On this day, the 21st of October 1944, German troops capitulated at Aachen, Germany.
On October 21, 1944, US forces took control of the German city of Aachen after 19 days of intense combat. Aachen marked one of the most significant and challenging urban battles faced by US troops during World War Two, serving as the initial city on German soil to fall under Allied control.
The city's capture represented a pivotal moment for the Allies in the war, dealing yet another blow to the faltering Wehrmacht, which lost 2 divisions with 8 more severely weakened. Seizing Aachen provided a crucial morale boost to the Allies – after numerous grueling months of progress through France, they were now penetrating into the industrial heartland of the Ruhr Basin, the core of Hitler's Reich.
The engagement had been brutal, resulting in over 5,000 casualties on both sides. Despite the Germans' determined defense, which significantly disrupted Allied plans for their eastward push into Germany, the path into the country was now open, and the Siegfried Line breached.
The campaign for Germany was just beginning and would prove arduous – the subsequent Battle of Hürtgen Forest, which the Germans fiercely contested, followed. The true onset came in March 1945 when the Allies crossed the Rhine River. Nevertheless, with the fall of Aachen, the Allies had secured a hard-won triumph to commence their advance.
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