Section Leaders:
   Fionn Kelly & Madmatt  

RECOMMENDATIONS

Personal Citation:  Hauptmann Wiesenhoffer (posthumously)



Cityfighting continues to rage in Aachen...

One night Hauptmann Wiesenhoffer's reinforced company was ordered to retake a pivotal building at the entrance of a small village lying outside Aachen. It was a wet, foggy night with visibility of no more than 20 metres. Wiesenhoffer's entire reinforced company consisted of green soldiers fresh out of basic training. He knew this would be a tough fight as a night assault on a fortified building defended by veterans is no easy task for even the most battle-hardened Panzergrenadier never mind young boys who didn't even need to shave yet.

As his 5 platoon strong company advanced Wiesenhoffer decided that, if he was to steady his youngsters in combat, he would need to stand at the Schwerpunkt and lead them by personal example. As the crash of submachinegun fire and the dull rumble of grenades drifted down to his position he realized he was too late and that the Americans must have, already, run into his first platoon. Grabbing his trusty MP44 he ordered the 3rd, 4th and 5th platoons to guard his flanks and ran forward with the 2nd platoon. As he entered the building across the road from his objective he found 6 survivors of the 1st platoon racing for the rear in panic.

Bewildered at how quickly things were unfolding around him he didn't even have time to grab one and ask what happened as an American platoon raced into the house mere metres behind the survivors of 1st platoon. He began taking fire from Americans upstairs and from Americans on both sides of the house. His men returned fire but, faced with this maelstrom of fire soon broke and began to run for the rear. Three of Wiesenhoffer's command staff also fell until only his two comrades and he were left in the house facing what appeared to be two platoons of Americans.

Just at that moment 3rd and 4th platoons saved the day with attacks into the flanks of the Amis. The Amis broke in panic at this new threat and raced back towards the fortified house which was Wiesenoffer's objective. The poor, brave recruits in the 3rd and 4th platoons raced after them, deaf to Wiesenhoffer's pleas to stay and establish a defense.

Soon Wiesenhoffer could hear the sound of machineguns, bazookas and hand to hand fighting echoing inside the objective house. He knew that if he was to take that building that he would need more men and, leaving 5th platoon to guard the house he had just captured, ran to the rear looking to rally and organize the survivors of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th platoon. Eventually as he rallied each squad he sent it forward to a position just behind 5th platoon from which he hoped to eventually lead a strong counter-attack. He also ordered 4 HMG42s forward to take up positions in the building which 5th platoon was defending. This building, only 20 metres from his objective was being fired upon from 3 sides and he needed his HMG42s to suppress the Americans.

As soon as the Americans noted the MG42s moving into position they charged the house wildly determined to destroy the MG teams before they could set up. Before the first HMG team could set up an American charge led them right into the middle of the house and they butchered 3 of the HMG teams and half of 5th platoon before retreating.

Finally, with his men rallied and the Amis in deep danger Wiesenhoffer took up position in the building occupied by 5th platoon and hurled platoon after platoon at the Americans. Each attack was beaten back and led to a vicious counter-attack which always resulted in hand-to-hand fighting. 

Eventually on the 28th minute of a 30 minute game the final American counter-attack was launched and two squads rushed Wiesenhoffer who, by this time, was the only survivor from his command group. He poured fire into their ranks and dropped several but they kept coming and, amid the cries and slaps of hand to hand fighting Wiesenhoffer was mortally wounded.

With his dying breath, as the Americans were again beaten off, he ordered all his remaining men to advance and rush the American positions leaving no defense behind at all.

Two minutes later the objective building was taken but at a fearful cost. The Americans had set up a 0.5 calibre HMG inside the house and it had butchered entire squads in the final attack. It had, finally been subdued but only 17 Germans were left standing.

Spurred on by Wiesenhoffer's example and dying words his men had won through but had only done so at a terrible cost. 148 of their comrades lay dead or dying in the streets and 198 Americans lay, intermingled with them. Each of the two buildings in which the fighting had taken place contained close to 150 bodies with the other 50 scattered in the street in between the buildings. The graves registration details would be busy the next morning.

What cost victory?