Uncle Bill and World War II - The Fall of Aachen

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NOTE: My mother's brother, my Uncle Bill, participated in many of the major battles of the European theatre during World War II. This page and others reveal his experiences. For a full listing, see the bottom of this page. The photo at left is one of the rare photos I have of my uncle. It was taken after the war.

The City of Aachen and the Battle for It

Aachen is a large German city with a population of about 250,000 people. Located on the western side of the country, it borders Belgium and the Netherlands. It developed from a Roman settlement which had a spa.

The Battle of Aachen was a major combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, for 19 days: between 2 October and 21 October 1944. "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 the first city on German soil to be captured by the Allies. The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tenacious defense significantly disrupted Allied plans for the advance into Germany." ²

Bill sticks with his artillery group

“We stopped for a day or two in Belgium to shell a fort at Dinant….I think that’s how it’s spelled ³. The Germans gave up without a serious fight so we rushed for Germany. We were the first heavy artillery battalion to penetrate the Ziegfried Line and before we knew it we were so deep into Germany our guns had to fire northwest into Aachen. The Germans really put up a fight at Aachen and it was strange to fire slightly to the west with Aachen as a target.”

Having entered Germany early in the final year of the war, Bill would always be a little annoyed that the Russians made it to Berlin first.

Here are the other battles that Bill experienced:

• Normandy June 6, 1944
• The Battle of Cherbourg June 18, 1944
• Battle of the Hedgerows and Battle of Saint Lo July 7-19, 1944
• Battle of the Falaise Pocket August 11-21, 1944
• Battle of the Hurtgen Forest September 19 - December 6, 1944
• Battle of the Bulge December 15, 1944 - January 25, 1945

Or return to Main Page to check out other battles, other stories. (This page last edited on May 25, 2023.)