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Siegfried Line 1944
American Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division at the Siegfried Line (Westwall) near the Hürtgenwald. (Roetgen, Germany, Sep 1944)
The 3rd Armored Division was the first Western Allied force to cross the Siegfried Line into Germany on the 12th of September 1944. 3rd Armored Division's 2nd Battalion 33rd Armored Regiment and 36th Armored Infantry Regiment named "Task Force Lovelady", lead by Lt. Colonel William B. Lovelady, facing little resistance crossed the boarder and advanced to the town of Roetgen. The village of Roetgen was the first German town to fall to the Allies allowing for the Divisions advance continuing to Stolberg and onto the city of Aachen.
The "Dragon's Teeth" near Roetgen were built to prevent the enemy's further advance into Germany with the location chosen using the natural valley. The defenses across the Grölisbach valley ran for approximately 100m, with a gate and steel beams able to be deployed to block the road. Two Regelbau 105d-type, six-man MG-34 bunkers built within the hills overlooked the defensive wall. However during the 3rd Armored Division's advance, these bunkers were found to be abandoned.
The Siegfried Line was constructed by Organization Todt from 1936 to 1939, stretching for over 640km and consisting of more than 22,000 bunkers. The defensive line was abandoned in 1940, however in 1944 with war approaching Germany the neglected defenses where quickly put back into action.
Original Image Source: External link
US Army Signal Corps, US National Archives, (Public Domain).
Crop, repair, colorize: RyanN81
Siegfried Line 1944
American Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division at the Siegfried Line (Westwall) near the Hürtgenwald. (Roetgen, Germany, Sep 1944)
The 3rd Armored Division was the first Western Allied force to cross the Siegfried Line into Germany on the 12th of September 1944. 3rd Armored Division's 2nd Battalion 33rd Armored Regiment and 36th Armored Infantry Regiment named "Task Force Lovelady", lead by Lt. Colonel William B. Lovelady, facing little resistance crossed the boarder and advanced to the town of Roetgen. The village of Roetgen was the first German town to fall to the Allies allowing for the Divisions advance continuing to Stolberg and onto the city of Aachen.
The "Dragon's Teeth" near Roetgen were built to prevent the enemy's further advance into Germany with the location chosen using the natural valley. The defenses across the Grölisbach valley ran for approximately 100m, with a gate and steel beams able to be deployed to block the road. Two Regelbau 105d-type, six-man MG-34 bunkers built within the hills overlooked the defensive wall. However during the 3rd Armored Division's advance, these bunkers were found to be abandoned.
The Siegfried Line was constructed by Organization Todt from 1936 to 1939, stretching for over 640km and consisting of more than 22,000 bunkers. The defensive line was abandoned in 1940, however in 1944 with war approaching Germany the neglected defenses where quickly put back into action.
Original Image Source: External link
US Army Signal Corps, US National Archives, (Public Domain).
Crop, repair, colorize: RyanN81