World War II veterans discuss the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. From September of 1944 until February 1945, the densely wooded hills near the Belgium-German border not far from the medieval town of Aachen, thundered with artillery, mortar, machine gun and tank fire. In September 1944, the American generals hoped for a quick push into Germany's industrial heartland. But battle-hardended Wehrmacht troops were determined to hold their ground. For five long months thousands of American and German soldiers battled each other and the harsh terrain of the forest in bitter cold that claimed combatants on both sides.