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Includes 54 contemporary photos illustrations and 26 highly detailed maps. ST-LÔ, capital of the department of Manche, can be used as one symbol for First U. S. Army’s victory in a most difficult and bloody phase of the Campaign of Normandy: the "Battle of the Hedgerows," during the first three weeks of July 1944. Other names figure in this battle. La Haye-du-Puits, Périers, Hill 192, like St-Lô, will be remembered by First Army soldiers from a background of stubborn struggle for gains too often measured in terms of a few hundred yards, or of two or three fields, conquered against a bitterly resisting enemy. Much more was at stake in the Battle of the Hedgerows than possession of a communications center on the Vire River. In June, First Army and British Second Army had won their beachheads and had captured Cherbourg (26 June). Supplies and reinforcements were building up for a powerful offensive, designed to break out of the Normandy pocket and scheduled to be mounted in the First Army zone. But more room and better jump-off positions for the crucial offensive were needed before this blow could be delivered. The attack that began in early July was planned to gain this ground, on a front of 25 miles. Four corps, employing ultimately 12 divisions, were involved in the effort. All these units faced similar problems of advance, and all contributed to the measure of success achieved. Therefore, in the larger tactical sense it would be unfair to identify the Battle of the Hedgerows with St-Lô and later military studies, treating the Campaign of Normandy in different scope, will give the operation in truer proportions. Here, one phase of the hedgerow battle can be used to illustrate, in tactical detail, the character of the larger action. A gripping account of the attempts by the Allies to break out from the Normandy bridgehead.
Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings, was an unqualified success and in the days after the allied invasion of northern France, tens of thousands of troops were landed inland. General Omar Bradley's First Army has superior mobility, plus lavish quantities of stream-crossing and bridging equipment. However, as they headed inland, the Americans had to cope with terrain that largely negated their mobile superiority - the Bocage. The Battle of the Hedgerows is an account of the US First Army over seven gruelling weeks in June and July 1944. The book makes it clear that, although German defenders were outnumbered and out gunned, they had a crucial advantage: hedges. The Bocage is divided in a multitude of earthen-walled enclosures, all of which are surrounded by high, dense hedgerows. All but the most important roads are sunken lanes, with foliage arching over them. Each field and hedgerow was turned into a defensive position by the Germans, and their 88s, machine guns and mortars took a heavy toll of US troops in the fighting. In addition, many of the US soldiers and their commanders were inexperienced, Having never seen combat.Their opponents, on the other hand, the troops of II Parachute Corps, though deficient in air and artillery support, were seasoned veterans, especially the all important NCOs. As the book shows, the fighting consisted of thousands of field-by-field infantry battles that were sometimes disturbingly reminiscent of the western front in World War 1. The Bocage was a soldier's battle in every sense, as US troops embarked on a bloody learning curve to master the skills of close combat riflemen and nearly 150% casualties among its officers during the Period Although it is often perceived that there was an inevitability about the allied victory once D-Day proved successful, the reality of the Normandy campaign - as revealed through the pages of The Battle of the Hedgerows - shows that the ultimate Allied victory was wrought only after stern German defence. As such the book will be of interest to all military historians and those fascinated by the course of World War 2.
“A collection of eyewitness accounts of the heavy fighting that took place in this part of France after the Omaha landings . . . excellent and gripping.”—FSAddon This book provides a day-by-day account of the forty-two days of fighting from Omaha Beach to Saint-Lô. Follow Lt. Allsup from the beaches at Hill 108 (the “bloody hill”), where he was injured, and Lt. Jones, who was among the first to enter Saint-Lô; a town destroyed by bombs, which was to become the graveyard of hundreds of Normans. On the opposing side, discover the fate of the fearsome “green devil” paratroopers of General Schimpf and follow in the footsteps of paratroopers Erwin Schmieger and Rudi Frühbeisser, as they defend their armed camp, ensuring that every hedge will only be taken at the highest price. Objective Saint-Lô takes the reader along the little or unknown routes from the horrors of Omaha Beach to Trvires, La Cambe, Isigny, through the Aure valley to Hill 108, (“Purple Heart Hill”) and Hills 192 and 122. As well as authentic eyewitness testimony, the book also acts as a field guide, including maps and both contemporary and modern photographs. “Lavishly illustrated with sketch maps, then and now images and numerous personal accounts from US and German sources, this is an excellent campaign overview, ideal for tour planning.”—Guild of Battlefield Guides “An exciting story with insights from those who were there and an amazing collection of photographs, drawing and maps—Highly Recommended.”—Firetrench
Twelfth in the series of studies on particular combat operations, "St-Lo" is the story of a corps in First Army during the bitter July battle that led up to and made possible the great breakthrough from the Normandy beachheads. This was the period of the most intense hedgerow fighting. XIX Corps' part in it has been chosen to illustrate this type of combat. The records of other First Army units in this operation have been covered only in outline. "St-Lo" is one of a series of fourteen studies of World War II operations originally published by the War Department's Historical Division and now returned to print as part of the Army's commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of that momentous clash of arms. These volumes, prepared by professional historians shortly after the events described, provide a concise summary of some of the major campaigns and battles fought by American soldiers.