Kesternich was crucial ground for two armies pursuing different objectives in late 1944. For the Allies, the Ruhr Industrial Valley was the main objective after gaining a foothold at Normandy, and by mid-December 1944 U.S. forces had advanced through France, Belgium, and Luxembourg into Germany, where the Roer River stood as the last major natural obstacle before the Ruhr Valley. American troops could not safely cross the Roer without destroying or controlling the Schwammenauel Dam, which regulated water flow and could endanger thousands of lives and key supply lines if the Germans blew it or released floodwaters. After early December 1944 air raids failed, a ground assault on the dam through the Monshau Corridor became necessary, and Kesternich, on the corridor's key high ground, offered command of the surrounding region. The American 78th Division began its assault on Kesternich on December 13, 1944. For the Germans, Kesternich was also vital because it lay adjacent to their main northern supply route for the planned Ardennes Offensive, an attack toward the English Channel intended to split the Allied forces, cut supply lines, seize fuel and matériel, and destroy Allied forces north of the salient. The Germans therefore sent an overwhelming force to retake the town, and Kesternich became key terrain for both sides for entirely different reasons.