(4 - 21 September 1944)
By General der Infanterie a.D. Friedrich August Schack, March 1948.
18 SEPTEMBER
That morning the enemy continued to attack. At noon attack on Brunssum failed, but in the afternoon the remnants of the 275th Division were driven out of the area, and the line of security was penetrated in the 49th Division sector, south of Nieuwenhagen. A pocket northeast of Terwinselen was cleared in a counterattack by an armored force from the 10th SS Panzer Division. An attack on Kerkrade was repulsed.
In the Aachen sector the 116th Panzer Division repelled thrusts on the hill north of Vaals, on Vaalserquartier, and west of Eilendorf. The U.S. 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions and the 3rd Armored Division counterattacked in the 12th Division sector. Their attacks were directed against Stolberg. The attacks on Verlautenheide were repelled. The enemy gained some ground in Stolberg, capturing pill boxes and houses in the southern part of the town. Attacks in the direction of Donnerberg were repulsed. In the center, attacks on Diepenlinchen were especially fierce, and the town was lost by noon.
During the evening, attacks of Hill 291, north of Weissenberg, miscarried, with heavy enemy casualties.
Our attack on Schevenhütte, which had been ordered for that night, was launched at dawn, just when enemy relieving parties were moving into position. There was fierce house-to-house fighting throughout the town. Two companies from the 2d Battalion, 48th Grenadiers, took it but were encircled by enemy counterattacks. After suffering grievous casualties the grenadiers hewed their way back to our lines that evening, and Schevenhuette was again lost.
In spite of minor loss of ground, 18 September a whole was a day of successful defense. Nowhere, during the fierce fighting, had the enemy achieved a decisive breakthrough. And, as the fusilier and the engineer battalion from the 12th Division had arrived, fresh reserves were again at the disposal of the exhausted division. Corps was therefore able at last to pull out for reorganization units of the 9th Panzer Division and the 105th Panzer Brigade, with the exception of 5 tanks which remained with the 12th Division.
That evening, by the end of the fighting, the front line extended: Verlautenheide south - Foersterei and Gut Schwarzenbruch - Schneidermuehle - Buschmuehle, west of Muensterbusch - Stolberg center - Niederhof - Hill 293 - Mausbach north - Krewinkel - edge of forest south of Buschhausen - south of Schevenhuette, where there was contact with the 353d Division. Because of the obscure situation on corps right wing, the 183d Volks Grenadier Division, 14 trains of which had arrived, manned the West Wall from Birgden, 8 kilometers northwest of Geilenkirchen, to Geilenkirchen (inclusive).
The corps headquarters command post was moved from Pattern to Neiderzier, 8 kilometers north of Düren.
19 SEPTEMBER
By morning the remnants of the 275th Division were along the southwestern edge of the forest west of Geilenkirchen. The motorized battalion Riedel was southwest of Waubach.
That afternoon the enemy drove back a Luftwaffen battalion assigned to the 275th Division and broke into the forest. The division commander by his personal efforts, succeeded in establishing a new line of security on the western border and on both sides of Teveren, with elements of his division. We no longer had contact with the forces adjacent on our right. An attack by the 183d Volks Grenadier Division, launched from Geilenkirchen westward with a task force of two battalions, the 902d Assault Gun Brigade, and a antitank company, was intended to close the gap and establish contact with the adjacent sector, but it was halted by an enemy armored counterattack via Gangelt. Our casualties were heavy and the 902d Assault Gun Brigade lost 7 assault guns.
An enemy armored attack east of Eygelshoven was repelled by the 49th Division.
The 116th Panzer Division sector was quiet, except for some heavy artillery fire. The Commanding Officer, General Graf von Schwerin, was relieved and replaced by Maj.General von Waldenburg.
The enemy did not attack in the 12th Division sector in the morning, in the same strength as on the day before. Minor scouting raids on Verlautenheide were repulsed. That afternoon, however, after heavy drum-fire and dense smoke screening, enemy infantry and tanks attacked northward from the areas west of Stolberg and west of Mausbach. they effected minor penetrations in the western and northeastern sections of Stolberg, but these were mopped up by counterattacks. Some pill boxes on the Hammerberg, east of Stolberg, were recaptured.
We were under the impression that after the fierce fighting of the previous day the enemy, as well as our forces, needed some respite. judging from prisoners' statements, however, we expected new attacks, with Jülich and Aachen as objectives. The 275th Division, now dwindled to 400 men including all ranks, was ordered to disengage itself from the enemy, withdraw via Geilenkirchen, and move into an assembly area as an army contact reserve behind the 183d Volks Grenadier Division, and the latter division was ordered to establish contact with the forces on our right by attacking in a northwesterly direction.
20 SEPTEMBER
While enemy artillery laid harassing fire on the entire LXXXI Corps sector, the 183d Volks Grenadier Division reached Waldenrath and Birgden and established contact with the 176th Division on its right. It was ordered to continue the attack toward Gangelt and set up a defense front on the line Gangelt - Geilenkirchen. When the enemy attacked, with armor, from the Gangelt area, toward Geilenkirchen and farther north, and entered the forest south of Waldenrath, their attack was stopped at Beuchte and 7 enemy tanks were destroyed. In the evening, after this engagement, the 183d Volks Grenadier Division held the line Waldenrath - Bauchem, western border of Geilenkirchen - West Wall.
South of Aachen the enemy made only minor attacks, chiefly in company strength. The American attack was apparently slowing up.
A special characteristic of this day's fighting was that for the first time every enemy thrust had air support. Lightings ( ? ), in flights of three, dropped bombs on gun positions, and fighter-bombers supported the ground forces with fire from aircraft weapons.
The main enemy effort was directed against Stolberg. In the fighting along the main street some houses were lost and several enemy tanks were destroyed by bazookas.
That afternoon after artillery preparation, an enemy attack on Hill 283 and toward Werth, was repulsed.
A German combat patrol took some prisoners at Mausbach.
21 SEPTEMBER
On this day, also the enemy made only minor assaults, in company strength. The heaviest pressure was in the neighborhood of Stolberg, where an enemy attack was repelled at 0800. Another attack west of Werth was repelled at 1000 and 7 enemy tanks were destroyed. In addition, enemy tank assemblies near Niederheide and columns of enemy tanks and trucks on the Sussebach - Stolberg road were routed by concentrated artillery fire. On the right wing of the Corps the 183d Volks Grenadier Division repelled several infantry and armored scouting raids.
Up to this time every enemy attempt to break through south of Aachen and on the right wing of the LXXXI Corps had failed. Moreover, corps had strengthened the defense by committing two fresh divisions, furnishing replacements, arms, and ammunition, and by improving the fortifications. It had even succeeded in assembling mobile reserve that enabled it to await future attacks with greater equanimity.
Since nothing of special importance happened during the next few days, 21 September, 1944 may justly be considered the final day of the first Battle of Aachen.
Because of the conflict with Party agencies mentioned earlier, I was relieved on this day and replaced by General der Infanterie Köchling
