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Close Combat
the center field and attack the flanks of the German positions there. This
allows the U.S. soldiers to take more territory while facing less direct
enemy fire.
Overall, the Americans are developing
bocage tactics that enhance their
mobility and improve tank-infantry
communication and cooperation. Out
goes the rulebook tactic of infantry and
armor advancing separately. Instead
they begin to attack simultaneously,
with small units of infantry going after
German antitank crews and taking
ground while the tanks take on enemy
firing positions and strong points too
tough for infantry to handle. Artillery spotter aircraft are an enormous
help, since the limited line of sight in the hedgerows makes the job of
forward observers on the ground almost impossible. With these tactical
refinements, the Allied attack becomes as sophisticated and as effective
as the determined German defense.
The increasing savvy of the now-veteran American units, combined
with an increasing flow of Allied men and materiel into France, propels
them through the bocage toward Saint-Lô.
Going for the High Ground: Hill 192 and
Purple Heart Draw
While the 29th battles its way through the bocage, VII Corps is slowly
advancing up the Cotentin Peninsula toward the heavily defended port
of Cherbourg. Contradictory orders from the confused German chain of
command make it unclear whether the defenders on the Cotentin are to
head north to make a stand at Cherbourg, or head south to rejoin other
German units. This confusion aids the Americans, who begin making
rapid progress. On June 27, after five days of fierce fighting, Cherbourg
falls to the U.S. troops, but the Germans sabotage the port facilities,
knocking them out of action for three weeks. Three U.S. divisions that
have helped capture Cherbourg are now ordered to move south, and
assist in the hedgerow battle.
As the situation for the Germans in France worsens, Hitler relieves von
Runstedt and replaces him with Marshal Gunther von Kluge on July 5.
General Friedrich Dollmann, the commander of the Seventh Army,
commits suicide after Hitler orders him court-martialed for the loss of
Cherbourg. Meanwhile, as the Americans advance toward Saint-Lô,
The local dairy herd was a casualty
in the Normandy Campaign