Bloody Gulch

The town of Carentan was the key to the American drive west to cut off the base of the Cotentin Peninsula. After two days of fighting and desperately short of ammunition, the Germans pulled their forces out of Carentan and …

1944-06-13

3708

The town of Carentan was the key to the American drive west to cut off the base of the Cotentin Peninsula. After two days of fighting and desperately short of ammunition, the Germans pulled their forces out of Carentan and set up a new line of defense to the southwest of the city. A counter-attack by the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division was delayed on June 12th because its support battalion of assault guns was held up by Allied air attacks. On the morning of the 13th the Germans attacked the forward positions of both parachute units and almost drove them back into Carentan. Allied Intelligence had cracked the German code and learned of this planned counter-attack, but because they did not want to risk revealing their intelligence breakthrough, the paratroopers were not warned of the forthcoming attack. Despite the surprise, the 2nd Armored battle group, nicknamed "Hell on Wheels", was able to move into position to counter the German strike. The armored task force tore into the German positions and quickly turned the tide of battle in favor of the Allied forces.

Carentan, France

The Battle of Bloody Gulch took place around the Manoir de Donville or Hill 30 (U.S. Army designation), approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Carentan in Normandy, France, on June 13, 1944. It involved elements of the German 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division and 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, and the American 501st, 502nd and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR) of the 101st Airborne Division, reinforced by elements of the 2nd Armored Division and the 29th Infantry Division. During the battle, the manor house of Manoir de Donville was the headquarters of the German forces. American soldiers nicknamed the road running past the manor "Bloody Gulch", after a place mentioned in the popular western movie Destry Rides Again.

Wikipedia: Battle of Bloody Gulch

German

American

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified