D-Day+70

  After the Germans were routed at Mortain, some of the enemy divisions continued to make probing attacks towards Avranche in the vain hope of achieving at least a stalemate.
 The other units, battered and bruised, were in headlong retreat towards the town of Argentan in the Orne region of Normandy.
They still had plenty of fight, but that fight would be used in a defensive mode as a means of enabling their escape.

August 12th,16th

Bradley was excited, his forces had thrashed the Germans at Mortain and his confidence was at an all time high. The other Allies were making progress and now he could see a real chance of trapping and annihilating the remainder of the German 7th Army. Montgomery's 21st Army Group, which consisted of British, Canadian and Polish forces, had finally broken out of their beachhead around Caen and were now pressing the German forces from the North, while Bradley's own U.S forces had moved in a wide arc under the retreating Germans. He had initially proposed a much wider encirclement, but now he could see a real opportunity to tighten the noose and trap the enemy in an area between Falaise and Argentan. He had instructed Patton to swing his forces to the left, take the town of Argentan and prepare to close the pocket.

Argentan War memorial

Patton was elated, the opportunity to deliver this knock out blow was just what he wanted to do.

He committed 5 Divisions to the task, including the Free French 2nd Armored Division under General Leclerc, a unit totally equipped by the Americans, but lacking  discipline.

General Leclerc

French 2nd Armored Div. caused many traffic jams.

 Leclerc frequently exceeded his orders, crossed boundary lines, which were forbidden to him, and caused all kinds of foul ups. His forces fought with elan, they were brave and their exuberance was astonishing. Taking part in the long awaited liberation of their country was an emotional experience, one that they prayed for these past 5 years. Patton was a Francophile, he liked Leclerc and he was always prepared to make allowances for him.

Argentan Today

Argentan same view August 1944

 Just as the American Divisions arrived in the Argentan area, Bradley had a change of heart. His initial excitement turned to trepidation, as the prospect of his forces rushing headlong into the guns and aircraft of the other Allies, pushing down from the North, seemed a real possibility. He lost his nerve and with it his ability to annihilate an entire army.

There were of course some concerns at the prospect of further friendly fire incidents, but the Canadians were still miles away from Argentan, so no immediate threat. Patton was horrified and Bradley would come to regret this decision for the rest of his life; although he would continue, in time honored fashion, to pass the blame. His decision would give the Germans an opportunity to hold a defensive shoulder at Argentan, thus allowing thousands of enemy soldiers, complete with their equipment, to escape certain destruction.

French Sherman in Foret d'Ecouvres

South of Argentan, the main obstacle was the Foret d'Ecouvres, the clearing of which was given to Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division. This was achieved effectively and in short order after which, a group of these vengeful Frenchmen entered Argentan on the afternoon of August 13th. The Germans were ready for them and opened fire with tanks and artillery just as the civilian population came out to rejoice at their final liberation. It would be almost a week before this strategic town would be firmly in American hands, by which time it's total destruction would have been well and truly achieved.

Germans panzer grenadiers retreating on foot.

The job of holding the Americans at Argentan had been given to the 1st SS and 2nd panzer Divisions, which had originally been committed to launching an all out attack against the thinly spread American front. As it happens, these units would play a major role in enabling a significant number of their comrades to escape.

5th Armored try a flanking maneuver.

The U.S 5th Armored Division tried a flanking maneuver around Argentan, but well sited German artillery and tanks wrought havoc on the advancing U.S and French Divisions.

Once Bradley's stop order had been received, commanders on the ground halted their advance  and  prepared to attack in another direction, which was yet to be decided. It was perhaps the most serious blunder of the Normandy campaign. The following day, he changed his mind again and split the forces gathered around Argentan. The French 2nd Division and the U.S 90th Division would stay in the Argentan area. They were to be bolstered by the 80th Division moving up in support. Valuable time and considerable momentum had been lost.

A decisive action by the 5 Divisions of 3rd Army could have changed the course of events, but now this strategically timid harassing approach was to lengthen the process, enabling the Germans to fight many 'other days.'

Ancient dungeons in the square of Chambois.

The natural escape point for the Germans centered on the tiny Norman town of Chambois.

Between Argentan and Chambois, lies the Foret de Gouffern, a sprawling mass of forestry, which provided great cover for the retreating Germans. From the Goufferm they were able to make a dash across open terrain to the heights and freedom.

Forest de Gouffern

One escape route centered on the tiny town of le Bourg-St-Leonard, which straddled the Argentan Chambois road.

The 90th Division positioned a roadblock in the town and sited artillery and tank destroyers on the crest of a hill overlooking this German escape route. American forces, although still effective, had lost much of their strength, as more than 50% of their force had been sent away, to attack in another direction.

 Bourg St- Leonard route of German retreat

When the Germans decided to make their dash, it was unlikely that these thinly spread units could hold them. On August 16th, the first group of Germans, well organized and highly motivated, left the sanctuary of the Gouffern Forest and attacked the 90th at le Bourg-St-Leonard. The 90th were beaten back by an enemy who was prepared, remarkably well equipped and determined.

French Monument to the liberation of Le Bourg-St-Leonard

Was it the 'rat in the trap' syndrome, or were these 'supermen' still a force to be reckoned with?

This Tiger 1 escaped the encirclement, then returned to help others before running out of fuel and being destroyed by it's crew.

 

D-Day +63

By August 8th, 1944, Patton's 3rd Army had pushed seven divisions across the bridge at Pontaubault, south of Avranches, despite German attempts to bomb it on numerous occasions.

Pontaubault bridge and historical marker - many places have these helpful markers

His forces had made a headlong dash into Brittany (a tactical blunder on the part of the High Command),  only to be told to split his powerful army and make a sweep in the opposite direction towards the Seine,

View of Mont Saint Michel from Avranches

with the purpose of enclosing the Germans in a tight pocket. This should have been his main objective all along, but now he had been forced to split his army, leaving a substantial armored group in Brittany while taking the remainder of his forces on an epic adventure across France in the direction of Le Mans, formerly the HQ of the German 7th Army. He was making spectacular gains, but his left flank was highly exposed in a narrow corridor between Avranches and St Hilaire du Harcouet. All his supplies had to pass through this area and it was vulnerable to counter attack.

Adolf Hitler was shaken by the July 20th Bomb Plot, but he had recovered sufficiently to hatch another daring offensive plan. He had fired his commander in the west, Gert von Rundstedt, for being too defeatist. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel had been injured in an aerial attack on his vehicle, and now Hitler had charged Generalfeldmarshall Gunther von Kluge with carrying out his counter attack codename, 'Operation Luttich.'

Mortain, 1944

Von Kluge and other generals had no stomach for this plan, which called for an attack by four panzer divisions including the 1st SS Leibstandarte 'Adolf Hitler,' which had been moved from the British sector, and the recently decimated 2nd SS 'Das Reich,' only a fraction of which had escaped from the Roncey pocket (covered in the previous post), to attack via the small Normandy town of Mortain.

They were to cover the 24 kms to Avranches with lightening speed and surprise, cutting off Patton's Third Army and Courtenay Hodge's 1st Army. He had also committed 1000 fighters from his Luftwaffe reserve, which had hardly been seen these past weeks.

The German generals favored creating a tactical withdrawal to the river Seine and the creation of a fighting defensive line, but Hitler was adamant. He sent an envoy to von Kluge's HQ on August 2nd, demanding an immediate counter attack.

The town of Mortain had been taken by the U.S 1st Infantry Division on August 3rd, but the Big Red 1 had been relieved by the 30th Infantry Division soon after. The GIs from General Leland Hobbs's 'Old Hickory', were to receive another severe 'blooding', this time at the hands of the enemy.

US 30th Div. Artillery in Mortain

The Germans had cobbled together a force of some three hundred tanks, six below-strength infantry divisions and mixture of assault guns. The plan did not allow for the normal preliminary, artillery bombardment for fear of alerting the Americans.

Allied Intelligence, with the aid of the secret code breaking system, 'Ultra,' had intercepted the orders for 'Luttich' by August 4th, but they arrived at 1st Army HQ too late to do anything other than to prepare hasty defenses. The Germans had a brief element of surprise.

British Typhoon launched rockets

What Ultra did provide however, was the opportunity for both the British and American Air Forces to work closely together in countering this attacking force. The U.S. 9th Air Force was to fly sorties against German airfields, ensuring that the 1000 Luftwaffe fighters could not get airborne, and the British with their rocket firing Typhoons would support the American ground forces. This was to prove a devastating partnership.

Mortain, house-to-house combat

The German attack was launched in the darkness during the night of August 6th. The 2nd SS took the town of Mortain, but house to house fighting continued for four days.

The Battle for Hill 314

On a clear day, the view from Hill 314 extends to the coast.

Abbaye Blance, a nunnery

The SS could not break out of the town because GI's from the 30th Division held a commanding position on what became known as Hill 314. The Americans had also set up an effective roadblock on the main road leading out of Mortain at the Abbaye Blanche.

Foxholes are still seen on Hill 314

Hill 314 is a special story. Men from the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division held onto this commanding position in the face of repeated, massive aerial and artillery bombardments.

Bomb craters also remain visible

The particular significance of Hill 314 is the ability it gave its defenders to report on armor and troop movements and to call in both air and artillery strikes. Nothing could move in the vicinity without being spotted by the observers of the 30th.

The Germans threw wave after wave into the attack, but the tenacious GIs fended them off.

At the summit of the hill is the tiny La Petite Chapelle, a small chapel which remarkably sustained only minor damage.

La Petite Chapelle

There were many stories of extreme courage during this German offensive, but Hill 314 must be recorded as one of the most courageous stands of WWII. Virtually out of ammunition, with no medical supplies, the boys of 'Old Hickory' held off the vicious and determined SS. They refused terms of honorable surrender, and with the guile of a skilled radio operator, Lieutenant Robert Weiss, they brought the fury of rockets from the British Typhoons down on the German armor. August 7th was a field day for WWII's best tank buster, the Typhoon. A 30th Division veteran pays tribute to RAF Typoon pilots.

Monument to the 30th Divison's 'Lost Battalion'

Weiss managed to conserve his batteries during the siege, using the radio only when absolutely necessary. His final transmission from the Hill on August 11th was "Without reinforcements, can maybe hold out until tomorrow." Attempts were made to fire medical supplies by artillery shells and food and ammunition drops by parachute, but to no avail. The morphine perished with the concussion and the supplies fell on the German positions.

The 30th finally broke through to their comrades on August 12th. The hill was littered with the dead and dying. More than three hundred men died on Hill 314.

Although the German offensive failed, one German outfit, the 2nd Panzer Division got within four miles of Avranches before being stopped by the U.S. 35th Infantry Division with a group from the 3rd Armored Division.

Battered Mortain

American casualties were lighter than normal, but by the end of August 7th nearly one thousand men from the 30th Division had died around Mortain alone. Total casualties in fending off the German offensive amounted to three thousand, with many more wounded.

As ever the Allies had seriously underestimated the German's ability to regroup into Kampfgruppe and go on the offensive, but this was to be the Germans' 'Last Hurrah' in Normandy. From here on in it would be a costly, fighting retreat.

Historical actions are documented throughout the Liberty Route in Normandy.