Battle of the Hürtgenwald / Gr.Rgt.983 Group

[senders221]

What a super interesting thread!! Thanks

[Simon H]

The post war ration pieces were Bundeswehr ones. The initial post war mine clearances were done by former Wehrmacht soldiers, the Kampfmittelraumdienst are not a military organisation and wouldn't be eating military rations.

[OSS]

A photo of a purported German KIA from the Huertgenwald was posted a while back to mixed reviews (as to authenticity). http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...+Soldier+Photo

[BCraig]

This referenced photo is also found on page 35 of Tony Vaccaro's book "Entering Germany 1944-1949" put out by Taschen a few years ago. Tony was in the Hurgtenwald during WW2.

This book features lots of his photos including a few others that he took during the the fighting in the Hurtgenwald although some of those photos were in rough shape. Interestingly, the book notes that 4,000 of his negatives were lost in a flood in Aug 1947. Based on the photos that I've seen in the book, he was an excellent photographer.

If I also remember right, he was interviewed in the documentary "You Enter Germany" discussing the fighting in the Hurtgenwald. I picked the DVD up in the museum at Vossenack a few years ago. This may be a hard to find DVD, but it was very interesting as it covered the fighting in the Hurtgenwald.

[OSS]

Yes, I suspected the photo was just as described. The clothing and equipment appear authentic and the corpse appears convincingly deceased. I referred to it because it presents a good example of the appearance of German Army infantry in the Autumn of 1944.

[BCraig]

It's definitely a fascinating but very sad photo.

A few years ago, I read "Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Huertgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich", and it provides an interesting picture of the German army during that timeframe as well.

[OSS]

Here is another shot from Pfc. Vaccaro, also taken in the Huertgenwald:

[OSS]

And perhaps it is sobering to remember that thousands of Americans died in the Huertgenwald as well, as another photo from Tony Vaccaro shows: