Some of the most brutally intense infantry combat in World War II
occurred within Germany's Hrtgen Forest. Focusing on the bitterly
fought battle between the American 22d Infantry Regiment and
elements of the German LXXIV Korps around Grosshau, Rush chronicles
small-unit combat at its most extreme and shows why, despite
enormous losses, the Americans persevered in the Hrtgenwald "meat
grinder," a battle similar to two punch-drunk fighters staggering
to survive the round.
On 16 November 1944, the 22d Infantry entered the Hrtgen Forest
as part of the U.S. Army's drive to cross the Roer River. During
the next eighteen days, the 22d suffered more than 2,800
casualties-or about 86 percent of its normal strength of about
3,250 officers and men. After three days of fighting, the regiment
had lost all three battalion commanders. After seven days, rifle
company strengths stood at 50 percent and by battle's end each had
suffered nearly 140 percent casualties.
Despite these horrendous losses, the 22d Regiment survived and
fought on, due in part to army personnel policies that ensured that
unit strengths remained high even during extreme combat. Previously
wounded soldiers returned to their units and new replacements,
"green" to battle, arrived to follow the remaining battle-hardened
cadre. The attack halted only when no veterans remained to
follow.
The German units in the Hurtgenwald suffered the same horrendous
attrition, with one telling difference. German replacement policy
detracted from rather than enhanced German combat effectiveness.
Organizations had high paper strength but low manpower, and
commanders consolidated decimated units time after time until these
ever-dwindling bands of soldiers disappeared forever: killed,
wounded, captured, or surrendered.
The performance of American and German forces during this harrowing
eighteen days of combat was largely a product of their respective
backgrounds, training, and organization. This pre-battle aspect,
not normally seen in combat history, helps explain why the
Americans were successful and the Germans were not.
Rush's work underscores both the horrors of combat and the
resiliency of American organizations. While honoring the sacrifice
and triumph of the common soldier, it also compels us to reexamine
our views on the requisites for victory on the battlefield.
General
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