Crossing of Elle river

After the crossing of the swampy area of Aure river, the soldiers of 29th US Infantry Division who advanced towards Saint-Lô, entered in the normand bocage (hedgerow). On the Elle river, the German defense was stronger. Units of the German …

1944-06-12

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After the crossing of the swampy area of Aure river, the soldiers of 29th US Infantry Division who advanced towards Saint-Lô, entered in the normand bocage (hedgerow). On the Elle river, the German defense was stronger. Units of the German 352.Infanterie Division, exhausted by 6 continuous days of battle were reinforced by a regiment of the 353.Infanterie Division, just arrived on the front. The first US attempt to cross the Elle river was repelled with heavy losses by an enemy counter-attack, but with the support of tanks and artillery, the US infantry achieved to capture Saint-Clair-sur-Elle. The advance towards Saint-Lô looked more difficult than expected.

Saint-Clair-sur-Elle, 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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