Defiance on Hill 30

An ad hoc group of roughly two parachute companies under Lt. Colonel Shanley were stopped cold on their drive toward the bridge at Pont L’Abbe. They fell back to high ground overlooking the Chef-Du-Pont crossing. The key element of the position was a standing patrol in a farm …

1944-06-08

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An ad hoc group of roughly two parachute companies under Lt. Colonel Shanley were stopped cold on their drive toward the bridge at Pont L’Abbe. They fell back to high ground overlooking the Chef-Du-Pont crossing. The key element of the position was a standing patrol in a farm and road junction, blocking the road from the west to the bridge. At dawn on June 8th, the Germans made their most determined effort to take it. For two days, Shanley and his men fought off repeated German attempts to overrun the main paratrooper landings and contributed substantially to establishing the Merderet bridgehead. This action has been considered decisive in helping the airborne meet its objectives at Normandy.

Pont l'Abbe, France

The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on D-Day, June 6, followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in by day. As the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune the two American airborne divisions were delivered to the continent in two parachute and six glider missions.

German

American

Scenario Type = Standard