Kriegsgräberstätte Vossenack

Location:

Vossenack is a small village in the Hürtgenwald, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. It is not far from Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle).

History:

During the period 13 September 1944 to 15 December 1944, the American army started an offensive to capture the Rur river basin with a number of weirs. Fighting in the tough terrain under bad weather conditions caused large number of casualties.

Current status:

During the battle, the Americans had 33000 casualties (dead, wounded, missing and German POW's). Most of the American dead are buried in the American War Cemeteries:

• Margraten (Netherlands, with 8000 buried)
• Henri-Chapelle (Belgium, with 7980 buried)

The Germans had (estimated) 28000 casualties. Most of the German dead are buried in several cemeteries in the Hürtgenwald area:

• Kriegsgräberstätte Vossenack, Germany (2311 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Hürtgen, Germany (2998 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Merode, Germany (223 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Hehlrath, Germany (188 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Eschweiler, Germany (1024 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Kreuzau, Germany (221 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte Kloster Marienwald, Germany (417 buried)
• Kriegsgräberstätte IJsselstein, Netherlands (31609 buried). From other campaigns as well.
• Kriegsgräberstätte Lommel, Germany (39096 buried). From other campaigns as well.

		The entrance of the cemetery.
		The grave of Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model.

References:

• After the Battle magazine 71, page 1-35
• Huertgen Forest - November 1944
• The last offensive