Wayside cross in Wurm Valley

On the night of 9 October 1944, U.S. American tanks entered the districts of Scherberg and Schweilbach in the town of Würselen. Both are located on the edge of the valley through which the River Wurm flows, about eight kilometres north-east of Aachen.

The German defenders were positioned in bunkers and emplacements around Scherberg and Ravelsberg. The U.S. attacks focused on capturing these strategic heights and transport routes, which brought Scherberg directly into the combat zone. By 17 November 1944, the town of Würselen had been captured to such an extent that American tanks were able to enter in a controlled manner – thus, the district of Scherberg also became part of the liberated zone.

In memory of U.S. Private First Class Allison Ray Jackson, who died at the age of 23 as a member of the 30th U.S. Infantry Division (known as ‘Old Hickory’) during the liberation of Würselen. The 30th U.S. Infantry Division landed in Normandy and was subsequently involved in the liberation of Paris (France), Liège (Belgium) and Maastricht (Netherlands). Following the battle for Aachen, Jackson's unit became involved in the German Ardennes offensive (16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945), known in English as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. After crossing the Rhine and heading towards the Elbe, the members of ‘Old Hickory’ also liberated the Weferlingen satellite camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. This saved 2,500 lives in April 1945.

Johann Vorbuchner, a private in the artillery regiment of the 116th German Panzer Division (known as the Greyhound Division), who died in Würselen at the age of 22, is also commemorated. The Greyhound Division was involved in the defence of Aachen, the battles around Arnhem, in the Hürtgen Forest, in the Battle of the Bulge, in the Reichswald forest in the Lower Rhine region and in the so-called Ruhr Pocket. It was here that a large part of the unit surrendered on 16 April 1945.

The inscription on the wayside cross reads:

"It is the living who close the eyes of the dead.

It is the dead who open the eyes of the living."