In view of the critical operational and logistical situation the new corps commander countermanded Gen Schack’s order for a large-scale 12.Infantry-Division attack on September 20 and stated that in view of the heavy losses sustained and the mighty material superiority of the enemy, he will, in the future, order an attack only when it promises more success; aside from that the main mission will be to hold the line and to avoid unnecessary losses.
All night long American medium and heavy guns shot harassing fire against the entire LXXXI Corps sector. In the sector of the 116.Panzer-Division an American combat patrol, favored by the early morning mist, attacked the German MLR south of Burtscheid at 0800 on September 20 and was repulsed. Aside from that, action in the Aachen sector was again limited to an artillery duel which lasted all day. Between Muensterbusch and Gressenich the forces of the 12.Infantry-Division spent a very busy day trying to defeat American endeavors to envelop Stolberg and to push further up the Stolberg Corridor toward Eschweiler. American operations on September 20 began with an armored infantry drive from Diepenlinchen northeastward toward Werth.
Fearing a penetration at the boundary between the 89. and the 48.Grenadier-Regiments, Col Engel ordered an immediate counter-attack. This attack, launched at noon on a fairly broad front, succeeded not only in turning back the American attack toward Werth but also in closing the gap between Stolberg and Duffenter and sealing off the American penetration at Hochwegerhof east of Duffenter. The 12.Infantry-Division established a coherent front line from the southern edge of Stolberg – Duffenter – eastward on the Duffenter – Werth road as far as Hochwegerhof – southward to Weissenberg – southern periphery of Gressenich – northern periphery of Schevenhuette.
Later in the afternoon, American forces embarked on the inevitable daily assault on Stolberg. Again they attacked on both sides of the German-held town. West of Stolberg American forces achieved a penetration at the site of the Stolberg Gun Factory. Driving northward from the Buesbach area American tanks and infantry attacked the Donnerberg Hill, held by one and a half companies of the 12.Engineer-Battalion. The engineers were able to halt the American attack at first, but soon US forces had thrown a ring around the Donnerberg Hill. Two German combat patrols, one from the northwest, the other from the northeast tried to crack this ring but failed. American forces fanned out from the Donnerberg Hill: US infantry attacked from the Hill westward toward Stolberg while US tanks sat on the western slope of the Hill spewing fire at the city below. In the meantime, other American forces had driven north from the vicinity of Muensterbusch and soon their tanks were plowing up the small vegetable gardens west of the Stolberg factory belt.
LXXXI Corps to 12.Inf Div at 2010 on Sep 20 44
LXXXI Corps KTB, Kampfverlauf. (The gardens mentioned were in all likelihood small Victory-type gardens cultivated by factory workers and owned communally. This institution is found all over Germany in peace and war and is called Schrebergarten.)
As the day changed to night, American troops entered Stolberg, and the situation developed into confused, disorganized house-to-house fighting in the city. At dawn on September 21, American armor was observed assembling south of the Donnerberg Hill preparatory to a renewal of the attack. When it came the Germans were ready and stopped the American attack, launched mostly by infantry with some tanks in support, at 0800. Two hours later, US forces in battalion strength attacked northeastward toward Duffenter. In conjunction with this drive, American troops captured the remaining bunkers on the Hammerberg Hill. With this strategic height in American hands, southern Stolberg was extremely vulnerable to a US assault from the east. In the event that the southern half of the town could not be held, the German forces in Stolberg (9.PD with attached units) proceeded to establish a switch position across the center of the town, from the Stolberg Mill west of Stolberg cutting across the town to the road junction southwest of Duffenter.
The Germans were able to repulse one attack against the southern edge of Stolberg and knocked out 2 US tanks in the process. Late in the afternoon the expected major attack came out of the east, and came so fast that the forces of Kampfgruppe Volker (9.PD) in the southern part of Stolberg were cut off before they had had a chance to withdraw northward to the switch position. In very bitter fighting in the streets of Stolberg, these elements finally battled their way out of the pocket and joined the Kampfgruppe Schemm at the defense line cutting across Stolberg. Half of Stolberg was now in US hands and the attacks, mounting in intensity, continued into the evening. West of the town strong American forces achieved new penetrations in the factory belt while to the east the Americans gained the western slope of the Donnerberg Hill – as on the previous day – and immediately wheeled northwestward to attack the switch position which barred their way into northern Stolberg.
LXXXI Corps at 1120 on Sep 21 44, LXXXI Corps KTB, Tagesmeldungen
LXXXI Corps to Col Engel at 1530 on Sep 21 44
LXXXI Corps KTB, Kampferlauf. (According to the 9.PD official report on the Battle of Stolberg, September 23, 1944, LXXXI Corps KTB, Meldungender Div., US forces on September 20, 1944, had knocked out 8 of the twelve bunkers on the Hammerberg Hill by means of demolition charges and heaviest caliber artillery fire. In most instances, the bunkers had to be destroyed along with their garrisons, which had refused to surrender.
American successes on both sides of Stolberg threatened to envelop the Stolberg Mill – Duffenter Line, and the Germans feared the final collapse of their Stolberg front. Later in the evening, the American envelopment (especially the prong west of Stolberg) forced them to withdraw to a new switch line cutting across the northern sector of Stolberg from the vicinity of Schneidmuehle – Atsch southeastward to the village of Donnerberg.
South of Aachen, the 156.Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment (116.PD) consolidated its defense line on September 21, to free some reserves. The front line of the regiment was re-established to extend from Vaelser Quartier (probably the point of contact with the 60.Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment) half a mile north of Hill 321 and half a mile north-northeast of the Steinebrueck railroad station. This move disengaged the 453.Replacement-Training-Battalion which was to take over a part of the 12.Infantry-Division sector in accordance with the LXXXI Corps orders. In relieving the 1.Battalion of the 27.Fusilier-Regiment, the 453.Replacement-Training-Battalion (116.Panzer-Division) took over the sector from Verlautenheide to the railroad overpass one mile west-southwest of Verlautenheide in the evening of September 21. From there, the LXXXI Corps front line continued past the northern edge of the Stolberg factory belt, along the switch position across northern Stolberg to the northern edge of the Donnerberg Hill; from there via Duffenter along the Duffenter – Werth road to half a mile west of Werth – Weissenberg Hill – western and southern edge of Gressenich – nortnern edge of Schevenhuette. The new boundary line between the 116.Panzer-Division and the 12.Infantry-Division extended, in the combat zone, from Eschweiler (12.ID) via the railroad overpass one-mile west-southwest of Verlautenheide to Brand (116.PD). Immediately following its relief by the 453.Replacement-Training-Battalion, the 1.Battalion of the 27.Fusilier-Regiment was moved by motor transport to Eschweiler where it was to assemble for a counter-attack, to be launched out of the movement with the intent to close the gap between Stolberg and Donnerberg.
During the night, considerable recon activity took place on both sides. The Germans spotted in the number of US tanks everywhere and noted much digging and improvement of positions in the vicinity of Hochwegerhof and Niederhof. At 0330, the 12.Infantry-Division repulsed an attack by five US armored cars against Bunker 708 on the Donnerberg Hill. Panzerfaust destroyed two of the armored cars. At 0730, on September 22, one American armored company (1 tank and a few armored cars) was able to exploit the early morning fog to bypass the Stolberg switch position between Stolberg and Donnerberg and to push north as far as Zinkhuette (zinc mine) and Birkengang east of Stolberg. At the same time, US forces launched repeated attacks with about 50 tanks from the south, southwest, and southeast toward Duffenter and the southern slope of the Donnerberg Hill.
After the unsuccessful attempt earlier in the morning to capture Bunker 708, 10 US tanks lumbered up to the bunker and surrounded it. They stayed there for several hours without being able to crack the pillbox. Massed German artillery fire finally destroyed 1 tank and forced the rest to withdraw. The German fire was also effective against American assemblies south and southwest of the Donnerberg Hill.
12.Inf Div, at 1120 on Sep 22 44
LXXXI Corps KTB, Tagesmeldungen
Off Rpt, Battle of Stolberg, 9.Pz Div, Sep 23 44, LXXXI Corps KTB, Meldungen der Div.
The Germans who had but one Mark V Panther and 1 assault gun on the Donnerberg Hill this morning were afraid of the counter-attack of 1.Battalion of the 27.Fusilier-Regiment would come too late to plug the gap. The 9.Panzer-Division cried for AT weapons. This division, which had been promised relief days ago, was still defending the battered ruins of Stolberg as best it could; it took a terrible beating in the process. In only forty hours – from 1800 on September 20 until 1200 on September 22, the division had lost 841 men, 18 of whom were officers. At noon, on September 22, the factory belt west of Stolberg was once again in American hands. With its last reserves the 9.Panzer-Division established an AT defense line facing west and running parallel to the main streets of Stolberg. American attacks at Donnerberg and southwest of Duffenter continued. In the nick of time the reinforced 1.Battalion of the 27.Fusilier-Regiment arrived from its assembly area at Eschweiler and in a surprise attack descended on the US forces which had penetrated Zinkhuette and Birkengang early in the morning.
Attacking at 1300, the German battalion jumped off from the woods east of Birkengang on a broad front toward Birkengang and the village of Donnerberg. Despite heavy American fire, the Germans were able to recapture these places rapidly and to continue their attack against the Americans on the western slope of the Donnerberg Hill. Once more, the 12.Infantry-Division defended a coherent front line. All through the afternoon American forces continued to hurl themselves against the German line, but in vain. Jumping off at 1430, US forces attacked from the south into the city at Stolberg. The exhausted elements of the 9.Panzer-Division were able to repulse them in bitter street fighting. At 1700, 12 US tanks renewed their efforts to break through the switch position in the city and achieved a local penetration. But on the whole the Germans heldfast. On that day, they inflicted on the Americans the loss of 10 tanks, 2 armored cars, and 2 210-MM self-propelled guns in the Stolberg sector.
While the battle for Stolberg reached a climax in intensity, the central sector of the 12.Infantry-Division front was quiet except for a German artillery barrage aimed at smashing US concentrations in the Diepenlinchen – Mausbach area. At the eastern end of the front, however, fighting was as bitter as in Stolberg, with the difference that here the Americans, on the defensive, also demonstrated the ability to stand their ground and to inflict terrific punishment on the attacking enemy. Before dawn on September 22, the 2.Battalion of the 48.Grenadier-Regiment had jumped off from Gressenich on a mission to wipe out the American bridgehead at Schevenhuette. Following a thorough artillery preparation, the two German infantry companies executed an elaborate enveloping maneuver and attacked Schevenhuette from the northeast and southeast. The American outposts on the eastern perimeter of the village offered such tenacious resistance that the Germans had to kill them to the last man.
Upon penetrating the eastern part of the village, the Germans were immediately engaged in such bitter and bloody fighting that they sustained murderous losses. When all battalion officers had been killed or wounded, the Germans were forced to discontinue the attack and withdraw from the eastern part of Schevenhuette, which they had briefly captured. Back in Gressenich, the survivors reported that US forces had converted Schevenhuette into a veritable fortress, fully secured by minefields and barbed wire and tenaciously defended by 600 to 700 men.
On the basis of this experience, Gen Koechling decided that the gap between Gressenich and the boundary with the LXXIV Corps merited special attention. The arrival of several days earlier the 183.Volks-Grenadier-Division and its commitment to the Geilenkirchen area on the northern wing of the LXXXI Corps made it possible to disengage the remaining elements of the 275.Infantry-Division and to commit them, somewhat reinforced, to close the gap on the corps southern wing. The 275.ID (Gen Hans Schmidt) spent the night of September 22/23 disengaging its forces from the front and moving them to Düren for assembly. These elements consisted of about 1800 men combat strength, 11 75-MM AT guns, 1 organic battery of 105-MM howitzers, and 3 attached batteries of 105-MM howitzers. In its new sector in the Wenau Forest the following forces were to join the division: 1.SS-Guards-Company, 1.Battalion Legion Vlanderen (Flemish troops), formerly attached to Kampfgruppe Jungklaus, Kampfgruppe Riedl, and the personnel of the 668.Heavy-AT-Battalion. The 275.Infantry-Division artillery was reinforced by the so-called Russian Artillery Group of the 49.Infantry consisting of 2 batteries equipped with the Russian 76.2-MM infantry cannon and one battery with the Russian 122-MM guns.
Having lost its weapons, this battalion was to be equipped with short-range antitank weapons (Panzerschrecks and Panzerfausts) until the arrival of new guns. No information is available about the composition of Kampfgruppe Riedl.
