Hurtgen Forest

Historical Fiction

(Picture source: The National WW2 Museum)

November 1944, On the American frontline in Hurtgen Forest the six men of Baker Squad from Fox company sat in their foxholes. Moral for the men was low due to the freezing rain, and the fierce German attacks from the previous day, which resulted in several dozen casualties from Fox company including Baker squads Commanding Officer Sgt. Doyle. This left Cpl. Mathews in command of Baker squad.

                The remaining members of Baker squad were Cpl. Mathews, Doc Richard, Pfc. Jackson, Pvt. Guzman, Pvt. Harper, and Pvt. Collins. Cpl. Mathews, Doc Richard, and Pfc. Jackson had been together through combat during the liberation of France during operation overlord in Normandy. Guzman, Harper, and Collins were fresh out of basic training and yesterday had been their first real taste of combat.

Cpl. Mathews was 20 years of age, and had looked up to Sgt. Doyle like a father figure. The Death of Sgt. Doyle was not something Cpl. Mathews had the luxury of processing, Instead Mathews decided to embody Doyle’s style of leadership, treating his soldiers like family and leading by example. Mathews attempted to convince his men that everything was under control, despite the knowledge that the Germans would likely be launching a large-scale assault in an attempt to route the Americans from their positions a top the ridge line. This time the Germans would be throwing everything they had at the struggling American defenses. Tanks, artillery, Stukas (Dive Bombers), and wave after wave of German Infantry would be used in an attempt to wipe out Fox company, and breakthrough than encircle the remaining Americans in Hurtgen Forest.

                Doc. Richard was the squad medic and was known for his heroic actions, helping the wounded even when the Germans had him targeted. When Sgt. Doyle was hit Doc. Richard worked on him for 3 hours before a combat surgeon ordered him to stop, pointing out the obvious fact that the Sgt. was dead. In anticipation of the German offensive Doc. Richard had hoarded as much gauze, bandages, morphine, and penicillin as he could acquire from the company aid station.

Pfc. Jackson, aka. John Wayne, was a cocky, hyper aggressive guy from Philadelphia. He was the squad machine gunner. On the side of his browning 30. Cal. he kept a kill tally, between the combat of Normandy and Hurtgen Jacksons current tally was up to 50 Germans killed. Jackson was somewhat excited for the German offensive, and tried to relieve some of the tension in the air, and raise moral by claiming he intended to double his kill tally by the end of the German offensive.

Pvt. Guzman was the squad’s heavy weapons soldier. He had the only anti-tank weapon at Baker squad’s disposal, the bazooka. Despite the approach to the ridge being littered with anti-tank mines it was unlikely Guzman’s one Bazooka could hold out against the German heavy tanks like the Tiger. Despite this disadvantage Pvt. Guzman proved himself to be extremely proficient with his bazooka, managing to destroy one tank, and disable another, during the battle that took Sgt. Doyle the previous day. He was a natural knowing to aim for the weak spots like the tank tracks or the ammo rack.

Pvt. Harper, and Pvt. Collins were the squads mortar team they had also proved themselves the day before, but were extremely on edge. Harper age 17, and Collins age 16 were the youngest members of the squad. Collins having lied to a recruiter in order to serve his country before it was too late, and the war was over. Harper and Collins had been together since basic training, and based on the news back home they though the war was as good as won, and that fighting the remaining Germans would be a simple wash out. The previous days battle had firmly broken this delusion, and the reality of the situation they were in started to dawn on them. Previously over confident, they were now scared to death, understanding that the Germans intended to overrun and kill them, and that they would likely succeed. Pvt. Collins sat across from Pvt, Harper in their fox hole, Collins wrote what he assumed to be his last letters to his mother and girlfriend, while Harper sat shaking reading out loud from his bible praying for forgiveness for his sins, and asking God to forgive him for the lives he was about to take, hopeful that should he die, he would have a place in heaven.

Fox company’s position on the front line was a top a heavily wooded ridge line which overlooked a large open clearing in the forest where the Germans would have to cross. Alpha and Easy squads on the right flank of the ridge, Charlie and Delta squads on the left flank of the ridge, and Baker and George Squads holding the middle section of the ridge, which was the most likely to bear the brunt of the German assault.

In their middle section of the ridgeline Baker Squad had three main positions. Two foxholes at the front, and one in between the two about 50 yards behind the first two, forming a triangle. The fox hole to the left was Pfc. Jackson’s Machine Gun nest, The fox hole on the right was Pvt. Guzman’s firing position, and Cpl. Mathews forward command point. The fox hole to the rear was larger than the other two and was used by Collins and Harper as the mortar position, as well as serving as a fall-back point.

…Several hours pass, the rain stops, and it starts to become dark outside, as the night approaches…

Cpl. Mathews has his men take shifts, throughout the night keeping watch for German movement. Cpl. Mathews tells his men to try and get a decent amount of sleep, informing the men that the Germans will likely make their assault in the early morning, just as the sun beings to rise. The men try to prepare themselves for the following day. The Cpl. and Pvt. Guzman play poker, Pfc. Jackson takes a few nips of whiskey out of his flask, Doc. Richards travels between the three fox holes checking up on the squad members while distributing some gauze and bandages. Collins and Harper both sit in their foxhole praying with the company chaplain Father Brown… Night falls…the members of Baker squad enjoy a nervous sleep, and by 3AM everyone in the squad is wide awake and alert.

…4:30AM the sun is not yet visible but the faint light of early dawn covers the forest. A thick fog sits in the low clearing below the ridge, and the rumble of tank engines starts to pierce the silence. In the far distance Cpl. Mathews hears the distant booming of the German artillery guns. Mathews quickly yells out to his men, “Artillery Incoming! Keep your heads down, and do not leave your fox hole for any reason until the shelling stops.”

Hundreds of high explosive shells begin detonating across the ridge line. As more and more shells fell, other members of Fox Company who were either forced out of there fox holes, or fled them attempted to run to other dug in positions. Many of them were blown to pieces or impaled by tree branches turned to shrapnel by the artillery shells. For about 45 minutes the German artillery battered Fox company’s positions on the ridge.

…All of the sudden the shelling stopped… the men of Baker squad peeked over the tops of their foxholes into the foggy clearing below. “I can see the bastards,” said Pfc. Jackson. As the figures of the German infantry started to appear in the think fog. Cpl. Mathews gave the order to open fire, and Jackson opened up with the machine gun cutting down German after German. Cpl. Mathews ran back to the rear fox hole and gave Collins and Harper the range information they needed zero their mortar in on the enemy. As they being firing mortars Cpl. Mathews makes his way back to the right-side foxhole re-uniting with Pvt. Guzman.

As the fog began to lift Cpl. Mathews could see the German attack breaking down in the face of Baker squad’s fierce defense. Hundred of Germans were rushing their position, but those Germans lucky enough to dodge the onslaught of Collins/Harpers mortar rounds were cut down by Pfc. Jackson’s Machine gun. As he had predicted Jackson had doubled his tally, but even he did not think he would do it in as little as 15 minutes. Baker squad was beginning to run out of Ammo, so Cpl. Mathews gave Doc. Richard and Pvt. Guzman orders to make two supply runs to Fox Companies command post to gather as much machine gun ammo, and mortar shells as they could carry. Cpl. Mathews held the position at the right-side fox hole. Firing his M1 rifle at the few Germans left from the first wave.

…All of sudden the roar of tank engines started to get louder and louder. Three German tanks emerged from the smoke and mist, two medium Panzer tanks, and one heavy Tiger tank. One Panzer zeroed in on Pfc. Jacksons Machine Gun nest, and fired a shell into the foxhole. “DOC. RICH,” yelled Cpl. Mathews. The German tanks pounded the middle sector of the ridge, as the soldiers of Fox Company tried to keep up their suppressive fire. The Germans infantry under the support of their tanks managed to move in closer and closer.

As Cpl. Mathews fired his M1 into a German soldier less than 50 yards in front of his position, he was tapped on the shoulder, he spun around relieved to see Pvt. Guzman who informed him that he and Doc. Richard had finished their resupply run, and that Collins and Harper were about to start targeting the tanks in an attempt to suppress or damage them.

Sure, enough mortars started to impact the tanks causing them to be somewhat suppressed. Pvt. Guzman than took aim at one of the Panzers with his bazooka, he fired and hit the ammo rack causing the turret of the tank to fly off, destroying it, and killing anyone inside. Then both Cpl. Mathews and Pvt. Guzman hit the floor their foxhole as tank rounds exploded around them from the remaining two tanks.

Doc. Richards had made his way to the left-side fox hole where miraculously Pfc. Jackson was still alive. Jackson had a significant leg wound that Doc. Richard bandaged, and then administered morphine. Though seriously concussed, wounded, and groggy, Jackson reloaded his machine gun and again open fire cutting down about a dozen German infantry who where less than 25 yards from the left fox hole. Yelling curses, Jackson continued to fire his machine gun into the assaulting German onslaught.

The distraction from Jacksons machine gun allowed Pvt. Guzman to stick his neck out and fire the Bazooka at the second panzer destroying the tank, and killing the gunner. Guzman reloaded his bazooka, took aim at the Tiger tank, and fired. In dismay Cpl. Mathews, and Pvt. Guzman watched as the bazooka round bounced off the Tiger. A split second later the Tiger tank fired a round into the right-side fox hole killing Guzman instantly, and leaving Cpl. Mathews unconscious.

Pfc. Jackson laid down a hail of bullets, in addition to the now constant rain of accurate mortar fire from Collins and Harper. Doc. Richards made his way across the open ground to Cpl. Mathews, and dragged him by his uniform back to the rear fox hole. While Doc. Richards tries to wake up Cpl. Mathews, the mortar fire causes the Tiger tank to fall back along with the rest of the German Infantry.

…Cpl. Mathews regains his consciousness in Fox companies aid station, and he is told the German assault failed, and resulted in crippling losses for the German forces. He is than given two dog tags by Doc. Richards. “Pvt. Guzman, and Pfc. Jackson didn’t make it Sgt,” said Richards. “I’ve been promoted?” Replied a still concussed Mathews.

…The next day Sgt. Mathews sat down to write and inform the families of the loss of their loved ones, he felt dirty writing them because he knew it would be of little consolation to the family. It would not bring them back…