The Takeaway

In this episode, I share thoughts about a tour I recently took in the Hurtgen Forest World War II battlefield, which sits between Belgium and Germany. The Hurtgen Forest was the site of the longest battle the U.S. Army engaged in during World War II, and it is widely considered an egregious failure of strategy and leadership.

I wanted to understand why the battle was fought, what elements challenged the U.S. Army's progress, and what lessons we could take away from a battle that incurred 30,000 to 50,000 casualties (deaths and wounded).