The Battle of Crucifix Hill was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

battle that took place on 8 October 1944, on Crucifix Hill (Haarberg, Hill 239), next to the village of Haaren in Germany and was a part of the U.S. 1st Division's campaign to seize Aachen, Germany. The

Battle of Aachen The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network ...

was part of the Drive to the Siegfried Line. The hill was named after a large

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

mounted on the top of the hill. The objective of the battle was to gain control of the hill, which was laced with a maze of pillboxes and

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s, so that the main objective of encircling Aachen could be completed. The hill was held by units of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

246. ''Volksgrenadierdivision''.

Battle

The U.S. 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, commanded by Col. George A. Smith Jr., directed its 1st Battalion (commanded by Lt. Col. Henry G. Leonard, Jr.) to take the hill employing special pillbox assault teams equipped with

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World W ...

s, Bangalore torpedoes, and demolition charges. A battery of

tank destroyers A tank destroyer, tank hunter or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties. They are typically armed with a direct fire artillery gun, also known as a self-propelled anti-tank gun, or mi ...

and self-propelled guns were to provide supporting direct fire at the pillboxes. As the leading rifle

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

of C Company assaulted the first pillbox, flanking fire from a nearby pillbox gun emplacement took the platoon in crossfire. The pinned-down soldiers also experienced an intense artillery barrage on their exposed positions. Capt. Bobbie E. Brown was the company commander of C Company, a former boxer who had earned a battlefield commission in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. During the onslaught of the nearby pillbox, Capt. Brown grabbed a pole charge and ran under enemy fire and placed the charge in the pillbox, destroying it. He did this twice more to two other pillboxes, each time successfully destroying the pillbox; only on the third one was he wounded by a mortar round. Although he was wounded, he refused medical attention and continued up the hill. After the hill was secure, he went by himself on a

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

mission to locate enemy troops beyond the hill. He deliberately drew the enemy fire to find out where enemy emplacements were. While doing this, he was wounded twice more. The information he discovered about German emplacements allowed his company to repel two German counterattacks. Only after the position was completely secure did he allow treatment for his wounds. For his actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, Capt. Brown received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

Attempted recapture

On 12 October, two German infantry regiments attempted to retake Crucifix Hill. In fierce fighting, the Germans temporarily took control of the hill, but were dislodged by the end of the day with both regiments virtually destroyed.Yeide (2005), pp. 81–82

In popular culture

*In the 2005 video game '' Call of Duty 2: Big Red One'', the main protagonist and his squad fight for the summit of Hill 239 in the level "Crucifix Hill".

References

External links

National Infantry Museum Medal of Honor of Captain Bobbie E. Brown
Crucifix Hill 1944 in Germany Crucifix Hill 1944 Crucifix Hill Crucifix Hill 1944 October 1944 in Europe History of Aachen

Battle

Attempted recapture

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links