Hill 400, Bergstein

Hill 400 (German: Burgberg) is the name given by Allied forces during World War II to a 400.8 metres (1,315 ft)[1] high hill located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the centre of Bergstein, a village in the Eifel region of Germany.

Today's view of the top of Hill 400 with bunker and Krawutschke Tower
Concrete blocks in the wood just below the top of Hill 400

The hill, which in medieval times was the site of Berenstein Castle, as well as a section of the Siegfried Line from the Second World War, now has an observation tower at the summit.

After Berenstein Castle was destroyed around the year 1200, the material was used to build Nideggen Castle and the tower of the church in Bergstein.

Today this hill is predominantly called by its civil name Burgberg (English: castle hill). This small mountain provides a view over the entire Hürtgen Forest (German: Hürtgenwald) area and was strategically important as a vantage point and German artillery station during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in 1944.

Location

The Hürtgen Forest occupies a wooded plateau and its deep, heavily forested valleys between treeless ridgelines. Hill 400 dominates the area and is at the end of the Brandenberg–Bergstein ridge, next to the Rur valley.

History

On Thursday, December 7, 1944, the New York Times reported that the 2nd Ranger Battalion had captured Bergstein, and castle hill. In a follow up report on the December 11 the Times reported that "enemy attempts to regain Hill 400 east of Bergstein have been repulsed."

Dramatization
  • The Battle for Hill 400 was featured as a singleplayer level in Call of Duty 2.
  • The Battle for Hill 400 was featured as a singleplayer level in Call of Duty WWII; in game, the battle is known as Hill 493.
  • The Battle for Hill 400 is replicated in a multiplayer map in the Red Orchestra mod Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 and in the Red Orchestra 2 mod Heroes of the West.
  • The battle was featured on the History Channel series Shootout!, in the episode "WWII Assault on Germany".
  • Hill 400 was used as a fictional movie, directed by Ron Howard and starring Sylvester Stallone, on NBC TV show This is Us Season 2 Episode 3.
  • The Battle for Hill 400 is replicated in a multiplayer map in the game Hell Let Loose.
  • Hill 400 is replicated in a Real Time Strategy game Company of Heroes 2.
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See also

References
  1. Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation

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