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Chapter 4 The Normandy Campaign in Close Combat
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For the Americans, the cost of capturing Saint-Lô and the surrounding
countryside is steep: Nearly 11,000 U.S. troops are killed, wounded, or
missing between July 7 and July 22. However, Bradley’s forces now
have the terrain they need to launch the breakout into the long-sought
war of maneuver against the Third Reich.
Epilogue: Operation Cobra and
the Allied Breakout
While Bradley’s troops are attacking Saint-Lô, the long British assault
on Caen finally comes to an end with the capture of that city on July 8.
The Germans suffer another
loss on July 17: Rommel is
seriously wounded when a
British Royal Air Force
fighter strafes his staff car,
and von Kluge takes over his
command. The next day, the
British launch Operation
Saint-Lô
After providing flanking
support during the assault on
Hill 192, the three regiments
of the 29th turn west toward Saint-Lô. The 116th
and 175th advance on a front astride the ridges
east of the town; by July 17, they fight their way
over Hill 147, clear Martinville, and take up an
advance position near la Madeleine.
For days the Americans pound Saint-Lô and the
surrounding area with air strikes and up to 14,000
artillery rounds a day. On July 18, General Cota
assembles Task Force C—a force consisting of
reconnaissance, tank, tank destroyer, and engi-
neer units—to race down the Saint-Lô–Isigny road
and capture Saint-Lô. The task force rolls at 1500
hours, with infantry units joining along the way. By
1900 hours, after encountering pockets of resis-
tance in what remains of the town, the 29th
Division secures Saint-Lô.
After the battle:
Street scene in
Saint-Lô
Close Combat Operation: German Side
As the German commander, you can choose to
defend Saint-Lô to the last man, in house-to-house
fighting, and hope that reinforcements show up in
time—or at all.
Close Combat Operation: U.S. Side
As the American commander, you have no more
hedgerows to deal with—only blasted buildings,
rubble-filled streets, and a shell-cratered cemetery.
The Germans are holding out in the ruins, waiting
for reserve troops to reinforce them. If you don’t
take Saint-Lô quickly, you may lose it altogether.
“I have the honor to announce
to the Corps Commander that
Task Force C of the 29th
Division secured the city of
Saint-Lô after 43 days of
continual combat from the
beaches to Saint-Lô.”
Gen. Charles Gerhardt, U.S.
29th Infantry Division