Battles of a Gunner Officer: Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy, and the Long Road to Germany by Peter Pettit

Author:Peter Pettit [Pettit, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Campaigns & Battles, Biographies & Memoirs, World War 2
ISBN: 9781783376063
Amazon: 1783376066
Publisher: Pen & Sword
Published: 2014-08-19T08:00:00+00:00

While 59th Division was in reserve and getting ready to move towards its next battle, the crossing of the River Orne, the rest of Montgomery’s forces had been fighting Operation Goodwood. This had been planned to coincide with Operation Cobra, the American breakout from St Lô. But there were not enough British-based heavy bombers to mount both attacks simultaneously. Operation Cobra was therefore delayed and there was a further holdup because of the need to clear the start line, which was the road running west from St Lô. The battle began on 25 July, after a one-day postponement caused by the complex arrangements for air support. Eventually, 2,500 bombers cleared a path for the men on the ground, but the bombing was in places too close to the troops and caused 600 American casualties. In addition to the air bombing, the army artillery fired 140,000 rounds. By now the Americans had twenty-two divisions in their sector, and fifteen were committed to Cobra.

Before the battle began, the eight German formations opposing the Americans had been reduced to a total of 30,000 men, the equivalent of two full-strength divisions. The Germans fought bravely, but their defensive front was too thin. The breakout to smash the Normandy deadlock had come at last. The American thrust was directed south-east out of the bocage, and six divisions of Patton’s 3rd Army, an army not yet formerly activated, tore down the western coast of the Normandy peninsula, aiming for Avranches from which they would turn the corner and debouch into Brittany.

On 1 August, the Americans formed Bradley’s 12th Army Group, comprising the American 1st and 3rd Armies. They mustered initially twenty-one divisions compared with Montgomery’s sixteen. The total Allied strength was now 1.5 million men. Bradley gave a good deal of thought about how he would control an army group without interfering with operational directives of the army commanders who reported to him. He soon got the balance right. The formation of 12th Army Group was the first step to remove the American armies from Montgomery’s control. This was eventually completed in September 1944.

In preparation for Operation Cobra, Montgomery had shifted the right of the British line to be nearer the American left, to increase its security. The American divisions were by this time sweeping south and east and would soon move into the broad plains of France beyond the wide neck of the Normandy peninsula.

Montgomery now embarked on another offensive in Normandy from the country south of Caen. He had the same objective – holding the weight of the Panzers – that had worked so well since the beginning of the campaign. The new offensive was Operation Bluecoat, launched on 25 July, a prolonged slogging match through difficult terrain in the countryside south of Caen. The British formations were to attack south-east to press the Germans in what was to become the Falaise pocket. During the course of the action, the 59th Division was given another sticky job, and PP was again involved. This was the crossing of the River Orne, near the Forest of Grimbosq, about 8 miles south of Caen.

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