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WWII On This Day: October 8

What happened on October 8 during World War II? This date brings together 1 event from 1944, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1944
Infantrymen of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division rest on a slope in the Hürtgen Forest on 18 November 1944.
U.S. Army Signal Corps / National Archives · 18 November 1944 · Public domain · Source
Aachen and the Hürtgen Forest

The southern jaw moves north

The 18th Infantry of the 1st Division attacked before dawn and took Verlautenheide, Crucifix Hill and later Ravels Hill. Direct fire from self-propelled 155 mm guns and tank destroyers supported the assault against pillboxes. The positions cut routes into Aachen and created the southern half of the encirclement, but exposed the infantry to repeated shelling and counterattacks.

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