German Civilians Flee Aachen to Escape Destruction : Carrying a few possessions in handbags and bundles, terrified German civilians flee into the American lines near Aachen to avoid being destroyed with the city. with an impenetrable ring of steel thrown about the enemy fortress metropolis, the U.S. forces had offered to spare it if the garrison would surrender. The Nazi commander followed the annihilationist policy of sacrificing his own people to save the necks of Hitler and his cohorts, however, and thousands of tons of explosives were poured into Aachen's walls in a terrific week-long aerial and artillery bombardment. Capture of the smoking ruins was completed on Oct. 20, 1944, just 10 days after the American ultimatum was delivered. December 27, 1944. (Photo by U.S. Office of War Information Picture).