The th Regiment met similar resistance and it too halted its drive that night just. So many resistance pockets were encountered that the at tached th Tank: and th Tank Destroyer Battalions were constantly moved forward to support foot troops. On the 14th of July the final Division objective was reached by the two attacking regiments, the 3 I 3th and 3i4th.
But the enemy, which during the entire drive south from Cherbourg had comprised elements of the German d Division on the right of our advance, the d Division in the middle, and the 71st Division on the left, had already withdrawn south of the Ay River. This was the situation when the 79th Division received orders to defend the north bank of the Ay River while the remainder of the VIII Corps continued the attack against the river front. South of the Ay River the enemy consolidated positions while his attackers moved gingerly through the liberallysown minefields covering the far shore.
While inclement weather grounded Allied air power, the enemy rushed up badly needed men and supplies to Lessay and St. Lo blew the Ay's bridges, and dug in 88's and mortars. He even launched a series of minor counterattacks to test American strength beyond the river. Frederick F. Richardson, Company F, th Regiment, and his BAR wrecked two such enemy counterattacks, resulting in 20 prisoners and 40 enemy killed and wounded. Richardson's company was holding a line along the narrow river near a dynamited bridge.
He set up his BAR in the window of a stone house about yards from the bridge site.
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While the house rocked under direct mortar hits, Richardson stuck to his post from later afternoon of one day until early evening. Each time the sharp clatter of the BAR took its toll. There were two interruptions. On the second afternoon the enemy was granted a three-hour truce to evacuate dead and wounded from the BAR's field of fire.
Shortly after, one German officer and 19 enlisted men-survivors of a force that tried to exterminate the one-man nuisance-broke out a white flag. Richardson left his window long enough to see his prisoners taken, then resumed his vigil. The end of the story is contained in the Battalion Commander's report: "After havin9 his leg cut off completely by a mortar shell which burst just outside the window, Private First Class Richardson amazed the medical officers who cared for him by his coolness and good condition. Fully conscious, his only complaint was that he could not flo back and kill more Germans.
For the next two weeks the Division sent patrols out across the river and marked time while the plans were drawn for "Operation Cobra," the great breakthrough which was to clear the Germans out of France. After repeated postponements, the 26th of July. To be read by appropriate commanders. After several days of comparative inactivity, we are now about to start a new ball game. The winning of the pennant will depend a good deal on winning this coming game. Everybody must bat his highest. If so, we can make this a shutout. Army Commanding At the th Regiment's cannon and mortars opened up in preparation for the 28th Regiment's attack but it was not until evening that the 31 4th Regiment's battalions began crossing the Ay River.
Supported by tanks and advancing in spite of hidden death in the form of widespread minefields, the Division met little resistance in its envelopment of Lessay. Engineers from the th Engineer Battalion cleared the way for the infantry and tanks and despite heavy artillery fire the th Regiment was able to report Lessay taken by of the 26th. On the 28th, the Division pushed on another kilometers against light German resistance.
Two regiments were in line, the th Regiment on the right and the th Regiment on the left, both crossing the LD at They moved up easily against almost no resistance. Infantry assault Divisions smashed through German defenses, armor rolled through like the cavalry of Civil War days, to punish the reeling enemy. Infantry divisions switched roles, now following up the armored spearheads and mopping up scattered enemy units unwise enough to continue the struggle.
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The curtain raised on the swift advance-normandy to the Seine River. Late in the evening of the 29th, VIII Corps ordered the 79th Division to prepare to follow the 6th Armored Division in its zone by shuttling, allowing the armor to exploit the breakthrough on the next day by passing through the hole the 79th Division had punched out.
On the 30th, the Division, now motorized, followed the 6th Armored's advance southward meeting no enemy opposition. Again the th Engineer Battalion came to the rescue when the Division's move was held up at the Sienne River by blown-out bridges. On August 1st, the 79th Division prepared to follow the 6th Armored Division in the rapid advance up toward Brest.
The Division's immediate objective was Fougeres and the Divisiqn motorized prepared to rescue The 79th Reconnaissance Troop reconnoitered the St. This movement began at I 8oo on the 3rd, the task force following the route Pontorson-Pontaubault-St. The 3I4th Regiment followed up the 3 I 3th Re"giment's drive and at midnight closed into an assembly area south of St.
Late in the evening of the 4th, the Division was warned that it would make a drive in the direction of LavaL The ro6th Cavalry Squadron had already patrolled the Fougeres-Laval road as far as La Croixville where it was halted by a road block. The Reconnaissance Troop reported all side roads along the Fougeres-Lavigne due Desort route were clear of enemy troops. On the 5th, XV Corps planned to attack with the goth Division on the left, the y9th Division on the right and the 5th Armored Division in reserve. Division orders called for an attack to be made by the motorized 3 I 3th Regiment along the main F ougeres-laval road.
The 3 I 3th Regiment again became a powerful task force with the 79th Reconnaissance Troop, the 3 roth and th Field Artillery Battalions, the th Tank Battalion, a company from both the 8r3th Tank. Destroyer Battalion and the th Engineer Battalion, a company from the th Medical Battalion as well as the Division Artillery Support Party attached for the operation. If the resistance in Laval proved to he extremely heavy, the th Regiment was not to be committed to such an extent that it could not launch a coordinated attack with the th Regiment.
The enemy pocket was wiped out and so prisoners bagged before the push was resumed at I The advance continued until La Lande was reached where the troops was stopped by a nest of German troops aided by heavy artillery and mortar fire. The First Battalion of the 3 r 3th Regiment drove east of the road and by midni ght had reached a point three kilometers northwest of Laval. The th Regiment's mission was to follow the th Regiment and assist it if necessary in capturing Laval.
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The foot troops passed the initial point at o8oo and the 3 r 4th Regiment moved up to a new assembly area preparatory to helping out in the attack if the need arose. At about r6oo that afternoon the 3ISth Regiment moved out of its area north of Fougeres and marched south for I9 miles, closing in their new area near St.
That night the 3 I 3th Regiment sent out patrols to find out if the bridges in Laval were still intact. Indications were that the main body of the enemy had pulled out, blowing out the bridges as they retreated. At , the attack was resumed with the First Battalion on the left, the Second Battalion on the right and the Third Battalion echeloned to the right rear.
Since most of the enemy had withdrawn from Laval, the Regiment met only slight resistance. At I6oo on August 6th, the lea,ding battalions were reported at the Mayenne River, where they found the bridges blown. Luckily there was a dam about yards below the main bridges. After the local French police had opened the sluice gates, the Second Battalion crossed via the dam at I A footbridge was put in below the dam and the First and Third Battalions crossed the river on this. At r, Company B of the Engineers Dead Jerry and Lessay sign began work on a treadway bridge in the center of the city and after this was finished, four hours later, the th Regiment was able to get across all of its anti-tank elements and battalion vehicles.
On the chance that the enemy might make a stand in the part of the city east of the Mayenne River, the th Regiment moved on Change, two miles north of the city. Infantry elements of the th Regiment met some resistance particularly on the ed ge of the town, but by late afternoon they were at the river bank and Change was reported clear. The First Battalion then started crossing the river using spare rafts and any boats that were handy. A bridgehead was established and the First Battalion remained in place until a bridge could be put in. The Engineers rushed up assault boats and the Second and Third Battalions were ferried across.
Defensive positions were organized and the equipment for a floating Bailey Bridge arrived during the ni ght. Next morning Company C of the Engineers began work and by noon the bridge was open for traffic. Late the next morning, the 3 I 5th Regiment was ordered to move from St. Miherve to La Tacconiere, and from there it sent out patrols to the south to clean out some pockets of resistance and at r the Regiment drove three enemy companies out of their positions near St. Berthevinsur-Vicoin, three kilometers west of Laval.
The First and Second Battalions reached the new assembly area in late afternoon and sent patrols southwards. Georges du Bois. The task force moved out on the morning of the 7th First resistance was encountered about half way to Le Mans at Avesse and the column was forced to halt for two hours white the enemy was cleaned out. At Loue the force met more resistance and the commander of the advance guard called for the infantry. The 3 I 3th Re! Only one truckload of infantry and one officer were sent up, but despite desperate resistance on the part of the Germans, they managed to seize the important bridge at Loue before the enemy had a chance to destroy it.
Soon the rest of the company arrived with a platoon of tanks and the advance continued, but heavy German resistance forced it to go into defensive positions. Meanwhile, late that afternoon a report had been received that 8oo enemy paratroopers were marching on Brulon from the south in an effort to cut off the column. The First Battalion promptly detrucked near Brulon and pushed On the 8th of August the 3 rsth Regiment, now motorized, was given the mission of passing through the 3 13th and 3 I 4 Regiments and seizing that part of Le Mans that lay in the Division's sector.
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- The Cross of Lorraine: a combat history of the 79th Infantry Division, June 1942-December 1945.
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The ro6th Cavalry Group and the 79th Reconnaissance Troop spearheaded the attack and, at I roo, reached the southwest outskirts of Le Mans where they manned road blocks while waiting for the infantry to arrive. The regiment met only sporadic resistance and, by I , that afternoon it de trucked outside Le Mans.
By I , the First Battalion was across the Sarthe River and in the main square of the city; while the Second and Third Battalions went into assembly area for the night on the high ground outside the town.