The Roer River loomed as one of the final natural obstacles between the 12th U.S. Army Group and the Rhine River, the gateway to Germany. Weeks of effort by soldiers of the First Army, attempting to push through the dense Hurtgen Forest, had been blunted and by early December, the First Army was still on the west bank of the Roer. The village of Kesternich assumed a new-found importance due to its unfortunate location, perched on a ridge above the Roer Valley and its two largest flood-control dams, the Schwammenauel and the Urft. Plans were soon underway to attack on a west-to-east axis, and seize Kesternich. Little did American planners, prior to Wacht Am Rhein know, that this unknown village would be stoutly defended. A dense fog and freezing temperatures welcomed the men of 2nd Battalion, 309th Infantry, as they headed for Kesternich at dawn on 13 December.
Attacker: American (309th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division)
