World War II: The city of Aachen falls to American forces after three weeks of fighting, the first German city to fall to the Allies.

The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on Germany's western border; the Allies had hoped to…