| United Kingdom Royal Army Trooper W. Williamson does his good deed for the day by rescuing a puppy dog from the ruins of a shelled German house on the outskirts of Geilenkirchen. During the 2nd World War, Operation Clipper was an Allied offensive by the British XXX Corps (which included the American 84th Infantry Division) to reduce the Geilenkirchen salient in mid-November 1944. Clipper was the preliminary to a wider Allied operation, Operation Queen, to gain control of the Roer valley and of the Hürtgen Forest. Geilenkirchen is situated on the Wurm River, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Aachen. The surrounding area is undulating, alternating between woodland, farmland and industrial villages. The area was crossed by a network of passable minor roads, some major roads and a railway line. The Wurm River is the major geographic feature. The salient was a German position on the Siegfried Line (Westwall) at the boundary between the British 2nd Army and the American 9th Army. It restricted the movement of Allied forces and was a potential threat. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0336.jpg |
| Image Size | 962.22 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2920 x 2192 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Information Agency |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Geilenkirchen |
| State or Province | Heinsberg |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-306-NT-901(74) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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