{"product_id":"hell-in-hrtgen-forest-the-ordeal-and-triumph-of-an-american-infantry-regiment-modern-war-studies-9780700613601","title":"Hell in Hrtgen Forest: The Ordeal and Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment (Modern War Studies)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome of the most brutally intense infantry combat in World War II occurred within Germanys Hrtgen Forest. Focusing on the bitterly fought battle between the American 22d Infantry Regiment and elements of the German LXXIV Korps around Grosshau  Rush chronicles small-unit combat at its most extreme and shows why  despite enormous losses  the Americans persevered in the Hurtgenwald \"meat grinder \" a battle similar to two punch-drunk fighters staggering to survive the round.  On 16 November 1944  the 22d Infantry entered the Hurtgen Forest as part of the U.S. Armys drive to cross the Roer River. During the next eighteen days  the 22d suffered more than 2 800 casualtiesor about 86 percent of its normal strength of about 3 250 officers and men. After three days of fighting  the regiment had lost all three battalion commanders. After seven days  rifle company strengths stood at 50 percent and by battles end each had suffered nearly 140 percent casualties.  Despite these horrendous losses  the 22d Regiment survived and fought on  due in part to army personnel policies that ensured that unit strengths remained high even during extreme combat. Previously wounded soldiers returned to their units and new replacements  \"green\" to battle  arrived to follow the remaining battle-hardened cadre. The attack halted only when no veterans remained to follow.  The German units in the Hurtgenwald suffered the same horrendous attrition  with one telling difference. German replacement policy detracted from rather than enhanced German combat effectiveness. Organizations had high paper strength but low manpower  and commanders consolidated decimated units time after time until these ever-dwindling bands of soldiers disappeared forever: killed  wounded  captured  or surrendered.  The performance of American and German forces during this harrowing eighteen days of combat was largely a product of their respective backgrounds  training  and organization. This pre-battle aspect  not normally seen in combat history  helps explain why the Americans were successful and the Germans were not.  Rushs work underscores both the horrors of combat and the resiliency of American organizations. While honoring the sacrifice and triumph of the common soldier  it also compels us to reexamine our views on the requisites for victory on the battlefield.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279812649013,"sku":"ByrdShop_0700613609","price":29.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780700613601.jpg?v=1780611574","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/hell-in-hrtgen-forest-the-ordeal-and-triumph-of-an-american-infantry-regiment-modern-war-studies-9780700613601","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}