tie the Germans down so an advance to and then beyond Aachen could occur. Instead all it ended up doing was suck more and more AMERICAN forces into it, causing needless casualties. 40,000 or more. This then directly lead to a thinning down of the 1st Army sector in front of the Ardennes. The result of which was a retreat and another near 100,000 casualties. The Hurtgen Forest was a terrible idea. Total waste of time, men resources.
This channel is first rate! Fascinating detective work determining the locations!
ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING! Take a bow :) Thank you for making this video. Absolutely brilliant content!!!
Watching this gave me chills. Joey, bless you for doing the SNAFU documentaries. It matters.
Amazing historical analysis. Keep up the good work
I feel like you are walking on hallowed ground. Fantastic show. You treat these men as if they were your brothers. Thank you and God Bless.
Thank you for such a beautifully moving video. All those men will never be forgotton.
Thank you so much for this hard work you’ve done to put all this together so precisely.
I appreciate that!
This is awesome having photos and standing in the same spot is just exciting to see
Fantastic video, thank you for doing this.
Very good presentation. It makes it very easy to imagine what is happening. Thanks for the effort.
Fascinating piece of work as always
Very cool to be able to do the then and now. Keep up the good work.👍
Words fail me except to express a heartfelt thank you.
No, thank you!
Thank you for these videos
Thank You for this awsome Docu👌
Thank you ever so much for your research. I've learned so much from you
I love your videos and channel. Thank you for all you do.
AMAZING!!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR REMEMBERING ALL THOSE HEROS FROM THE GREAT GENERATION.
These videos are awesome! Great work, as usual.
Excellent! Great detective work. Outstanding cinematography.
I live just 4 ks from this location but I always thought that the pictures were taken at Kall trail. Thank you for your work. Love your Channel.
Incredible work finding these locations, Joey, and the tribute at the end was touching! This is a great segway into your Battle of the Bulge video. -Bronson
Thanks a ton!
A simple idea for a video resulting in a profoundly moving insight into the "everyday" realities these men endured. Thank you.