Presentation: Operation Varsity

I found the detailed information about this operation very interesting, such as:  this was the last time the Allies used gliders on the opposing forces; gliders were released from a record 2,500 feet; this was the only time Germany invaded from the air; this was the most successful Allied air strike during the war; and, 3,000 German POWs were taken the first day.  Even though there was battle after battle, it never ceases to amaze me how each one has a “first” event of the war.

Until the presentations, I was not familiar with the battle fought in the Hurtgen Forest.  How hard it must have been to fight for your life in a place that was dense, dark, and foggy and home to trees that grew to 100 feet, with only four feet between them.  In addition, solders were instructed to drop things behind them as a clue to their path.  The forest cut off any advantages the Americans might have had, such as air support and tank mobility.