Encircled at Hill 30

Elements of the 2nd Bn, 508th PIR under Lt. Col. Thomas Shanley were one of the few groups of troopers that landed west of the Merderet River. In constant enemy contact and short of supplies, Shanley decided to withdraw to …

1944-06-08

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Elements of the 2nd Bn, 508th PIR under Lt. Col. Thomas Shanley were one of the few groups of troopers that landed west of the Merderet River. In constant enemy contact and short of supplies, Shanley decided to withdraw to the originally planned battalion assembly point at Hill 30 and defend the position. The German 1057th Regiment of the 915t Luftlande Division was ordered to counterattack towards Utah Beach and eliminate any paratroopers they found west of the Merderet. They found the 508th at Hill 30.

Hill 30, Caponnet, France

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings. A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than two million Allied troops were in France by the end of August.

Wikipedia: Operation Overlord

German

Americans