Attack of the Bloody 28th Along the Hürtgen's Kall Trail | History Traveler Episode 327

The Hürtgen Forest was a sector along the Western Front in WWII that chewed divisions up and spit them right back out. One of the divisions that sustained a terrible ordeal in the Hürtgen was the 28th Infantry Division under the leadership of Gen. Norman Cota. It was here in the fighting along the Kall Trail where the 28th would earn their nickname of "The Bloody Bucket".
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory...
Learn more about the 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum here: www.museum-huertgenwald.de/
Map animations courtesy of @SandervkHistory with inspiration from the king himself, @TheOperationsRoom (who gave his blessing on this prior to the upload :) )
Support the effort to expand history education on PATREON: / historyunderground
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Other episodes that you might enjoy:
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- Back to the Hürtgen Forest with FOUR WWII Veterans! | History Traveler Episode 325: • Back to the Hürtgen Fo...
- The Rifle: Stories From the Last WWII Veterans | History Traveler Episode 324: • The Rifle: Stories Fro...
- At the Eagle's Nest with Easy Company (w/ Matt Leitch of Band of Brothers) History Traveler 322: • At the Eagle's Nest wi...
- Into the Tunnels Beneath Hitler's Mountain | History Traveler Episode 321: • Into the Tunnels Benea...

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

⭐️ If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out.

[@markhewitt4307]

My grandfather was 28th infantry 112th infantry regiment. Can't wait to watch this. He never really talked about the war.

[@SimiPair]

My father in law was a infantry scout in the battle. Received a purple heart. He was a great father to my wife.

[@mikeg6042]

The foxholes caused me to shiver. Though I was in Vietnam I still believe a foxhole had the same feeling no matter where you were dug in. It feels odd to sit and wonder what the foxholes I dug in 1971 at LZ Stud/Vandergrift would look like 52 years later. RIP our protectors of democracy, your job is done, may your memory live through eternity! God bless our veterans!

[@sandyman622]

I was a member of the 28th Infantry Division at division HQ for many years and deployed with them twice overseas, this is great to see and thank you JD for doing this; you are a humble man but deserve all the praise and respect for doing things like this

[@WFMeyer]

Man JD, you just continue to knock it out of the park. I'm so glad you have been gving the Hürtgen Forest campaign the recognition it deserves. It was a tough and costly battle that few people know about and no movie has yet adeqautely covered.

[@gruberjens4354]

I grew up next to the hürtgen forrest and to this day I love to hike in it... We collected rusted things from WW2 in my childhood a lot. I grew up knowing it, but many people told me, they feel unease and like something is not right in these woods. I guess there is something to that...

[@chrisphillips408]

I’ve got to give a shout out to my dad, who was in that battle too. He was Tommie Ray Phillips and was a combat engineer in the 20th combat engineers regiment, attached to the 28th. He was wounded at the base of his throat by artillery shrapnel on the evening of November 4. I think they were trying to widen parts of the trail for tanks at the time. At the aid station, the doctor had him spit to see if there was any blood in it. A couple years after the war, when he was back home, the wound site festered up and became infected. His doctor sent him down to the VA hospital and they lanced it and removed a piece of shrapnel that had been left.

[@perryj8850]

Amazing that the most vicious fighting always seems to take place in such scenic and peaceful locations. Phenomenal video.

[@Eli-Just-Eli]

My Grandpa was in the bloody buckets, I have his patch and medals on my wall. He was sent north ( I think ) afterward to recoupe, and ended up smack dab in the battle of the bulge. My great uncle was also in the battle of the bulge, from what I have read, they were about three miles from one another. Thanks for the vid.

[@markb.7642]

J.D. you are living the dream of all of us who could only hope to get to half of the places you have taken us to. I am ever so glad I stumbled onto your channel a while back I have yet to be disappointed by anything you have shown us.

[@matthewgillespie9405]

My mother, now 98, was a sophomore in high school when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She still recalls Monday December 8th when she went to school. Her principal met with the entire student body; the principal, with tears in his eyes, told them “we’re at war now & you young men will have to fight. Some of you won’t be coming home.” Two of my mother’s classmates & one of her teachers died in the war. The teacher, French DeBarr, was killed in the Hurtgen Forest while serving in the 28th Division. He left a wife & young daughter. A friend of mine has the unopened letters, marked “return to sender” PVT DeBarr’s wife received that he was never able to open.

[@nickpapagiorgio5056]

Really such a beautiful countryside in that area. Nowadays so serene and peaceful it’s so hard to imagine the mayhem that was surely taking place there in 1944-45.

[@jbellos1]

I cannot believe how lucky you are to walk in these footsteps and how privileged I feel to be brought along with you. I find that though my father's experience in the Battle of the Bulge did not define the rest of his life, it defines much of mine. Happy New Year all.

[@jamalwilburn228]

A friend was a Squad Leader in D Company (Heavy Weapons) for 2st BN 110th INF Regiment. He was drafted in 1941 and served in all the battles till being captured at the Bulge. He was sent to Stalag IXB and partiicpated in MSGT Roddy Edmomds' protest to not give up their Jewish comrades. He survived the war and passed awsy in 1990s. Havw his ID tags with POW tag along with other items of his. Treasure them ❤

[@user-so6gu4xw1w]

JD-

[@randystolz]

Looks like they were almost fighting from tree to tree... Imagine that the days the 28th (Penn Nat'l Guard) were engaged in Hurtgen might have been among the toughest Pennsylvania had had since the Gettysburg campaign.

[@SandervkHistory]

Not being biased here 👀

[@user-fe5cn5gc9y]

JD, not sure if anyone has said or if you noticed but at about :42 of this video some sort of figure passes over your right shoulder in the background. I know most ppl don’t count much on paranormal but it’s not a bird. You would’ve seen it flying in frame. Take a look.

[@TR00P]

Roll on! My grandfather served in the 28th in WW2 in the artillery. Served in the 28th myself. Proud to be a vet of this outstanding unit.