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Chapter 4 The Normandy Campaign in Close Combat
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Germans have mastered the advance by infiltration, sending small
parties to turn the flank of the enemy advance. This means that U.S.
soldiers suddenly find themselves under fire from three sides. Once
U.S. forces are pinned down in the open, the Germans open up on them
with pre-planned mortar and artillery fire. For the Americans, calling
for artillery support in such close quarters is risky, because even
accurate supporting fire can injure friendly troops.
Advancing through the hedgerows is an unnerving experience for the
U.S. troops. The sense of isolation from comrades, the disorientation
caused by moving from one small enclosure to another, and the dra-
matic contrast of silence punctuated by sudden bursts of deadly fire
from well-hidden German defenders, all take their toll on morale.
Inexperienced U.S. soldiers fling themselves flat when they come under
fire; in some cases a German sniper can pick off several prone and
immobilized victims.
In the constricted bocage landscape of small, enclosed fields, American
units grope forward through terrain that seldom allows more than a
hundred yards visibility. Most of this
vicious small-unit fighting takes place at
distances of less than 300 yards. Worst
of all, after penetrating one hedgerow,
the U.S. troops are faced with the task of
taking another, then another, then
another. After two weeks of heavy
casualties, the 29th grinds to a halt,
exhausted. Clearly, they need to
devise new tactics to keep the hedgerow
battle from degenerating into a bloody
stalemate.
The hedgerows aren’t the only natural
phenomenon that hinders the Allied
advance. The weather, although overcast
part of the time, was better than ex-
pected for the two weeks following the
invasion. During this period, two
artificial harbors, called “Mulberries,”
were installed at Omaha and Gold beaches to make up for the lack of a
natural harbor on the Calvados coast. But as the Mulberries near
completion on June 19, a severe storm strikes and rages for nearly a
week, damaging the Omaha Beach Mulberry facilities beyond repair.
When the storm finally subsides, U.S. ships are forced to use the less-
damaged British Mulberry. The storm and the damage it causes delay
supplies, and force the U.S. armies to ration ammunition. However,
“Sometimes you hold one end of
a field and the enemy holds the
other, and you maneuver around
in two- or three-man patrols until
either you or the enemy is thrown
out. This kind of war is paradise
for the sniper, the rifleman, the
automatic weapons man, the
bazooka man. Conversely, it’s
death on tanks and armored
cars.”
Sgt. Bill Davidson, in
Yank
U.S. troops under fire in
the
bocage