Panzer Lehr Counter Attacks

On July 11th, the very day XIX Corps was scheduled to extend its attack eastward of the Vire River, the corps' right flank came under the threat of a massive armored counter-attack. The Germans, hell bent on knocking the First …

1944-07-11

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On July 11th, the very day XIX Corps was scheduled to extend its attack eastward of the Vire River, the corps' right flank came under the threat of a massive armored counter-attack. The Germans, hell bent on knocking the First Army off balance, were launching Panzer Lehr into action west of the Vire. The timing of this blow, the largest German effort during the Battle of the Hedgerows, was fortunate for the First Army. Had it come a day or two earlier (as scheduled), Panzer Lehr would have hit XIX Corps' flank when it was defended by the relatively thin screen of the 113th Cavalry Group. By the time the Germans attacked, the 9th Division (VII Corps) had taken over the sector, with Combat Command A of the 3rd Armored Division close at hand. Although Panzer Lehr achieved some initial success in its efforts to break through the Allied lines held. Helped by American armor and superior air power, the 9th Division quickly halted and neutralized the attack.

Saint-Jean-de-Daye, France

The Battle of Saint-Lô is one of the three conflicts in the Battle of the Hedgerows, which took place between July 7–19, 1944, just before Operation Cobra. Saint-Lô had fallen to Germany in 1940, and, after the Invasion of Normandy, the Americans targeted the city, as it served as a strategic crossroads. American bombardments caused heavy damage and a high number of casualties, which resulted in the martyr city being called "The Capital of Ruins", popularized in a report by Samuel Beckett.

Wikipedia: Battle of Saint-Lô

German

American

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

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