The Battle of the Huertgen Forest

“An inspiring testament to American fighting men.” — The New York Times

On 19 September 1944 the Battle of the Huertgen Forest began.

This series of ferocious encounters on the Belgian-German border would not end until three months later, making it the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought.

Over this contested fifty square mile area 120,000 American soldiers advanced against 80,000 battle-hardened German troops.

Rugged terrain and atrocious weather slowed down the U.S. advance which was forced to combat heavily dug-in German positions, overcoming minefields, barbed wire, and booby-traps, hidden by the snow, as they attempted to move forward.

Through the course of this bloody engagement the Allied forces suffered 24,000 battle causalities, plus a further 9,000 victims of weather.

This carnage was closely equalled by massive Nazi casualties.

It is little wonder that this battle has gone down in history as one of the bitterest and most fruitless battles of World War II.

Charles MacDonald’s vivid account of the battle is a remarkable book that uncovers how the conflict developed and progressed over its three month duration.

“An extraordinarily lucid account of battle.” — The Baltimore Sun

In 1944 Charles MacDonald was a twenty-one year old captain, who commanded a rifle company in the 23rd Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his service through the course of the Second World War. After the war he became Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army and wrote a number of books on the history of World War Two. The Battle of the Huertgen Forest was first published in 1963 and MacDonald passed away in 1990.