Bloody Aachen

As the Allied armies advanced out of France and Belgium in September 1944, they finally came up against the West Wall, the first of the main German defenses, anchored by the ancient city of Aachen. Experienced American units such as the 1st Division, 30th Division, and 3rd Armored Division took nearly as much time to capture the city as they had spent liberating all of France after the Normandy breakout.