Macknight, George T. The First Battle for Kesternich

Hürtgen Forest - The Ardennes - Roer/Urft Dams, December 1944

In mid-December 1944, as the US Army advanced towards the Roer-Urft dams the gateway to Germany parts of three divisions went on the offensive. Most reports focus on the advance of the American 2nd and 99th Divisions towards Wahlerscheid, neglecting the decisive battle of the 78th Infantry Division for the village of Kesternich, which was the key to the Monschau Corridor, which in turn was the key to the Roer dams. As the Americans advanced, they encountered the 272nd and 326th Volksgrenadier Divisions, which were rushing to stabilise the northern flank of what would soon erupt as the Battle of the Bulge. Contrary to popular belief, the battle for Kesternich was not an isolated skirmish, but part of a larger conflict that threatened to thwart the German winter offensive before it had even begun. Drawing on American and German archival sources, including untranslated German military studies and first-hand oral accounts, the author re-examines the complexity and strategic implications of this little-known battle. Drawing on a wealth of combat reports, personal memoirs and previously inaccessible documents, this book restores Kesternich to its rightful place in the history of the European theatre of war. It sheds light not only on a forgotten battle, but also on the changing nature of tactics, training and organisation on both sides during the war.