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Bloody Aachen: The First German City Ever Besieged by the U.S. Army
A fascinating account of the first German city ever besieged by the U.S. Army and the monumental battle that took place amongst its ruined walls.This book would be perfect for readers of George Feifer, Stephen E. Ambrose, and James Holland.Aachen saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War. Through the determined defense of their city the citizens of Aachen held off the oncoming American forces for six weeks, giving the Nazis time to mobilize their troops for what would become the Battle of the Bulge. Had it not been for dogged resistance of these men and women the last great German offensive in the West might have never occurred, potentially ending the war in Europe could have ended six months and saving the lives of thousands.Yet, Charles Whiting’s remarkable book, Bloody Aachen, is more than an account of a military operation. Through interviews with German and Dutch participants in the battle he builds an in-depth picture of who the defenders of the city were, informing us that many in this Catholic city were opposed to the Hitler regime and remained behind — against orders and against odds — determined to defend their homes, unwittingly aiding their Nazi enemies as they did so.‘Whiting writes clear, hard-driving prose’ Kirkus ReviewsThis book should be essential reading for all interested in this monumental siege which truly encapsulates the complex motives of the men and women who fought through the course of the Second World War.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
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About the author
Charles Whiting
261 books53 followersCharles Whiting was a British writer and military historian and with some 350 books of fiction and non-fiction to his credit, under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms including Ian Harding, Duncan Harding, K.N. Kostov, John Kerrigan, Klaus Konrad, and Leo Kessler.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 27, 2017
The Western Allies thought the war was winding down, an end by Christmas was the hope. As the US First Army neared the first major German City of Aachen, the Germans blinked and abandoned the city. Then it was the First Army’s turn to blink and the Germans decided to make a fight of it resulting in a 6 week slug fest, giving the German Army time to prepare its meager resources for what was to become the Bulge.
‘Bloody Aachen’ takes a look at the battle from a variety of points of view with plenty of personal inputs from the combatants or civilians caught what was supposed to be an evacuated city. At 190 pages, Whiting keeps things moving and interesting. Considering the interviews, you want to know more, probably each one would be worth a chapter or two in itself, but he offers a paragraph at best. There are a couple of maps and 8 pages of photographs.
Author Charles Whiting is a bit of a character himself. He has written hundreds of books. I’m convinced at one time he wrote one big volume of the history of World War 2 in Europe, and then he said, mmm, you know I can make a lot more money selling 100 books than just 1. I’ve read a couple his books and have noticed he uses some of the same stories in each.
Bloody Aachen reads like a long magazine article, entertaining, great for a plane trip or the beach but I’d look elsewhere for a serious history of the conflict.
‘Bloody Aachen’ takes a look at the battle from a variety of points of view with plenty of personal inputs from the combatants or civilians caught what was supposed to be an evacuated city. At 190 pages, Whiting keeps things moving and interesting. Considering the interviews, you want to know more, probably each one would be worth a chapter or two in itself, but he offers a paragraph at best. There are a couple of maps and 8 pages of photographs.
Author Charles Whiting is a bit of a character himself. He has written hundreds of books. I’m convinced at one time he wrote one big volume of the history of World War 2 in Europe, and then he said, mmm, you know I can make a lot more money selling 100 books than just 1. I’ve read a couple his books and have noticed he uses some of the same stories in each.
Bloody Aachen reads like a long magazine article, entertaining, great for a plane trip or the beach but I’d look elsewhere for a serious history of the conflict.
December 21, 2024
The bloody battle of Aachen, Germany was fought in October and November 1944, this book was written in 1976 and I read the book in 2024 12. In late autumn 1944, the allies were quickly moving east towards Germany. After the stubborn German resistance in Normandy, the allies quickly moved through France and parts of Belgium. However, as the Germans backed towards Germany, they were able to slow the allies again and protect the “holy ground” of Germany. The Germans would fight for Aachen for several reasons. The allies facing them at that time were almost entirely American.
Aachen was an imperial city; 32 German Emperors and Kings had been crowned there over 1000 years. A symbol of German nationalism, it was part of the National Socialist mythology. Also, Aachen was the seat of Germany’s Roman Catholic bishop whose followers opposed the “godless” Nazi regime and cheered the Americans. Hitler gave severe orders to his Army commanders: “defend to the last man, the last gun and the last bullet” or your family will be punished severely.
Hitler began planning the “Battle of the Bulge” just as the Aachen battle began. He needed his army to resist the allies and give him time to gather his forces for his mid-December surprise. The first action in the battle was kicked off by the US 1st Army comprised of the US 3rd Armoured Division a portion of US 5th Armoured Division, 1st Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Division, summing a total of 80,000 soldiers. The Aachen commander controlled three fortress battalions, 2000 men of the 116th Panzer Grenadiers and a few small detachments of artillery. This totaled to about 15,000 soldiers.
The book covers the battle in three major areas. First the Americas planned an armoured attack supported by mobile infantry. Initially they called this a “reconnaissance in force.” The Americans are good at this however they had to fight upwards into the initial areas of the city with the enemy well dug in. Next the Americans attacked uphill in two of the three roads into the city. Both commanders suffered heavy casualties and were concerned about their losses. The Americans captured and closed the first road and later, the second road. In the end, the Americans attacked the city centre and charged right through, opening the final road to the next city. The Germans held Aachen until Hitler was ready to kick off his Battle of the Bulge and ultimately delaying the end of the war.
The book is well written with little military jargon, and lots of input from generals, officers and other ranks. Whiting was able to draw on US military sources. German was more challenging due to language. He was able to uncover numerous people including civilians and soldiers who remember the action and were able to provide accurate and interesting details. One of the best single-site battles I have read. Four stars.
Aachen was an imperial city; 32 German Emperors and Kings had been crowned there over 1000 years. A symbol of German nationalism, it was part of the National Socialist mythology. Also, Aachen was the seat of Germany’s Roman Catholic bishop whose followers opposed the “godless” Nazi regime and cheered the Americans. Hitler gave severe orders to his Army commanders: “defend to the last man, the last gun and the last bullet” or your family will be punished severely.
Hitler began planning the “Battle of the Bulge” just as the Aachen battle began. He needed his army to resist the allies and give him time to gather his forces for his mid-December surprise. The first action in the battle was kicked off by the US 1st Army comprised of the US 3rd Armoured Division a portion of US 5th Armoured Division, 1st Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Division, summing a total of 80,000 soldiers. The Aachen commander controlled three fortress battalions, 2000 men of the 116th Panzer Grenadiers and a few small detachments of artillery. This totaled to about 15,000 soldiers.
The book covers the battle in three major areas. First the Americas planned an armoured attack supported by mobile infantry. Initially they called this a “reconnaissance in force.” The Americans are good at this however they had to fight upwards into the initial areas of the city with the enemy well dug in. Next the Americans attacked uphill in two of the three roads into the city. Both commanders suffered heavy casualties and were concerned about their losses. The Americans captured and closed the first road and later, the second road. In the end, the Americans attacked the city centre and charged right through, opening the final road to the next city. The Germans held Aachen until Hitler was ready to kick off his Battle of the Bulge and ultimately delaying the end of the war.
The book is well written with little military jargon, and lots of input from generals, officers and other ranks. Whiting was able to draw on US military sources. German was more challenging due to language. He was able to uncover numerous people including civilians and soldiers who remember the action and were able to provide accurate and interesting details. One of the best single-site battles I have read. Four stars.
February 14, 2024
A good read.
October 27, 2025
Bloody Aachen
Horrible tale of the World War 2 destruction in 1944 of the Ancient City of Aachen, Germany, an important city from Roman Times and home of Charlemagne!
Horrible tale of the World War 2 destruction in 1944 of the Ancient City of Aachen, Germany, an important city from Roman Times and home of Charlemagne!
September 23, 2022
Aachen had a great symbolic significance for Hitler and his generals because they recognized that, as the first German city besieged by the Allies, its capture would give the lie to the claim that the Third Reich would last a thousand years, and signal its impending doom. It also had great historic importance. Charlemagne was crowned there in the year 800 as the first Holy Roman Emperor, along with all his successors until 1806; he is there to this day, his sepulcher located in a chapel in the gorgeous cathedral.
While the narrative of Whiting’s short book at times seems sparse and a bit rushed and would have benefited from a more detailed description of how the battle for Aachen fitted into the overall strategic situation on the Western Front (Montgomery to the north, the Hurtgen Forest and Ardennes immediately to the south), it does make a convincing case that the Aachen and Hurtgen campaigns tied up American forces along the Westwall, delaying their advance further into Germany, dashing hopes of ending the war by Christmas 1944, and inflicting so many casualties upon them that not only was their advance stalled, but the Germans were given time, further behind the lines, to assemble sufficient forces to begin the Battle of the Bulge (which Hitler called “Watch on the Rhine”) on December 16. The battle ended on Oct. 20 when the last remaining German defenders, forced back into the city center, ran out of ammunition and surrendered, ignoring the Fuhrer’s orders to fight to the last man.
Since the book was written in 1976, many survivors on both sides were available for interviews, and readers are able to see the social and political (as well as military) dynamics that played out on either side. American units were anxious to be the first to capture a German city; the Germans for their part were torn between their fear of Hitler, the SS, and Goebbels’ propaganda demanding that they fight on (and threatening dire consequences for their families if they did not), in accordance with their “duty to their country”, and their weariness of the war and desire to preserve what was left of their once-beautiful city. The issue was decided when the Americans were able to restart the flow of reinforcements and supplies after the (unsuccessful) conclusion of Operation Market Garden, which had siphoned them off; and the Germans had no remaining resources.
But until that happened, both sides continued to funnel men and materiel into what became a voracious meat grinder; many compared Aachen to Stalingrad. The battle consumed far more resources, inflicted far more casualties on both sides, and took far more time than anyone had anticipated. It was a factor in extending the war until May 1945. Thankfully, after the war Aachen became part of the British zone of occupation and the rebuilding process began. Most of the city, as elsewhere in Germany, had to be completely reconstructed. Best of all, the repaired and restored cathedral once again stands as a beautiful memorial to Charlemagne and his successors and is a popular tourist destination, and few traces of the battle remain. Hopefully this will be the case for another thousand years.
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
While the narrative of Whiting’s short book at times seems sparse and a bit rushed and would have benefited from a more detailed description of how the battle for Aachen fitted into the overall strategic situation on the Western Front (Montgomery to the north, the Hurtgen Forest and Ardennes immediately to the south), it does make a convincing case that the Aachen and Hurtgen campaigns tied up American forces along the Westwall, delaying their advance further into Germany, dashing hopes of ending the war by Christmas 1944, and inflicting so many casualties upon them that not only was their advance stalled, but the Germans were given time, further behind the lines, to assemble sufficient forces to begin the Battle of the Bulge (which Hitler called “Watch on the Rhine”) on December 16. The battle ended on Oct. 20 when the last remaining German defenders, forced back into the city center, ran out of ammunition and surrendered, ignoring the Fuhrer’s orders to fight to the last man.
Since the book was written in 1976, many survivors on both sides were available for interviews, and readers are able to see the social and political (as well as military) dynamics that played out on either side. American units were anxious to be the first to capture a German city; the Germans for their part were torn between their fear of Hitler, the SS, and Goebbels’ propaganda demanding that they fight on (and threatening dire consequences for their families if they did not), in accordance with their “duty to their country”, and their weariness of the war and desire to preserve what was left of their once-beautiful city. The issue was decided when the Americans were able to restart the flow of reinforcements and supplies after the (unsuccessful) conclusion of Operation Market Garden, which had siphoned them off; and the Germans had no remaining resources.
But until that happened, both sides continued to funnel men and materiel into what became a voracious meat grinder; many compared Aachen to Stalingrad. The battle consumed far more resources, inflicted far more casualties on both sides, and took far more time than anyone had anticipated. It was a factor in extending the war until May 1945. Thankfully, after the war Aachen became part of the British zone of occupation and the rebuilding process began. Most of the city, as elsewhere in Germany, had to be completely reconstructed. Best of all, the repaired and restored cathedral once again stands as a beautiful memorial to Charlemagne and his successors and is a popular tourist destination, and few traces of the battle remain. Hopefully this will be the case for another thousand years.
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
March 28, 2024
I could kick myself for not noting that Charles Whiting was the author before I started reading. Once I started reading, however, it was obvious that it was a Whiting book. Whiting is one of the worst writers for which I've ever had the misfortune to slog.
December 27, 2017
In 1944, in WWII, after Operation Market Garden's Allied attempt at crossing the Rhine had failed, but before Nazi Germany's last western offensive, the Battle of the Bulge, the US Army breached the "Siegfried Line" on the Nazi Border. Their target was Aachen, one of Germany's border towns. The town was defended by a mixture of German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS units, charged with making the town a "fortress-city" of the Reich.
Author Charles Whiting makes the city and its civilian and clerical inhabitants part of the story. It's a compelling one of a myriad of bad decisions made in defense of a dying evil empire. The Americans want a quick and compelling victory for logistical, military, and political reasons. Hitler wanted a pyre of martyrs and a bloody repelling of the Allies. The result is a bloodbath, the slow but deliberate clearing of the Germans from the city using all the tremendous firepower American Military Maneuvers traditionally employ. The good guys win- but at a high cost.
Junior readers need to be ready for a very bloody narrative, as every page seems to bring a new violence, but the reward is a clear understanding of urban warfare. Military Enthusiast/Gamers/Modellers will be rewarded with lots of good anecdotes and stories, although the B/W pics tend to be Before/After shots, there is more than enough to improve both Scenarios and Dioramas. There is even a discussion of the M12 155mm Self-Propelled Gun Carriage being used as a "bunker-buster" a few times, a rarity, but a great source for games/dioramas.
Author Charles Whiting makes the city and its civilian and clerical inhabitants part of the story. It's a compelling one of a myriad of bad decisions made in defense of a dying evil empire. The Americans want a quick and compelling victory for logistical, military, and political reasons. Hitler wanted a pyre of martyrs and a bloody repelling of the Allies. The result is a bloodbath, the slow but deliberate clearing of the Germans from the city using all the tremendous firepower American Military Maneuvers traditionally employ. The good guys win- but at a high cost.
Junior readers need to be ready for a very bloody narrative, as every page seems to bring a new violence, but the reward is a clear understanding of urban warfare. Military Enthusiast/Gamers/Modellers will be rewarded with lots of good anecdotes and stories, although the B/W pics tend to be Before/After shots, there is more than enough to improve both Scenarios and Dioramas. There is even a discussion of the M12 155mm Self-Propelled Gun Carriage being used as a "bunker-buster" a few times, a rarity, but a great source for games/dioramas.
February 4, 2014
Whiting is certainly an authority on World War Two and his West Wall series goes to great lengths in depicting the fighting and importance of the later offensives by the Western Allies against Fortress Europe.
I found that this book had the right amount of technical detail to keep the historical narrative flowing. Whiting writes from a confident position of historical knowledge which allows him to lead you on an almost fictional ride.
The book attempts to tell the story from both sides and does a good enough job of it.
85 %
I found that this book had the right amount of technical detail to keep the historical narrative flowing. Whiting writes from a confident position of historical knowledge which allows him to lead you on an almost fictional ride.
The book attempts to tell the story from both sides and does a good enough job of it.
85 %
January 6, 2013
I am not a history buff, but I did enjoy this description of a great battle in WW2. It is amazing to me that many of those Nazi's that were fighting were there mainly because of fear of death to their family if they surrendered. The tactical aspect also gives cause to wonder....
June 30, 2020
A detailed account of the taking of the first German city in WWII as the Allies advanced from the Normandy beachhead into Germany.
June 2, 2022
I have been reading about too many WWII European battles so, this was good but, I have read better authors/writers
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews