Battle of Aachen

The Battle of Aachen was a U.S. Army siege and urban battle that captured the German city from Nazi forces between September and October 1944. It was the first major German city captured by the Western Allies.

Siege of Aachen: The encirclement and reduction of Aachen by U.S. forces in 1944. U.S. forces isolated the city before attacking its built-up defenses.
Operation Overlord: The Allied invasion of German-occupied Normandy, launched on 6 June 1944. Its success enabled the Allied advance that eventually reached Aachen.
Courtney Hodges: A U.S. Army general who commanded the First Army in northwestern Europe during World War II. Hodges led the army responsible for the operation against Aachen.
Allied invasion of Germany: The Western Allies’ advance into Germany during the final phase of World War II in Europe. Aachen became the first major German city captured by the Western Allies.
Battle of Stalingrad: A major 1942–1943 battle between German and Soviet forces for the city of Stalingrad. Stalingrad became a vast campaign of encirclement and attrition, unlike Aachen’s shorter Western Allied assault.
Urban warfare: Combat conducted in towns and cities, where buildings and streets shape military operations. Aachen’s dense streets turned its capture into close-range, building-by-building combat.
Liberation of Paris: The Allied and French liberation of Paris from German occupation in August 1944. The rapid advance after Paris helped bring U.S. forces toward Germany by autumn.
John Shirley Wood: A U.S. Army major general who commanded the 4th Armored Division during the campaign in western Europe. Wood’s division helped complete the encirclement of Aachen.
Siege of Metz: A U.S. Army campaign to capture the fortified French city of Metz in 1944. Its prolonged fighting showed that taking fortified urban centers remained difficult after Aachen.
Battle of Ortona: A Canadian-led battle against German forces for the Italian town of Ortona in December 1943. Ortona offers another example of costly urban combat, fought earlier and on a smaller scale.

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Western Allied invasion of GermanyBroader topic: Aachen became the first major test of the campaign inside Germany.