page_title: John F. R. Seitz
section_title: Battle of Aachen
hierarchical_section_title: John F. R. Seitz / World War II / Battle of Aachen
caption_attribution_description: A GI machine gun crew (2d Battalion, 26th Infantry) with a M1919 Browning against the Nazi Wehrmacht in the streets of Aachen, Germany.
context_page_description: John Francis Regis "Jeff" Seitz was a career United States Army officer who retired as Deputy Commander of the First United States Army in 1966 at the grade of major general. Seitz graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1929. He served in several assignments before commanding a battalion at Schofield Barracks at Oahu, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After the United States entered the Second World War, Seitz served in important staff positions from early 1942 to late 1943. He was highly decorated for his service as colonel commanding the 26th United States Infantry Regiment in combat in the European Theater of World War II for most of the remainder of the war, which was especially distinguished.
  From November 26, 1943 to April 9, 1945, Seitz commanded the 26th Infantry Regiment. CT 26 was a unit of the 1st Infantry Division. Seitz commanded the combat team at Omaha Beach during the Normandy landings on D-Day, in the breakout from Normandy and at the approach to close the gap in the Falaise Pocket.
context_section_description: After the initial American breakthrough of the Westwall on September 14, 1944, supply shortages prevented the VII Corps from coordinating a major attack to promptly follow up the local breakthroughs. The VII Corps did not have enough supplies or reinforcements to advance through the Westwall or to promptly surround and take the City of Aachen. The long supply line from Normandy and the diversion of supplies and transport to the ultimately unsuccessful Operation Market Garden delayed delivery of sufficient supplies needed for further advances until mid-October. The VII Corps was unable to bypass Aachen and drive through the Stolberg Corridor northeast of the city in order to breach the Schill Line, especially because the reinforced Aachen garrison would remain a danger in their rear if the U.S. forces went past them. The VII Corps and XIX Corps were unable to begin a drive to encircle the city of Aachen until October 1, 1944. The City of Aachen was a formidable obstacle for the American forces because it was located between the two lines of the Westwall and could hinder an advance on the Rhine if German forces remained there, not because the terrain of the city and surrounding area was difficult to traverse. During the delay, the Germans were able to better organize their defenses and to move in reinforcements. On October 7, 1944, CT 18 launched an attack against Verlautenheide and two hills northeast of the city which were about 300 feet (91 m) to 500 feet (150 m) in height in order to finish the encirclement of Aachen. On October 8, VII Corps commander Lieutenant General Collins sent more troops to the 1st Infantry Division and a force from the 9th U.S. Army to seal off the west side of Aachen in order to prevent the defenders from escaping. By October 9, the 1st Infantry Division had surrounded the city although some German units remained in the area.
  In the days preceding the attack on the city of Aachen, Seitz sent patrols to the outskirts of the city to determine German Army strength and to gather intelligence for the siting of artillery and for the assault. On October 8, 1944, a reinforced platoon from Company F of CT 26 gained a foothold in the factory area of the city to the southeast of the railroad tracks. On October 9, Companies F and G cleared buildings on the southeast side of the railroad track in the face of stout resistance by the German defenders, although they lost a tank destroyer and had a tank damaged in the process. On October 10, Major General Huebner ordered Seitz to send two officers into Aachen with an ultimatum requiring the Germans to surrender unconditionally within 24 hours or to face artillery fire that would destroy the city and remaining resistance. Huebner also told Seitz not to get into a major engagement in Aachen if his force became tied down.
  The 1106th Engineer Combat group was the only unit available to take over part of CT 26's position in the line of the defense to the south of the city. To reduce the length of his front line before the assault on the city, Seitz moved a provisional company to face Aachen from the southwest and to tie in with the 1106th Engineer group. Seitz had to prepare to assault the city with only the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of CT 26 because the 1st Battalion needed to recover and train replacements after losses in their September attacks against the Siegfried Line. On October 11, 1944, the local German commander at Aachen, Colonel Gerhardt Wilck, refused to surrender the German forces in the city. Seitz then had the mission of capturing the first German city to fall to the Allies in World War II, the ancient capital of the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne. This would give the 1st U.S. Army a good base, free of a pocket of enemy in the rear, to move on toward the Rhine.
  Since Seitz had no information about the number and location of enemy troops in Aachen despite the efforts of his patrols, he planned to use artillery fire support and close air support to prepare the way for his men to advance. At noon Seitz started the assault with his two available bat
caption: GI machine gun crew in Aachen
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