| Original caption: “A German prisoner of war captured near Übach, Germany, wears a tag telling his captors that he has an injured back and should be handled carefully.” Tag says: “Supplemental Record: Handle carefully Possible sprain in back.” Fighting had also begun to develop for the town of Übach, where American tanks rushed in to take the town, only to be pinned down by German artillery. Fierce counterattacks followed, with American artillery fire narrowly preventing the Germans from retaking it. By the end of the day, the forcing of the Wurm River and the creation of a bridgehead had cost the 30th Infantry Division around 300 dead and wounded. German forces continued their counterattacks on Übach, suffering heavy casualties to American artillery and infantry fire. Although the inability to retake Übach persuaded German commanders that they had insufficient forces to properly defend the approaches to Aachen, the counterattacks did tie down American troops which could have otherwise continued the advance. On 4 October, the Allied advance was limited, with only the towns of Hoverdor and Beggendorf taken, the Americans having lost roughly 1,800 soldiers in the past 3 days of combat. Better progress was made on October 5, as the 119th Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division captured Merkstein-Herbach. The following day the Germans launched another counterattack against Übach, again failing to dislodge the Americans. German armor was unable to cope with the overwhelming numerical superiority of the American tanks, and as a last-ditch effort to halt the advance the Germans began concentrated attacks on American positions with what artillery and aircraft they could muster. They found themselves severely hamstrung by lack of reserves, although General Koechling was able to deploy a Tiger detachment to the town of Alsdorf in an attempt to plug the American penetration of Aachen’s northern defenses. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0338.jpg |
| Image Size | 771.34 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2389 x 2898 |
| Photographer | Sergeant Miller |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Ubach |
| State or Province | Heinsberg |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-112-SGA-44(7879) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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