Hell of the Hurtgen Forest WW2 Tour

SPECIALIZING IN GUIDED, WORLD WAR 2 TOURS, FOR VETERAN’S FAMILIES (& THE GENERAL PUBLIC) IN THE HURTGEN FOREST (HURTGENWALD)

(including 28th Infantry Division, 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One), 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry, 83rd infantry, 9th Infantry, 78th Infantry, 2nd Ranger Battalion, 3rd & 5th Armored Divisions, 82nd Airborne, 116th Panzer Division etc)

I also cover some locations just outside Aachen, such as “Dawson’s Ridge” & “Crucifix Hill”

 

2 or 3 day HURTGEN FOREST Tours available

The Hurtgenwald is in the beautiful Eifel National Park region. A very popular area for hiking, cycling and camping.

Therefore, during your tour, you will see some stunning scenery, including steep forested valleys and fast flowing rivers and streams

 

Below photo:  Myra Miller from Footsteps Researchers, standing next to the German trench in Kuferath, in July 2022, where her father was badly injured, by an incoming German shell. (83rd Infantry Division)

Below photo:  October 1st 2022-  My customers from Seattle on the Kall Bridge. Kent’s father was in the 112th Infantry regiment, 3rd battalion (Company K) of the 28th Infantry Division and survived the terrible battles for Kommerscheidt & Schmidt.

I showed Kent & Kathleen the jump-off positions & the foxholes dug by the 112th, above the Kall Trail in early November 1944

 

Tour Locations available of your choice

Hurtgen – The beautifully rebuilt Hurtgen Church &  nearby battle scarred house. Plus some great “Then & Now” photos, inc one at the location of the so-called “Hurtgen Hotel” – 8th Division’s – 121st Infantry Regiment’s temporary C.P.

Scenic hike – A  beautiful, historic, flat walk along the Kall River from Simonskall (optional)

Vossenack Church & nearby memorial made from shrapnel & an explanation of the extremely heavy battles, in and around the village (112th Infantry regiment of the 28th Infantry Division “(The Bloody Bucket)”

Plus a visit to the excellent Vossenack Museum. Fantastic collection of Battlefield relics here, uniforms, weapons, maps, photos etc (However – museum only open on Sunday’s)

 

If you book a 3 or 4 day Hurtgen Tour, we can visit the beautiful, North Eifel, medieval town of Monschau, with it’s traditional chocolate box style, half-timbered houses, narrow cobbled streets and ancient castle. The fast flowing Rur River flows through it’s centre and there are some wonderful restaurants to sample local beers, wine and excellent food (optional visit)

 

Lukas – Muhle (old mill & huge former German aid-station location), near Schmidt & Vossenack

Tiefelbach River & the assaults on Brandenberg & Bergstein. Lots of untouched foxholes here

 

 

 

Below:  Construction of  some “Dragon’s Teeth” (Hockerlinie), of the “Westwall” near Lammersdorf

THE “DEATH FACTORY”

The 4 very impressive and intact, “Der Buhlert” camouflaged German Bunkers, hidden deep in the forest, near Schmidt (optional long hike, but well worth it).

We can enter one of these bunkers,  to see how well they were built and how the young German soldiers lived

SCHMIDT -The 2 ferocious Battles for Schmidt (28th & 78th Infantry Divisions)

GERMETER – The Germeter – Hurtgen ridge and the location where a Sherman tank fell into a huge crator

WILDESAU -The former massive German “Wildesau” (Wild Sow) minefield location, on the Germeter-Hurtgen road (b399)

 

 

Field Marshall Walter Model’s grave & The Vossenack German Military Cemetery (Hill 470). 2,347 are buried here)

HURTGEN CEMETERY – The Hurtgen German Military Cemetery (3,0001 burial’s) and the story about Lt Lengfeld – The German officer who lost his life, trying to aid a severely wounded American soldier, in the minefield in this location

The Vichtbach River near Roetgen – I will show you a 1 km long German trench system (still in great condition)

 

 

A Field grave, in the forest, near Germeter, of a young 19 year old Luftwaffe soldier -Benno Schott

Field grave of an American soldier (Sgt Lemuel Herbert) at Kommerscheidt

The intense fighting in and around Obermaubach & Untermaubach 

 

 

THE “GREEN HELL OF THE HURTGEN”

Below:

Personal items I recovered from a 2 man American foxhole, (28th Infantry Division -110th Infantry), in the Hurtgen, in October 2018. Items include 2 civilian silver spoons, a coffee ration packet, various kit buttons, shrapnel, M1 Garand rifle bullets, Garand ammo clip, an Artillery uniform button, knife, wire and the best discovery of all – a sewing thimble.

This discovery tells a story. The soldier was obviously sewing buttons onto his uniform and eating and drinking his rations, in this freezing foxhole, before German mortars have hit their positions. (because i found  German mortar shells nearby, crators and several other foxholes)

 

 

The key battles for Gey & Strass  – 2  small towns on the edge of the Hurtgen (83rd Infantry Division)

Gressenich, Mausbach, Breinig, Breinigberg, Stolberg (Stolberg corridor) & Schevenhutte (2 huge exploded German bunkers can be seen here, deep in the forest)

Kesternich – a village where ferocious battles occurred, house to house, hand-to hand combat and the story of how a medal of honor was won

 

Ordensburg Vogelsang (Massive former Nazi training/education complex in the Eifel)

Paustenbach (Hill 554) – The heavy fighting to take this strategic hill, that lasted almost 2 weeks and cost many lives on both sides. The exploded and buried German bunkers and a long impressive stretch of Dragon’s Teeth can be seen here. (39th infantry)

 

WEISER WEH – Rabenheck, Ernest Hemmingway’s route, Paul Boesch’s route of march and attack and “Death Valley” (optional long hikes in the Weiser Weh Valley)

OCHSENKOPF – The mass of German positions, extensive trenches, minefields, foxholes, field graves, memorials, huge shell crators & bunkers on the “Ochsenkopf” hill, near the notorious Raffelsbrand road junction

Jagerhaus (Forester’s House) and nearby location, where the 8th Division’s – 28th Infantry regiment de-trucked and then marched to begin fighting in and around Germeter & Vossenack

Haus Brandt (German C.P) near Kleinhau. Nicely preserved American foxholes in this area (121st Infantry) and German positions inc observation post, on the edge of the woods

 

 

SCHMIDT – Schmidt Church, the American & German direction of attacks &  a memorial made entirely from shrapnel

KALL TRAIL:

MESTRENGER MUHLE – A beautifully restored water mill, near the Kall river bridge, that was used as an aid-station and was heavily damaged

AID-STATION – The former improvised American Aid station location, on the Kall trail, in the Kall Valley

 

 

KALL TRAIL HIKE – The Kall Trail hike, from Vossenack to Schmidt & Kommerscheidt, including an American armored vehicle track -burnt into the ground, the Kall Bridge itself, the location of the aid-station & the Mestrenger Muhle 

ALL SOULS DAY BATTLE -The Kall Bridge,”A Time for healing” memorial & foxholes by the trail itself, plus a discussion about “The All Souls Day Battle” and the unofficial ceasfire that occurred here and was negotiated at the bridge

I can show you masses of American & German foxholes on and surrounding the beautiful Kall valley

 

 

Below:

Guiding American Film director – John Herzfeld & his wife around the Hurtgen in October 2018. (John’s father fought in the Strass area (330th Infantry of the 83rd division)

 

Anker’s MG Squad Memorial – Kleinhau (a touching tribute to an extremely brave American machine gun squad, that were overcome & were tragically killed in the woods here)

TODTENBRUCH – The Todtenbruch – “Dead Man’s Moor” – blown German Bunkers , foxholes and an American soldier’s field grave memorial

ROLLSBROICH – The heavy battles around the little town of Rollsbroich

The SCHMIDT – STECKENBORN RIDGE

 

 

 

MERODE – a fine example of extensive German trenches can be clearly seen here, in the now peaceful forest. Plus an insight into the  6 day battle here, the heavy fighting in and around the beautifully restored Merode Castle (39th Infantry) and a bullet scarred house in the village itself.

A discussion about the terrible battles that were fought here in Merode, at a very heavy cost to the American 1st Infantry Division and the German 3rd  Fallschirmjager division

 

Below:  Battle scarred house Merode

Simonskall German Bunkers, including a uniquely restored , former German aid-station bunker, with original beds, stretchers and other equipment

 Kuferath & Birgel (German trench, American positions & artillery crators (83rd Infantry Division)

Nideggen Church & ancient Castle (A beautiful little town)

 

 

The Brandenberg/Bergstein Ridge & the ferocious battles for the strategic and vital”Castle Hill” -Hill 400 (inc 2nd Ranger Battalion) Plus the story of the Anderson Brothers, who died here. Also a look at German MG positions and foxholes on the Brandenberg-Bergstein ridge

Location of the field grave & memorial cross, to PFC Paul Peternell (121st Infantry 8th Division), who died on the 9th of December 1944. His body was found in July 1981

RAFFELSBRAND – The battles for the heavily defended Raffelsbrand Road Junction Bunkers & extensive trench systems

 

 

Impressive remnants of ” The Westwall” (Dragon’s Teeth) at Roetgen, Simmerath, Paustenbach & Lammersdorf

Rott (Norman “Dutch” Cota’s Command post -28th Infantry Division)

James E Rudder’s Command Post – Germeter (2nd Ranger Battalion)

Roetgen/Rott (Dragon’s Teeth) – 1st penetration of the Siegfried Line – September 13th 1944-Task Force Lovelady – 3rd Armored division. German bunkers here and M.G position

Hill 203 – Heistern -many American 18th Infantry foxholes here

Hamich

 

The heavily defended town of Lammersdorf. American Jump-off positions from this town on the “Siegfried Line”  (Huge German water bunker hidden in the forest). Dragon’s teeth etc & rebuilt church

Simmerath and a great example of a long line of “Dragon’s teeth” of the “Siegfried Line”

Schevenhutte and the battles for this strategic town, inc some nice “Then & Now” photos

 

 

The Roer River Dams – The Schwammenauel  & Urft Dams

STRASS -The battles for Strass, Bergheim & Hill 375 – Well preserved American 330th Infantry (83rd division) foxholes in the forest and German positions can be seen here

Winden – excellent bridge memorial & heavily battle scarred building, where the Germans were firing from, covering the bridge itself

Kleinhau Church & excellent Memorials

Grosshau Church & excellent Memorials and a house which Ernest Hemingway occupied, during the fighting

Zweifall German bunkers & American command post with memorial. (Jump off-positions began here). Site of blown bridge

 

 

 

To find out more about my “Hell of the Hurtgen Forest” WW2 Tour please contact me for more information.

My unique and exciting, customised tours, cater for individuals, couples and for small groups of up to a maximum of 5 people. Small bespoke tours are much more personal and interesting and a good way to make friends, or to share our mutual interest in WW2. For larger groups or school history trips, please email me for details at: whitecrossbattlefieldtours@gmail.com