Hürtgen Forest: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Forest along the border between Belgium and Germany}} |
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{{Infobox forest |
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| ⚫ | The '''Hürtgen forest''' (also: '''Huertgen Forest'''; {{ |
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| name = Hürtgen forest |
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| native_name = Hürtgenwald |
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| native_lang = de |
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| photo = Huertgen Forest.jpg |
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| map = North Rhine-Westphalia#Germany |
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| map_caption = Hürtgen forest, North Rhine-Westphalia |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | The '''Hürtgen forest''' (also: '''Huertgen Forest'''; {{langx|de|Hürtgenwald}}) is located along the border between [[Belgium]] and [[Germany]], in the southwest corner of the [[States of Germany|German federal state]] of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]. Scarcely {{convert|50|sqmi|km2|order=flip|abbr=off}} in area, the forest lies within a triangle outlined by the German towns of [[Aachen]], [[Monschau]], and [[Düren]]. The [[Rur|Rur River]] runs along the forest's eastern edge. |
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==Geography== |
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| ⚫ | The Hürtgen Forest lies at the northern edge of the [[Eifel]] mountains; its terrain is characterized by plunging valleys that carve through broad plateaus. Unlike many areas of Germany in which the valleys are farmed and hilltops are wooded, the Hürtgen Forest's deep valleys are thickly wooded and the hilltop plateaus have been cleared for agriculture. The forest's rough terrain starkly contrasts with that of the adjoining [[Rhine Valley]]. |
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[[File:Karte Huertgenwald.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the Huertgen Forest (''Hürtgenwald'')]] |
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| ⚫ | The Hürtgen Forest lies at the northern edge of the [[Eifel]] mountains and [[High Fens – Eifel Nature Park]]; its terrain is characterized by plunging valleys that carve through broad plateaus. Unlike many areas of Germany in which the valleys are farmed and hilltops are wooded, the Hürtgen Forest's deep valleys are thickly wooded and the hilltop plateaus have been cleared for agriculture. The forest's rough terrain starkly contrasts with that of the adjoining [[Rhine|Rhine Valley]]. The forest's few roads are winding, narrow, and challenging to navigate. |
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==Battle of Hürtgen Forest== |
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The rugged terrain of this area was the scene of a long, bloody, drawn-out battle during World War II, often referred to as the [[Battle of Hurtgen Forest|Battle of Hürtgen Forest]], which took place over three months during a very cold winter from 19 September 1944 to 10 February 1945. Along a road that rises from the [[Kall River Valley]] to the town of [[Schmidt, Germany|Schmidt]], there is still a length of tank track that melted into the road after a U.S. armored vehicle was hit and burned there. In 1998 HBO made a film about the Battle of the Hurtgen forest, ''[[When Trumpets Fade]]''. |
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[[File:Westwall-Bunker 139-140.JPG|thumb|[[Siegfried Line]] bunker in the northern Eifel]] |
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During [[World War II]] the rugged terrain of this area was the scene of the long, bloody, drawn-out [[Battle of Hürtgen Forest]], which took place over three months during a cold fall from 19 September 1944 to 16 December 1944. The Germans successfully defended the area while gaining time to launch a surprise counter offensive in the [[Ardennes]] on 16 December 1944, the [[Battle of the Bulge]].<ref name="Whiting2007">{{cite book|author= Whiting, Charles|title=The Battle of Hurtgen Forest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CKhXPgAACAAJ|date=July 2007|publisher=Spellmount|isbn=978-1-86227-396-2|page=274}}</ref><ref name="MacDonald2016">{{cite book|author=MacDonald, Charles B. |title=The Siegfried Line Campaign|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDmLDAEACAAJ|date=29 March 2016|publisher=ST JOHN Press|isbn=978-1-944961-30-5}}</ref> |
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The forest was further devastated by fires in the summer of 1945, ignited as the weather warmed leftover [[white phosphorus munitions]].<ref>DW broadcast{{full citation needed|date=November 2022}}; also subject of 2020 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum exhibit.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=November 2022}} |
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The battle is commemorated in the [[1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum]], opened in 1983. There are three German war cemeteries; the one at Hürtgen was opened in 1952 and is the resting place of some one hundred postwar victims of mines and unexploded ordnance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaette/huertgenwald-huertgen-kriegsgraeberstaette.html|title = Kriegsgräberstätte: Hürtgenwald-Hürtgen-Kriegsgräberstätte - Bau, Pflege und Instandsetzung | Volksbund.de}}</ref> Beside other small memorials, the road that rises from the [[Kall, North Rhine-Westphalia|Kall]] River Valley to the town of [[Nideggen|Schmidt]] incorporated the track of a destroyed [[Sherman tank]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sherman Tank Track Kall Trail - Kommerscheidt - TracesOfWar.com |url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/4127/Sherman-Tank-Track-Kall-Trail.htm |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=tracesofwar.com |language=en}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{commons category|position=left}} |
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{{authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtgen Forest}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtgen Forest}} |
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[[Category:Düren (district)]] |
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[[Category:Forests and woodlands of North Rhine-Westphalia]] |
[[Category:Forests and woodlands of North Rhine-Westphalia]] |
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{{NorthRhineWestphalia-geo-stub}} |
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Latest revision as of 14:22, 16 November 2024
| Hürtgen forest German: Hürtgenwald | |
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 View looking west over the Kall Valley in the Hürtgen Forest | |
| Map | |
  Hürtgen forest, North Rhine-Westphalia  Hürtgen forest (Germany) | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 50°42′03″N 6°25′42″E / 50.7008°N 6.4284°E |
The Hürtgen forest (also: Huertgen Forest; German: Hürtgenwald) is located along the border between Belgium and Germany, in the southwest corner of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Scarcely 130 square kilometres (50 square miles) in area, the forest lies within a triangle outlined by the German towns of Aachen, Monschau, and Düren. The Rur River runs along the forest's eastern edge.
Geography
[edit]
The Hürtgen Forest lies at the northern edge of the Eifel mountains and High Fens – Eifel Nature Park; its terrain is characterized by plunging valleys that carve through broad plateaus. Unlike many areas of Germany in which the valleys are farmed and hilltops are wooded, the Hürtgen Forest's deep valleys are thickly wooded and the hilltop plateaus have been cleared for agriculture. The forest's rough terrain starkly contrasts with that of the adjoining Rhine Valley. The forest's few roads are winding, narrow, and challenging to navigate.
Battle of Hürtgen Forest
[edit]
During World War II the rugged terrain of this area was the scene of the long, bloody, drawn-out Battle of Hürtgen Forest, which took place over three months during a cold fall from 19 September 1944 to 16 December 1944. The Germans successfully defended the area while gaining time to launch a surprise counter offensive in the Ardennes on 16 December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge.[1][2]
The forest was further devastated by fires in the summer of 1945, ignited as the weather warmed leftover white phosphorus munitions.[3][full citation needed]
The battle is commemorated in the 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum, opened in 1983. There are three German war cemeteries; the one at Hürtgen was opened in 1952 and is the resting place of some one hundred postwar victims of mines and unexploded ordnance.[4] Beside other small memorials, the road that rises from the Kall River Valley to the town of Schmidt incorporated the track of a destroyed Sherman tank.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Whiting, Charles (July 2007). The Battle of Hurtgen Forest. Spellmount. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-86227-396-2.
- ^ MacDonald, Charles B. (29 March 2016). The Siegfried Line Campaign. ST JOHN Press. ISBN 978-1-944961-30-5.
- ^ DW broadcast[full citation needed]; also subject of 2020 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum exhibit.
- ^ "Kriegsgräberstätte: Hürtgenwald-Hürtgen-Kriegsgräberstätte - Bau, Pflege und Instandsetzung | Volksbund.de".
- ^ "Sherman Tank Track Kall Trail - Kommerscheidt - TracesOfWar.com". tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
External links
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