D-Day +35

The Battle for Mont Castre and Hill 122 mentioned in the previous post had been won, but at a high price. Four thousand Gi's lay dead and many more were severely wounded. Armored support had aided the capture of this strategic area, but the battleground was strewn with the wreckage of Sherman tanks.

La Haye du Puits Nat'l Archives

The capture of these heights enabled the 82nd Airborne to move in with the 79th Infantry Division and take the important town of La Haye du Puits. This would be the 82nd's last engagement in Normandy. They were exhausted and their ranks severely depleted, but they had proved themselves effective shock troops, an inspiration to their infantry counterparts and fierce adversaries to the stubborn Germans. 

The 83rd Infantry Division together with the 4th Infantry Division had finally taken Sainteny and now  continued their inch by inch battle.

On their left flank, the 29th Infantry Division ,who had been mauled on Bloody Omaha, moved forward with the 30th Infantry Division, making progress towards the important objective of St Lo. They had experienced their share of murderous hedgerow fighting and lost many men en-route. 

Airel bridge, modern day

Airel bridge Nat'l Archives

Unfortunately, advancing across the narrow bridge at Airel, they clashed with men from the U.S 3rd Armored division who, in their forward thrust, cast aside the bedraggled soldiers of the 30th. With their heavy tanks and support vehicles, they ran over communication wires and failed at all levels to co-ordinate with soldiers from the 30th. The 3rd was just desperate to get into the fight. Historian John C. McManus, in his book The Americans at Normandy reports 30th Division General, Leland Hobbs, as accusing the 3rd Armored of creating casualties amongst his men by their 'promiscuous fire.' He was so frustrated, he ordered artillery called in by the 30th to be laid down regardless of where 3rd armor that might be in the area. 

 If they do it to us, we do it to them!

KO'd panther tank, Nat'l Archives

Things were about to get worse as more and more reinforcements from the 2nd SS panzer division 'Das Reich' began flooding into the area. By July 11th, the Americans had taken Hauts Vents, inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans, but sustaining high levels as well. 

The Americans were inching ever nearer their objective of St Lo, but hedgerow country and fanatical Germans would cause them to invest heavily for each piece of ground taken.

Friendly fire, a regrettably feature of all warfare, would become a major factor in the bold 'break out' plan being meticulously prepared at the highest level.

Curtis Culin

One ray of light, a much needed solution to the problems of the Allied tanks ability to penetrate the dense bocage, had been developed by a sergeant from New Jersey, Curtis G. Culin. Taking German steel obstacles that littered the beaches, Culin found that they could be shaped and welded to the front of a tank, enabling it to cut through hedgerows. These tanks became known as 'Rhinos'

Rhino Nat'l Archives