| Troops of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division just after crossing into Germany near Aachen. They celebrated by breaking out the American flag. These soldiers have 30 caliber (7.62 millimeter) M1 Carbines and 30 caliber (7.62 millimeter) M1903 Springfield rifles. These is a road marker that censors have scratched out. In late July 1944, the regiment was still in Division reserve when it was ordered to be prepared to assist in a breakout through the German line near Saint Lo. On July 25, the Big Red 1 closely followed the 9th Infantry Division in the breakout attempt. 2 days later the 16th Infantry was launched on an attack through a break in the lines near Marigny and seized the city of Coutances on July 29. By this time, the Germans were in headlong retreat and attempting to establish a new line well to the east. Meanwhile, in an effort to keep up with the retreating Germans, the men of the 16th Infantry piled on trucks, tanks, and anything else they could find to move eastward as quickly as possible. After motoring south past Paris, the regiment caught up with the enemy again near Mons, Belgium, where it helped the 1st Infantry Division destroy 6 German divisions in August and early September. From Mons, the regiment pushed on with the Big Red 1 toward Aachen, Germany, just across the German frontier. For the next 3 months, the men of the 16th Infantry would experience some of the most grueling fighting of the war in the infamous Hürtgen Forest near Aachen, Stolberg, and Hamich, Germany. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1715.jpg |
| Image Size | 732.98 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2721 x 1954 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 12, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Aachen |
| State or Province | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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