House-to-house fight in Würselen

Würselen was heavily bombed by the American Air Force during the advance of the U.S. Army across the German-Dutch border, destroying almost all of the houses. During the Battle of Aachen, the front line was located directly in Würselen for six weeks until the U.S. forces captured the rest of the city on 18 October 1944. This closed the pincer around Aachen, and the city fell into Allied hands three days later.

The photo, taken on 24 October 1944, shows Private Herman Bulau from Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, USA, cautiously peeking out of the door of a house. This is a scene from the house-to-house fighting in Würselen. Herman Bulau was a private in the 30th U.S. Infantry Division (nicknamed ‘Old Hickory’).

At this point, German defenders were positioned in bunkers and fortifications around Scherberg and Ravelsberg. The Old Hickory Division's attacks focused on capturing these strategic heights and transport routes, which brought the district of 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 advance in a controlled manner – Scherberg thus became part of the liberated zone.

The members of ‘Old Hickory’ had landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on 11 June 1944, five days after the first Allied landing on D-Day (6 June 1944). After the liberation of Paris, the division advanced eastward through Belgium and crossed the Meuse River at Visé and Liège on 10 September 1944. Parts of the division reached the Netherlands on 12 September, and Maastricht fell the following day. The 30th U.S. Infantry Division advanced into Germany, took up positions along the Wurm River, and attacked the heavily fortified city of Aachen on 2 October 1944. On 16 October, it succeeded in making contact with the 1st U.S. Infantry Division, which led to the encirclement and capture of Aachen and the liberation of Würselen.