Chapter II: Section II: Normandy Campaign

On 6 June 1944 the Allied military forces invaded northern France. After long study of the German strength, including coastal defenses and the disposition of enemy troops, the Allied commanders selected the beaches along the Bay of the Seine for the assault landings. The two beaches to be used by troops of the First U. S. Army were given the names of Utah and Omaha. Those on which the British and Canadians of the British Second Army were to land were named GOLD, SWORD, and JUNO. The assault began at 0200 on 6 June when airborne troops were dropped behind the beaches with the mission of securing exits from the beaches. Planes of the Allied air force bombed the coastal defenses and shortly after sunrise the Navy began shelling the beach defenses. At 0630 the first troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. The sea was rough and the assault forces met varying degrees of enemy opposition, but the beachheads were secured and the assault and follow-up troops moved on to accomplish their missions. The U. S. forces landing on Utah Beach moved northwest to clear the northern portion of the Cotentin Peninsula and capture the port of Cherbourg. Those landing on Omaha Beach advanced southward toward Saint-Lô. The troops of the British Second Army were to advance in a southeast direction from Caen.

The enormous build-up of men and material began immediately after the assault. This operation was made most difficult because of the lack of port facilities, but before the invasion plans had been made for the construction of artificial harbors. The plans were quickly put into effect and the harbors were almost completed when a summer gale struck the Channel coast destroying most of the construction work. By using amphibian trucks and Rhino ferries, and by drying out LST’s, the build-up over open beaches progressed much faster than was anticipated and men and supplies were poured into France in ever increasing numbers.

While the beachheads were expanded and the build-up continued, the infantry and armored units fought their way through the hedgerow country toward their objectives. The fighting was slow and costly as enemy opposition stiffened in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Allied advance. With the capture of Cherbourg and Saint-Lô the initial missions of the U. S. forces were completed and the forces were then assembled in preparation for the drives south and west from the beachhead toward Avranches and the Brittany Peninsula. The British forces were to push southward from Caen exploiting in the direction of Paris and the Seine Basin. These attacks were scheduled to begin on 19 July 1944 but because of bad weather the supporting aerial assault was delayed and the breakout of Normandy did not get under way until 25 July.

FULLY EQUIPPED PARATROOPER, armed with a Thompson submachine
gun M1, climbing into a transport plane to go to France as the
invasion of Normandy gets under way. At approximately 0200,
6 June 1944, men of two U. S. airborne divisions, as well as
elements of a British airborne division, were dropped in vital
areas to the rear of German coastal defenses guarding the
Normandy beaches from Cherbourg to Caen. By dawn 1,136 heavy
bombers of the RAF Bomber Command had dropped 5,853 tons of
bombs on selected coastal batteries lining the Bay of the Seine
between Cherbourg and Le Havre.]

A MARTIN B-26 MEDIUM BOMBER flying over one of the invasion
beaches, early on D-Day morning. All planes which supported the
invasion operations, with the exception of the four-motored
bombers, were painted with three white and two black stripes
for identification purposes. At dawn on D-Day the U. S. Air
Forces took up the air attacks and in the half hour before the
touchdown of the assault forces (from 0600 to 0630) 1,365 heavy
bombers dropped 2,746 tons of high explosives on the shore
defenses. This was followed by attacks by medium bombers, light
bombers, and fighter bombers. During the 24 hours of 6 June
Allied aircraft flew 13,000 sorties, and during the first 8
hours alone dropped 10,000 tons of bombs.]

GUN CREW ALERT aboard the cruiser USS Augusta, as landing craft
approach the coast of France during the invasion, 6 June 1944.
The three landing craft nearest the Augusta are an L C T(6), an
L B V, and an L B K. While the Allied air forces were bombing
installations along the invasion beaches the Allied sea armada
drew in toward the coast, preceded by its flotillas of mine
sweepers. Bad weather conditions and high seas had driven the
enemy surface patrol craft into their harbors, and the 100-mile
movement across the English Channel was unopposed. By 0300 the
ships had anchored in the transport areas some thirteen miles
off their assigned beaches, and the loading of troops into
landing craft and the forming of the assault waves for the dash
to the beaches began. At 0550 the heavy naval support squadrons
began a 45-minute bombardment which quickly silenced the major
coast-defense batteries.]

OMAHA BEACH ON 6 JUNE 1944. From Grandcamp, cliffs extend
eastward to Arromanches-les-Bains with only two breaks, one in
the Vierville-Colleville region which was the V Corps area.
The Aure River behind Omaha Beach is a serious obstacle for a
distance of ten miles from its mouth, near Isigny. Between the
Vire and Orne Rivers the area is covered to a depth of forty
miles inland by bocage (land divided into small fields by
hedges, banks, and sunken roads). Observation was limited, and
vehicle movement was restricted to the roads. The highlands that
extend across the invasion front, with a depth up to twenty-five
miles, are broken with steep hills and narrow valleys. Although
narrow, the roads in this area are generally good. Vital initial
objectives were the towns of Carentan, Saint-Lô, Bayeux, and
Caen.]

U. S. TROOPS WADING ASHORE FROM AN L C V P at Omaha Beach during
the assault. Elements of two U. S. infantry divisions, with
engineer troops and tanks of an armored unit, made the first
landings. The beaches selected for these landings were about
7,000 yards in length. From the beach the ground curves upward
and is backed by bluffs that merge into the cliffs at either end
of the sector. H Hour was at 0630 6 June. The mission of V Corps
was to secure a beachhead in the area between the Vire River and
Port-en-Bessin, from which troops would push southward toward
Caumont and Saint-Lô, conforming to the advance of British
Second Army to the east.]

INFANTRYMEN WADING ASHORE FROM AN LCT(6) (top). Troops leaving
an LCVP to wade ashore (bottom). Half-tracks and 2½-ton
amphibian trucks can be seen on the beach, and in the background
men marching in columns start southward toward the bluffs. On
the shelf the enemy strung barbed wire and planted mines. Lanes
had to be cleared through these obstacles before the infantry
could advance. Beyond this strip containing obstacles, the enemy
laid out firing positions to cover the tidal flat and the beach
with direct fire, both plunging and grazing, from all types of
weapons. The men landing were fired upon from these positions,
which for the most part had escaped destruction during the
prelanding bombardment.]

SURVIVORS OF AN LCVP which sank off Omaha Beach coming ashore in
an LCR(S). The high seas added to the difficulties in getting
ashore. Landing craft were in some instances hurled onto the
beaches by the waves and some of the smaller ones were swamped
before reaching shore. Others were flung upon and holed by the
mined underwater obstacles. Some of the assault troops were
swept off their feet while wading through the breakers. Of these
some were drowned and those who reached the beach were often
near exhaustion. Because of the rough seas many of the men were
seasick during the crossing and arrived on the beach with their
combat efficiency temporarily impaired by the experience.]

ARMY MEDICS ADMINISTERING BLOOD PLASMA to a survivor of a sunken
landing craft on Omaha Beach. D-Day casualties for the V Corps
were in the neighborhood of 3,000 killed, wounded, and missing.
The two assaulting regimental combat teams lost about 1,000 men
each. The highest proportionate losses were taken by units that
landed in the first few hours, including engineers, tank troops,
and artillerymen. The D-Day casualties of V Corps were much
higher than those suffered by VII Corps, where the assaulting
seaborne division lost 197 men, including 60 lost at sea.]

WOUNDED U. S. TROOPS OF V CORPS, waiting to be evacuated, take
shelter under the cliffs near the beach in the Colleville area
(top). Some German troops and laborers rounded up on Omaha
Beach (bottom). The assault troops reached the line of the
Bayeux-Carentan road on 7 June. The following day U. S. forces
established contact with the British on the American left flank.
On 9 June U. S. divisions advanced rapidly south and west
reaching the Caumont-Forêt de Cerisy-Isigny line by 11 June.]

MEMBERS OF A SHORE FIRE CONTROL GROUP operating Signal Corps
radios. Man at left is operating an SCR 284, while the second
man operates the hand generator GN 45; man at right is using a
hand-held radio set, “handie-talkie” SCR 536 (top). An enlisted
man looks up a number before placing a telephone call on a field
telephone EE 8 (bottom). The function of the Signal Corps was to
furnish radio, wire, and messenger communications. Often Signal
Corps personnel went inland, sometimes ahead of the infantry, to
observe and correct the fire from the naval guns offshore.]

UTAH BEACH, 6 JUNE 1944. In the VII Corps zone the smooth and
shallow beaches in the vicinity of Saint-Martin-de-Varreville
are backed by sand dunes that extend inland 150 to 1,000 yards.
Behind the sand dunes the low ground had been inundated for a
width of one to two miles, restricting travel from the beaches
to four easily defended causeways. Farther inland the Merderet
River, running parallel to the coast, and the Douve River, from
which the ground rises northward to the hills around Cherbourg,
restrict traffic to the established roads. Sainte-Mère-Eglise,
Saint-Sauveur, and Barneville are key points on the road nets
leading to Cherbourg. Southeast of Utah Beach the Douve and
Vire Rivers flow into the shallow, muddy Carentan estuary which
marked the boundary between VII and V Corps.]

ASSAULT TROOPS LANDING ON UTAH BEACH ON D-DAY (top). Men and
equipment along Utah Beach on D Day (bottom). The mission of
VII Corps was to assault Utah Beach on 6 June 1944 at H Hour,
0630, and to capture Cherbourg with a minimum delay. The
troops, landing just west of the Vire estuary, encountered less
opposition than any other Allied forces on D Day.]

INFANTRYMEN RESTING ALONG THE SEA WALL and beginning to move
inland, 6 June (top). Advancing southward through the inundated
low ground (bottom). Fortunately, the first elements landed
considerably south of the designated beaches in areas less
thickly obstructed and where enemy shore defenses were less
formidable than those opposite the intended landing beaches.
While airborne troops seized the causeways through the inundated
low ground to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the
beach, the seaborne assault troops struck northwest toward
Montebourg, on the road to Cherbourg.]

AN ENEMY SHELL HITS THE BEACH where U. S. troops are advancing.]

GERMAN CASEMATED FORTIFICATION inland from the beach (top);
destroyed enemy gun emplacement (bottom). During 1943 the
Germans had developed heavy frontal defenses at all the
principal harbors from Den Helder to Brest. As the invasion
threat grew, Cherbourg and Le Havre were further strengthened,
while heavy guns were installed to block the entrance of the Bay
of the Seine. Between the ports stretched a line of concrete
defense positions and coastal and flak batteries. A program of
casemating the coastal guns and strengthening the defense posts
was still in progress on 6 June. The beaches were mined and
obstacles were placed in the water offshore and on the beaches,
but there was no secondary defense line behind the coastal
defenses which the Germans thought would stop the invading
troops.]

MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOW-UP DIVISION aboard an LCI(L) headed for
Utah Beach on D Day. Other LCI’s in the background have barrage
balloons flying overhead. These balloons were attached by cables
to ships crossing the Channel so as to keep low-flying enemy
strafing planes away from the craft.]

A MEMBER OF AN ENGINEER UNIT using a mine detector SCR 625. The
ground outlined with white tape had not been cleared of enemy
mines and enemy signs were used to mark the mined areas. Army
and Navy demolition teams, following the assault infantry, found
the beach less thickly obstructed than expected, and Utah Beach
was cleared in an hour. Engineers prepared exits from the beach
by clearing lanes through the mine fields.]

GLIDERS BEING TOWED BY C-47 TRANSPORTS over the English Channel
carrying reinforcements for the airborne divisions, 7 June
(top). A British Horsa glider wrecked while landing (bottom).
Six thousand six hundred men of one of the two U. S. airborne
divisions were scattered over an area 25 miles by 15 miles in
extent, and 60 percent of their equipment was lost. In general,
however, these men accomplished their mission successfully.
Other gliders were flown in on 6 June but suffered considerable
casualties. (CG4A WACO.)]

GLIDERS AND TOW PLANES CIRCLING before the gliders are cut loose
for a landing, 7 June. On the ground are gliders which landed
the previous day, many which were wrecked in landing. While one
airborne division of the U. S. forces held the exits to Utah
Beach and stuck southward toward Carentan, the other airborne
division, despite heavy shelling in the Sainte-Mére-Eglise area,
also established contact with the infantry troops pushing inland
from Utah Beach early on 7 June.]

AN LCT(5) LOADED WITH REINFORCEMENTS moving toward the beach on
7 June. In left center is an LCT(R); at right center is an LBV.
In the background supply ships wait to discharge their cargoes
(top). U. S. Air Force glider pilots in an LCVP on their way to
a larger ship which will take them back to England (bottom).
After landing their gliders the pilots made their way to the
beach to await shipping to return them to their bases.]

AMPHIBIAN TRUCKS (DUKW’s) bring supplies ashore on Utah Beach,
8 June (top). Men and supplies come ashore; on the beach are
LCT’s (bottom). Between 7 and 12 June the Allies concentrated
their efforts on joining the beachheads into one uninterrupted
lodgement area and on bringing in men and supplies.]

A RAILROAD BRIDGE ACROSS THE SEINE destroyed by bombers of the
Allied air force. Even though hampered by poor flying weather
during the first week after D Day, the Allied air force bombed
bridges across the Seine and Loire Rivers. This seriously
hindered the movement of enemy troops and supplies, and trains
had to be constantly rerouted in an attempt to reinforce the
Germans trying to hold the assault forces in the area of the
beachheads.]

WRECKED TRAIN. Three trains were held up on this single track,
in the vicinity of Chartres, when fighter bombers knocked
cars off the track. With the track thus blocked the movement
of trains was stopped and much of the undamaged rolling stock
later fell into Allied hands. Within an arc extending from the
Pas-de-Calais through Paris to the Brittany Peninsula, 16,000
tons of bombs were dropped on coastal batteries, 4,000 tons on
airfields, and 8,500 tons on railway targets between 6 and 11
June.]

TRÉVIÈRES AND THE SURROUNDING AREA showing the bocage type of
terrain. U. S. forces advancing inland from the Omaha beachhead
were checked by the enemy in the Formigny-Trévières area on
7 June. Formigny was cleared on 8 June. On the same day the
U. S. troops held their positions north and east of Trévières
and patrolled the outskirts of the town. The town was shelled
by navy guns in the late afternoon. The approach to Trévières
from the high ground just north of the Aure River was strongly
defended and the enemy forces continued to hold out in this area
until 10 June when the attacking U. S. forces outflanked and
captured the town. The fall of Trévières marked the end of enemy
resistance north of the Forêt de Cerisy.]

U. S. GUN CREW FIRING A 3-INCH ANTITANK GUN M5 at a house in
which enemy troops are holding out (top). In the advance of the
Allies from Utah Beach toward Cherbourg the enemy was often cut
off in small groups and surrounded. The enemy groups in many
cases would refuse to surrender, even though they were cut off
from their own forces, and had to be eliminated one group at a
time. A 90-mm. gun M1 of an antiaircraft battery firing near
Vierville (bottom). Though enemy air attacks were not a serious
threat to the Allies and very little opposition was encountered,
antiaircraft batteries were always on the alert.]

MULTIPLE GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M16 with its four .50-caliber
machine guns firing at the enemy in support of an infantry
advance (top). This vehicle was a weapon of an antiaircraft
artillery unit, but the lack of enemy air activity in Normandy
made possible its use in other roles. U. S. artillerymen
emplacing a 155-mm. howitzer M1 in a camouflaged position
(bottom).]

FORMATION OF DOUGLAS A-20’s over France. The infantry and
armored attacks were, when possible, preceded by concentrated
air attacks. Employing carpet bombing methods, thousands of
tons of bombs were dropped. Fragmentation bombs were used to
break enemy resistance without causing extensive cratering
which would hinder the advance of tanks. Although these attacks
were temporary in effect, the results greatly aided the initial
ground attack. Casualties to the enemy were few, but he was
stunned by the weight of the bombing and considerable confusion
ensued.]

ENGINEERS LAYING WIRE MATTING in the construction of a landing
strip near Sainte-Mère-Eglise (top). A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
bursting into flames after crash landing on the strip; still
attached to underside of the wing are rockets which were not
fired (bottom). An important factor in insuring the success of
the Allied close-support operations lay in the establishment
of landing strips in Normandy, from which fighter planes could
operate. Work began as soon as a footing was obtained on shore
and by 9 June planes were operating from these strips.]

A QUARRY NEAR OMAHA BEACH used by engineer units to supply rock
and stone for the construction of roads. The tremendous amount
of traffic on the roads in Normandy, as men and supplies were
brought into France over the beaches required the services of
many engineer units to keep the roads in good repair. Most of
the roads leading to the beaches were not hard surfaced but were
constructed of rock and gravel.]

ENLISTED MEN PREPARE TO LAUNCH A BARRAGE BALLOON over one of
the beaches in Normandy. Balloons were attached to cables and
by means of winches could be raised or lowered to the desired
altitude. These balloons were used to protect ships and beach
installations from low-flying enemy aircraft. When the balloons
were in position the enemy would not fly low over the beaches
for fear of running into the cables which kept the balloons in
place.]

MEDICAL CORPS MEN TREATING AN ENLISTED MAN for a wrist wound.
When casualties entered a battalion aid station within a few
hundred yards of the front, they were immediately screened and
sorted. Wounds were redressed, and perhaps morphine or other
drugs were given when available. Those whose wounds permitted
were evacuated to the rear, while those whose wounds did not
permit further evacuation were held, treated, given plasma, and
then moved farther back.]

AN EVACUATION HOSPITAL with a 750-bed capacity, Normandy, 24
July (top). Army surgeons perform an operation out-of-doors
(bottom). In World War II the number of deaths per hundred
casualties was one half of that during World War I. Responsible
for this reduction was the surgical skill and painstaking care
rendered by personnel of the Medical Corps aided by better
surgery, the sulfa drugs, penicillin, plasma, and whole blood.]

ENEMY PRISONERS, taken during the first days of fighting,
awaiting transportation to England. During the first week
following the invasion landings the Germans lost some 10,000
men as prisoners. The enemy forces that manned the static beach
defenses were largely Russians and other non-Germans, but were
under German officers. Of the German troops, many companies were
found to be composed of men either under 20 or over 45 years
of age. Many of these were of low medical categories and their
morale was not of the best.]

A MILITARY POLICEMAN studying French aboard a transport while
waiting for the landing craft which will carry him to the
beach in Normandy. In addition to handling informational and
recreational activities of all kinds, the Special Services
Division of the Army Service Forces distributed pocket-sized
soldier guides to the customs and languages of the countries
where members of the armed forces served. The Army, recognizing
that the strain created by war must be counteracted by healthy
diversional activities, arranged motion pictures and USO shows,
and distributed books, magazines, and athletic and other
recreational equipment to members and units of the armed forces.]

CARENTAN. The approach to Carentan from the east is blocked
by the Vire-Taute Canal. U. S. forces advancing to secure the
bridge on the road from Isigny met with enemy resistance from
the houses and hedgerows on the east bank and it was not until
midnight of 10 June that the enemy was driven out and defensive
positions were established by U. S. troops. Other U. S. troops
moved along the Bassin à Flot and crossed the canal on 12 June,
moving rapidly into the center of Carentan which by then was
ringed by attacking troops. This trap was closed too late to
capture most of the German defenders, who escaped to the south
during the night of 11–12 June.]

U. S. TROOPS MOVING INTO CARENTAN, 12 June (top). A 105-mm.
howitzer M3 firing at enemy positions during the fighting at
Carentan (bottom). During the night of 11–12 June, Carentan
was set ablaze by artillery and naval gunfire, and early on
the morning of 12 June U. S. troops entered the town. Its fall
marked the effective junction of the two U. S. beachheads and
the linking up of the two corps of the First U. S. Army.]

U. S. PARATROOPERS PATROLLING THE STREETS OF CARENTAN in a
captured German Volkswagen (1. Pkw. K. 1 (typ 82)) (top).
Airborne troops in a jeep towing a British 6-pounder Mark III
antitank gun in Carentan (bottom). The enemy counterattacks
against the U. S. forces in Carentan were unsuccessful in their
attempts to recapture the city, but were persistent enough to
limit the U. S. advance to gains measured in hundreds of yards.
However, on 17 June 1944 U. S. troops reached the west coast in
the vicinity of Barneville, cutting the German forces into two
groups, one south of the Carentan-Barneville line, the other in
the Cherbourg area.]

DOUGLAS A-20’S DROPPING BOMBS on a probable flying bomb
launching site. The first flying bombs fell on England during
the night of 12–13 June 1944, and the regular attacks began
three days later. The smallness, the effective nature of
camouflage, the comparative mobility, and the ease with which
the V-1 launching sites could be repaired made effective bombing
attacks on them difficult.]

PART OF A GERMAN ROCKET INSTALLATION captured by U. S. troops.
Many of these flying bomb sites were captured by the Allies as
they advanced. Although the air force had destroyed some by
bombing, most of the sites were taken by advancing troops and
destroyed.]

A PORTION OF THE ARTIFICIAL HARBOR AT OMAHA BEACH. This harbor
was in the Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer area of Omaha Beach and was
known as “Mulberry A.” Breakwaters were formed by sinking ships
and concrete caissons, and steel bridging formed causeways to
the beach. The harbor, construction on which began on 7 June
1944, was designed to provide moorings for seven Liberty ships
and twelve coasters at one time. By 19 June it was 90 percent
completed.]

ENGINEERS LAYING STEEL MATTING on Omaha Beach at the exits
of the causeway which extend to the piers of the artificial
harbor (top). Vehicles moving from one of the piers over the
causeway to the shore (bottom). These floating causeways to the
beach rose and fell with the tide. The artificial harbors were
constructed to facilitate the unloading of the large numbers of
men and material.]

DAMAGE TO THE ARTIFICIAL HARBOR AND LANDING CRAFT caused by
the storm. The greatest detriment to the Allied build-up was
not the enemy, but the weather. From 19–22 June 1944 one of
the worst summer gales in Channel history hit the Bay of the
Seine. Unloading operations were virtually stopped, the floating
steel caissons broke free and sank, the concrete caissons moved
or were broken up, and the beach was strewn with hundreds of
stranded and damaged craft. The line of sunken ships remained
fairly well intact, but as a whole the artificial harbor was
destroyed and useless.]

A TRUCK ON THE BEACH (2½-ton) and one starting down the ramp of
an LST (1½-ton). After the storm wrecked the artificial harbors
emergency measures, such as using 2½-ton amphibian trucks to
bring men and supplies ashore and “drying out” landing ships
and coasters, were employed. By “drying out” the vessels (as
in picture) and unloading directly on the beaches, unloading
operations were carried out.]

TRUCKS FULLY LOADED with men and supplies leaving a Rhino ferry
and being helped ashore by a bulldozer (top). A ¾-ton weapons
carrier rolling through the surf toward the beach under its
own power (bottom). All the vehicles which made these landings
through the surf had been waterproofed before leaving England.
Since they were able to travel only a short distance on land
under their own power when waterproofed, the waterproofing
material was removed soon after the vehicles landed.]

TRUCKS AND AMPHIBIAN TRUCKS (each is a 2½-ton truck) on a beach
in Normandy. In spite of the damage caused by the storm, by 26
June Omaha Beach was discharging 122 percent of its planned
cargo capacity. By this time 268,718 men, 40,191 vehicles,
and 125,812 tons of cargo had been discharged over Omaha
Beach alone. By 1 July the Allied commanders were not as much
worried about a German counterattack that would threaten the
beachhead as about the possibility that the enemy might bring in
sufficient reserves to create a stalemate in Normandy. More room
was needed by the Allies to bring in men and supplies to support
a sustained drive toward the Seine.]

UNIT ADVANCING TOWARD CHERBOURG stops to inspect a German
multipurpose gun (8.8-cm. Flak). When the enemy retreated from
the vicinity of Montebourg he destroyed the gun by splaying the
barrel. This multipurpose weapon emerged as the most publicized
artillery piece of the German Army during the North African
campaign. It was primarily an antiaircraft gun adaptable to
antitank and general artillery use. In its role as an antitank
gun it was fitted with a shield. In its mobile form it was towed
on four wheels, usually with an 8-ton half-tracked tractor.]

RESULTS OF ARTILLERY FIRE AND BOMBINGS in Montebourg (top).
A 155-mm. howitzer M 1 firing on the defenses of the city of
Cherbourg (bottom). On 19 June Montebourg fell to the U. S.
forces and Valognes was taken the following day. The advance on
Cherbourg was continued by three U. S. infantry divisions. An
attack on Cherbourg was launched on the afternoon of 22 June,
after an 80-minute air and artillery bombardment of the outer
defenses, but the enemy at first fought back with determination.]

HILL 171 AREA BOIS DU MONT DU ROC

THE BOIS DU MONT DU ROC AREA. On 22–23 June the U. S. troops
launched an attack from the valley to seize Hill 171. The
critical enemy defense areas at Flottemanville-Hague and Hill
171 were closely pressed and before dark on 23 June the area of
Hill 171 was reached and 400 enemy prisoners were taken. The
Flottemanville-Hague defenses were bombed by Allied planes and
the defenses were taken by the ground forces shortly thereafter.
The enemy’s fortified line protecting Cherbourg was then broken
and the U. S. troops were ready for the final drive to the city.]

FORTIFICATIONS AROUND CHERBOURG DAMAGED by Allied shelling and
bombardment. The German defenders refused to surrender the city
to the attacking U. S. forces, and on 22 June a co-ordinated
attack was launched by the attackers, supported by aircraft of
the tactical air forces and heavy artillery fire. However, no
real break-through was achieved by this bombardment and the U.
S. troops resorted to the methodical reduction of the strong
points. It was not until 24 June that the main defenses cracked,
and the next day the three attacking infantry divisions,
supported by heavy naval bombardment, reached the outskirts of
the city.]

TWO U. S. INFANTRYMEN ROUTING A SNIPER during street fighting in
Cherbourg (top). German prisoners taken in Cherbourg (bottom).
By 25 June U. S. forces were fighting in the streets of the
city while the Germans demolished the port facilities. At 1500
on 26 June the German commanders surrendered. The Arsenal
held out until the following morning and fanatical groups had
to be eliminated one by one. A certain number of the enemy
still remained to be rounded up in the northwest corner of the
Cotentin Peninsula, but on 1 July all resistance in the northern
Cotentin came to an end.]

A MEMBER OF AN ENGINEER UNIT, operating a bulldozer, clears a
street in Cherbourg (top). Members of an Engineer unit stationed
in Cherbourg take time out to prepare a meal in the doorway
of a house (bottom). C and K rations were generally issued to
troops in combat. Where there was more time for the preparation
of food, troops were given the “10 in 1” ration which contained
more variety than the C and K rations. When units were more
permanently settled regular messes were set up, but during
the early days on the Continent just after the invasion, and
while the supply situation was still critical, troops resorted
to eating rations that could be more easily transported and
prepared.]

FORT DU ROULE ARSENAL AREA

A PORTION OF CHERBOURG showing the inner harbor and docks. Fort
du Roule, built high and secure into a steep rock promontory
which stands immediately back of the city, dominated the entire
harbor area. It was primarily a coastal fortress but was also
defended against a ground attack. The P-47’s which bombed the
fort did little damage to the subterranean tunnels housing the
big guns. The fort was finally taken by infantry troops armed
with machine guns, mortars, grenades, pole charges, and rifles.
The fort surrendered in sections and it was not until late on
25 June that the complete surrender was accomplished. After the
rest of the city had been taken the Arsenal still held out.
This structure, partially protected by a moat, was high-walled
and well-armed. On 27 June the Arsenal surrendered bringing to
an end all organized resistance in the city. With the fall of
the city every effort was made to clear the harbor and repair
docking facilities as quickly as possible.]

THE FIRST SHIP-TO-SHORE GASOLINE LINE, put in operation at
Cherbourg. During the assault phase the Allied forces relied on
canned gasoline, but by 3 July bulk supply was being introduced
by ship-to-shore pipeline which brought in part of the large
quantities of gasoline necessary to the Allied forces.]

ORDNANCE MEN CUTTING ANGLE-IRON with acetylene torches (top). An
M5 light tank equipped with a hedgerow cutter (bottom). During
the fighting in Normandy armored vehicles found the hedgerows a
serious obstacle which they could neither cross over nor break
through. An enlisted man of an Ordnance unit in Normandy devised
the method of attaching to the front of tanks rake-like cutters
improvised from heavy angle-iron salvaged from the underwater
beach obstacles which the Germans had placed to wreck landing
craft. During a period of 48 hours maintenance companies of
the Ordnance Department turned out 300 of these cutters, which
enabled the tanks to open passageways through the hedgerows of
Normandy, and play an important part in the advance leading to
the break-through at Saint-Lô.]

.30-CALIBER BROWNING MACHINE GUN M1919A4 being fired through an
opening in a hedgerow by an infantryman. The July offensive,
one of the most difficult and bloody phases of the Normandy
Campaign and known as the Battle of the Hedgerows, was conducted
from 7 to 20 July 1944. Four U. S. Army corps, ultimately
employing twelve divisions, were involved in the effort. German
reinforcements stiffened, particularly in the hills protecting
Saint-Lô, and the U. S. forces in the Cotentin Peninsula fought
their way southward, alongside the U. S. troops east of the Vire
River, to win ground for mounting the attack which was to break
through the German defenses at the end of the month of July.]

A 3-INCH GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M10 moving along a road near
Saint-Fromond. While the British Second Army battled furiously
against enemy armored strength to the east, the First U. S. Army
struggled forward on both sides of the Vire River in their drive
on Saint-Lô. The advance was laborious because of the nature of
the terrain and the poor weather conditions. The enemy rallied
to prevent any break-through to Saint-Lô, and the British
redoubled their efforts in the Caen area where the Germans had
most of their 900 tanks.]

TWO GERMAN PANTHERS, heavy tanks (Pz. Kpfw.-7.5-cm. Kw. K.
42-L/70), knocked out on a road near Le Désert (top). A
damaged German self-propelled assault gun (Stu. G. IV with
Stu. K. 40-L/48) near Périers (bottom). During the fighting in
the Saint-Lô area the German forces included two corps with
elements of no less than twelve divisions, including two armored
divisions. The losses sustained by the enemy armored units
removed the possibility of a further large-scale counterattack
west of the Vire River.]

GERMAN PANTHER (top). U. S. medium tanks M4A1 pass German medium
tanks (Pz. Kpfw. IV) which were knocked out in the July fighting
near Saint-Lô (bottom). In hedgerow fighting tanks were expected
to give great assistance, by their fire power, in dealing with
hedgerow strong points but there was always the problem of
getting them through the embankments fast enough to maintain
their support to the infantry.]

ARMY MEDICAL AID MEN preparing to evacuate wounded (top). U.
S. troops along a sunken road during the advance to Saint-Lô
(bottom). The U. S. losses during this campaign totaled nearly
11,000 killed, wounded, and missing. The Germans, as a result of
the action, were prevented from regrouping and wore down their
last immediate reserves for use against a break-through.]

AN INFANTRY PATROL picking its way through the blasted ruins of
Saint-Lô (top). Allied and German shelling and Allied aerial
bombing reduced Saint-Lô to ruins (bottom). The original
objectives of the July offensive were not attained except for
the capture of Saint-Lô on 18 July 1944 and the high ground
suitable for launching the break-through attempt. The ground won
was sufficient to give the troops more room and better jump-off
positions which they needed to break out of Normandy.]

SAINT-LÔ IN RUINS after the capture of the city by the U. S.
forces. It was shelled both by the attacking Allied forces who
needed the area to stage troops who were to break out of the
hedgerow country of Normandy, and by the enemy forces who were
trying to prevent the U. S. troops from taking the city.]

INFANTRYMEN RESTING IN THEIR FOXHOLE. Rain, which continued for
6 days, delayed the air bombardment and in turn the advance
of the First Army which had scheduled an attack for 19 July
1944. During this period the men were compelled to huddle in
their foxholes under the dripping hedgerows in conditions of
extreme discomfort, while the enemy, also entrenched behind the
natural defenses of the country, was alert to every movement.
The low-lying country became a sea of mud, stopping further tank
operations during this period.]

JEEP SPLASHING THROUGH A FLOODED ROAD IN NORMANDY. The rains,
which held up the advance, flooded the dirt roads which by
this time were in a bad state of repair from the heavy traffic
and shelling. On the front of the jeep is an iron bar used
to cut thin strands of wire that the enemy strung across the
roads level with the heads of the occupants of vehicles, which
traveled with tops and windshields down.]

INFANTRYMEN FIRING FROM A HEDGEROW. The man in the foreground
is shown about to fire a fragmentation grenade using a U. S.
rifle .30-calibre M1 with a grenade launcher M7 (top). Grenade
has just been fired (bottom). The terrain through which the
Allied troops fought was favorable to the defense. In the close
bocage countryside, dotted with woods and orchards and with
fields divided by tree-topped embankments where armor could not
well be employed, the infantry had to wage a grim struggle from
hedgerow to hedgerow and from bank to bank, harassed by snipers
and machine gun posts. On 24 July the troops of the U. S. First
Army were waiting for the weather to clear sufficiently for an
air attack before they attempted to break out of Normandy in the
area of the Périers-Lessay-Saint-Lô road.]

NORTHERN FRANCE CAMPAIGN

The Allied Advance during the Northern France Campaign 25 July
1944 to 14 September 1944]