Offensive on Saint-Lô

By July 1944, the Norman "bocage" (hedgerows) had caused many casualties in the American ranks, their personnel little use to this peculiar terrain's features. Aware of the risks of getting bogged down, General Bradley prepared Operation Cobra as a way …

1944-07-11

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By July 1944, the Norman "bocage" (hedgerows) had caused many casualties in the American ranks, their personnel little use to this peculiar terrain's features. Aware of the risks of getting bogged down, General Bradley prepared Operation Cobra as a way to let his tanks break through out of this maze of hedgerows; once in the plains of Normandy, south of Saint-Lô, American tanks would function with lethal efficiency. The first step would be reaching and freeing up Saint-Lô, so as to be able to use the road from Bayeux to Périers as a starting line for Operation Cobra. Over the course of two days, all hell broke loose over and around the city. The battle saw the troops of XIXe and Ve Corps against German elite paratroopers and elements of the Panzer Lehr and "Das Reich" Panzer SS divisions. Hill 192 and the Martinville ridge were the scenes of bloody engagements. It wasn't until July 17 that the Germans started retreating. The next day, Allied troops penetrated into Saint-Lô.

Saint-Lo, 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: Overlord

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified