The World at War - Part IX - The Nightmare Forest (Myth20c - Ep303)

In 1944, the western and eastern fronts began collapsing on the German Reich, following the capitulation of its ally Italy in 1943 and the successful landing of Allied forces in France in June, 1944. In terms of production, the Allies already outstripped Germany 4 to 1, and with the Wehrmacht allocating upwards of 80% of its men and materiel to the defense against the Red Army in the east, the West Wall remained relatively unprotected. After storming through the Normandy beaches and breaking through the Bocage hedgerows of France, it was this progress and numerical superiority that led the US military into a false sense of security as they entered German land. At the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest in late 1944, the US Army suffered its greatest defeat in terms of loss of life at over 30,000 men killed, and failed to achieve its strategic objective. Often forgotten in history books, this failure was quickly overshadowed by the larger Battle of the Bulge to the south, yet nonetheless offers lessons on mistakes in strategic command. Finally, given current events surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we dedicate the last minutes of the show to him and his family, and reflect on what is means to the ongoing culture war in the United States in the 21st century.

The World at War Episodes covered in this episode:

19 - Pincers (August 1944- March 1945)

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with Adam Smith

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-- References --

- Crusade in Europe, Eisenhower (1948)
- When Trumpets Fade, Irvin (1998)
- Hürtgen Forest - The Longest US Battle On German Soil, War Stories (2025) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkdeT04U1sI