To celebrate Cullman's German heritage and our Fall festival of Oktoberfest,  I have found an important battle from WWII that would be suitable to the woodlands of N. Alabama and closely emulate the forest of southern Germany at the same time.  The terrain of the Hürtgen Forest is characterized by plunging valleys that carve through broad plateaus.  Hürtgen Forest's deep valleys are thickly wooded , the forest's rough terrain starkly contrasts with that of the adjoining Rhine Valley. Roads in the forest are few, winding, and narrow.  The Battle For Hürtgen Forest was the longest continuous battle in WWII lasting almost four months and costing the US 1st Army over 33,000 casualties.  It has been called an Allied "defeat of the first magnitude".  When the battle opened, General Hans Schmidt, the 275th Division Commander, controlled 25 pieces of motorized artillery (9 105mm, 6 150mm, and 10 122mm howitzers) plus had within his sector another 106 field pieces ranging in size from 88mm to 210mm, for at total of 131 tubes of artillery.  During this particular battle the German army was well stocked with ammunitions.  Read a very well written account of this battle at      www.5ad.org/hurtgen_joe.htm
     Our first "draft" of this game went very well on Oct. 19th, 2008.  Now 24HourGames has taken on this game and promises to create an even greater adventure and challenge for scenario players throughout the southeast with their version of this exceptional game.  Using the ridge for canon emplacements and Twin Towers as an ammo dump the German (Axis) troops will ferry shells across the mountain to their artillery while Allied troops pull every trick in the book to blow up the canons or destroy the supply lines.  At any random moment you may face the destructive blast of incoming 88MM flak rounds.  Medics will work feverishly to revive the injured and both generals will play a huge game of "chess" with their troops as pawns and the outcome of The Battle of Hurtgen Forest may go either way.  Join either side as both are under experienced scenario commanders.
More game information and registration procedures are found by linking to www.24hourgames.com
     If you would like to get a taste of true history go and rent the HBO movie, When Trumpets Fade.  Please be advised, this is not an easy to watch movie nor one for younger viewers but a movie that will surely give you a renewed appreciation of our WWII veterans who fought in battles such as this and survived.

Above is an photo of the American soldiers in the Hurtgen Forest under extreme weather conditions they faced daily for many months.  The cemetery at the right marks the graves of hundreds of fallen soldiers.  Many American soldiers died from following senseless commands made by inexperienced and poorly advised commanders and lieutenants who stayed far to the back of the battle lines.  The German troops were experienced and battle hardened and considered the area "expendable".

Just take a look at this actual photo taken in the Hurtgen Forest.  Now doesn't that look just exactly like the woods on the slopes of Mt. Doom??  We have the mountains and narrow roads just like those in the Ardennes Mountain on the Belgium border of Germany during WWII.   Look for future developments of The Battle for Hurtgen Forest in 2010 and beyond.