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Battle of Hurtgen Forest Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Battle of Hurtgen Forest Quizzes, Trivia

Battle of Hurtgen Forest Trivia

Battle of Hurtgen Forest Trivia Quizzes

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3 quizzes and 35 trivia questions.
1.
  The Forgotten Forest   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The Battle for Hurtgen Forest is one of the forgotten battles of WWII. The 50 square miles of hilly, rugged terrain on the Belgian-German border was a meatgrinder for American troops. How much do you know about this forgotten battle?
Difficult, 15 Qns, kabar22003, Mar 26 11
Difficult
kabar22003
1967 plays
2.
  Hurtgen Forest 1944    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Hurtgen Forest was a series of fierce and bloody battles which took place between September and December 1944. It was the first time that the Allies encountered the much vaunted Siegfried line.
Tough, 10 Qns, JJMcGiver, May 04 19
Tough
JJMcGiver
May 04 19
157 plays
3.
  Battle of the Hurtgen Forest   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
No one talks about this battle for good reasons;it was a major blunder.
Average, 10 Qns, beterave, Mar 26 11
Average
beterave
349 plays
trivia question Quick Question
How did the Germans refer to the 28th Division?

From Quiz "The Forgotten Forest"





Battle of Hurtgen Forest Trivia Questions
1. The Hurtgen Forest was situated on which border?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: German/Belgian border

The Hurtgen Forest is on the German-Belgian border just north of the Ardennes forest.

2. What do GIs who fought in the Hurtgen Forest call the battle?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: the Death Factory

GIs who fought in the Hurtgen Forest named the carnage the Death Factory. Entire rifle companies were reduced to the size of squads in the fighting.

3. Where is Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Slightly southeast of Aachen, Germany

The forest is shaped like an axehead. Half lies in Belgium, the other half in Germany. It has been described as "being like a green cave, always dripping water. Fir trees interlocked their lower limbs so everyone had to stoop all the time". Add sleet, rain, fogs, and knee-deep mud, and you'd wonder why anyone could be bothered fighting for it.

4. Which US Army infantry division entered the Hurtgen Forest first?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: the 9th Infantry Division

The 9th Infantry division was the first to enter the Hurtgen Forest in September, 1944. The near destruction of this division should have been a warning of things to come.

5. What was the ultimate objective of the American advance?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: Roer river crossings at Düren

The initial objective was to penetrate the Westwall and get to the town of Duren, located on the Roer River.

6. The 9th Infantry's 60th Regiment suffered an appalling 100 percent casualty. Which other US infantry regiment shared the same fate?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: 22nd Regiment,4th Division

The 22nd Regiment of the 4th Division shared the same misfortune as the 9th Division's 60th Regiment.

7. Who commanded the German defenders at Hurtgen?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Model

Model was a "fire brigade" type commander. He had scored huge defensive success on the Russian Front, and more recently had defeated the British/American Operation Market Garden. Oddly enough, von Runstedt, who was C-in-C West, didn't like him very much. Rommel had been forced to commit suicide in the aftermath of the July Plot, and Guderian was out of favour with Hitler at the time.

8. The initial "reconnaissance in force" was performed by the 'old reliables' from which US division?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: 9th Infantry

The initial probes commenced on 14th September and they enjoyed early success due to surprising the German forces and succeeded in capturing the town of Lammersdorf, but were unable to progress any further and then started to take heavy casualties. The 9th Infantry Division was known as the 'Old Reliables'

9. Why were regulation foxholes useless in the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: because of tree shell burst

A regulation foxhole was useless because the Germans mortar rounds would explode in the trees raining shrapnel and splinters downward on exposed foxholes. Only covered shelters provided any protection from this.

10. When did the battle for Hurtgen Forest begin?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: September 19th 1944

On September 11th 1944, Staff Sergeant Warner W. Holzinger of the US 5th Armoured Division had the honour to be the first enemy soldier to stand on German soil in WWII. November 2nd 1944 saw very heavy fighting in the Hurtgen Forest, as we'll see, and December 16th was the opening day of the Battle of the Bulge.

11. What was the 28th Division re-named because of the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: the bloody bucket

The 28th Division took horrific casualties in the infantry companies. It was re-named the bloody bucket because of this.

12. What casualties were taken by the 3rd Armoured and the 9th Infantry Divisions in the initial fighting at Hurtgen?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Nearly 80%

Casualties like that hadn't been seen since the US Civil War. Even then, the worst battles had lasted for only days. This slugging match went on for six months.

13. Which American Division relieved the battered 9th Infantry Division on the 16th October?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: 28th Infantry

The 28th Infantry Division (a Pennsylvania National Guard unit) with the 707th Tank Battalion attached continued the attacks in the Hurtgen Forest. The 18th Infantry and 1st Infantry Divisions were engaged in the assault on Aachen at this time. The 82nd Airborne Division was still engaged in the aftermath of Operation Market Garden.

14. What gave the Germans the advantage in the fighting for the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: prepared positions

German defenders fighting in prepared positions of fir-covered dugouts and bunkers had the advantage over the US Army in the Hurtgen Forest.

15. What was the only way for a soldier to protect himself from artillery fire in the Hurtgen if he was caught in the open?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Stand upright at the base of a tree

The Germans fused their shells to burst in the tree tops. In addition to shell fragments, a lot of wood slivers went flying also, and these could be just as lethal. If the soldier threw himself flat as he was taught, he'd just make himself a bigger target. Digging in was useless unless a foxhole could be roofed over (Over Head Protection is the technical term for this).

16. During heavy fighting in and around the town of Schmidt, the 28th Infantry Division gained itself a nick name from its encounter with the German 116th Panzer Division throughout November. What was this nickname?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: 'Bloody Bucket'

The Germans named the 28th Infantry as the 'Bloody Bucket' Division due to the colour and shape of the Divisional Should insignia, which is a Red Keystone. The other names relate to 83rd division (Thunderbolt), 8th Infantry division (Pathfinder) and 78th Infantry division (Lightning)

17. During November 1944, what was the weather like in the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: cold and wet

The weather in the Hurtgen Forest in November was cold and wet with grey skies. This not only hampered any type of air support but insured misery to anyone in an open foxhole.

18. The 28th (Keystone) Division attacked at Hurtgen on November 2nd. What is an unusual fact about this Division?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: It was (and is) the oldest Division in the US Army

The Office of the Chief of Military History certifies the 28th as the oldest US Army Division, established by General Order 1, 12th March 1879.

19. What was the second biggest problem for the infantry in the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: combat fatigue

Combat fatigue was the second biggest problem during the fighting for the Hurtgen Forest. The shelling, bitter fighting and the weather took their toll on the men fighting in the Hurtgen Forest.

20. How did the Germans refer to the 28th Division?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: The Bloody Bucket Division

The Keystone emblem is red, and looks like a bucket. The Germans called it The Bloody Bucket because of the terrible casualties the Division suffered. By November 13th, all the officers in the Rifle Companies had been killed.

21. A second phase of the operation to advance into the Hurtgen Forest commenced with fresh units entering the battle on November 10th. This phase was given what codename?

From Quiz Hurtgen Forest 1944

Answer: Operation 'Queen'

Operation Queen was a more determined drive to reach the Roer River. It involved the whole of US VII Corps.

22. What was the US Army deprived of when it fought the Germans in the Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: air power and armour

When the US Army chose to engage the German Army in the Hurtgen Forest, it deprived itsself of air power and armour. Without these, the battle for the Hurtgen Forest was a confrontation of infantry fight with defenders in prepared defenses.

23. What famous author/correspondent was present during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

Strange, but true. On November 16th, a Colonel Lanham remarked to Papa Hemingway that he was thinking of relieving one of his battalion commanders. Hemingway off-handedly said, "You won't have to. The man stinks of death." Ten minutes later, news came in that the officer had indeed been killed. Colonel Lanham wondered how the hell Hemingway knew, and I myself wonder. Then again, maybe I don't want to know.

24. What was Private Eddie Slovik executed for?

From Quiz Battle of the Hurtgen Forest

Answer: desertion

Private Eddie Slovik of the 28th Division was executed on 31 January 1945 for desertion. He remains the only US seviceman executed for desertion since the Civil War.

25. What happened in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest on December 7th 1944?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Hill 400 was taken

The Second Ranger Battalion stormed Hill 400 and took it despite 5 counterattacks and 90% casualties. No less than 4 US Army divisions had previously attacked the hill, but every attempt to take it had been defeated. Sadly, the hill was recaptured by the Germans two and a half weeks later, and not retaken by US forces until February 1945.

26. What happened to Model after the battle?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: He shot himself

Model had been disgusted when von Paulus surrendered at Stalingrad. In Model's opinion, a German Field Marshal did not surrender. His body was later recovered by his son, and he was buried in Vossenack nearby.

27. There's another strange fact about the battle for Hurtgen Forest. What is it?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: Three quarters of the combattants on both sides were German or of German ancestry

Neither African-American or Japanese American troops fought there, due to US policy at the time. The use of pack mules had been suggested humorously to General James Gavin, but the joke fell flat with him, as he records in his memoirs. But since the 28th was a Pennsylvania Division ... Well, ever heard of the Pennslyvania "Dutch"?

28. Who was a former colonel of the 9th infantry who, much later, became the commander of US troops in Vietnam?

From Quiz The Forgotten Forest

Answer: William Westmoreland

Did Westmoreland learn anything from the Hurtgen Forest, one wonders?

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