Editing Battle of Hürtgen Forest (section)

== Background ==

By mid-September 1944, the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] pursuit of the German army after the [[Normandy landings|landings at Normandy]] was slowing down due to extended supply lines and increasing German resistance. The next strategic objective was to move up to the [[Rhine|Rhine River]] along its entire length and prepare to cross it. [[Courtney Hodges]]′ [[First United States Army|First Army]] experienced hard resistance pushing through the Aachen Gap and perceived a potential threat from enemy forces using the Hürtgen Forest as a base.

The [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 1st Infantry Division]] arrived in early October, joining elements of the [[XIX Corps (United States)|XIX Corps]] and [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]], which had encircled Aachen. Although the 1st Infantry Division called for the surrender of the German garrison in the city, German commander ''[[Oberst]]'' [[Gerhard Wilck]] refused to capitulate until 21 October.{{sfn|Whiting|1976|p={{pn|date=February 2024}}}}

The Allies also thought it was necessary to remove the threat posed by the Rur Dam. The stored water could be released by the Germans, swamping any forces operating downstream. In the view of the American commanders, [[Omar Bradley]], Hodges, and [[J. Lawton Collins]], the direct route to the dam was through the forest.{{sfn|Neillands|2005|p=239}}

Some military historians are no longer convinced by these arguments. [[Charles B. MacDonald]]—a U.S. Army historian and former company commander who served in the Hürtgen battle—has described it as "...a misconceived and basically fruitless battle that should have been avoided."{{sfn|Neillands|2005|p=239}}