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Dawn's Early Light

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Title
Dawn's Early Light
Description
The first elements of the American 30th Infantry Division to enter Mortain were met by civilians going about their daily lives. Some of the departing members of the 1st Infantry Division congratulated the new arrivals of their soft assignment. Not expecting their stay to be a long one, …
Publisher
Date
1944-08-07
Scenario#
J153
Scenario Description
The first elements of the American 30th Infantry Division to enter Mortain were met by civilians going about their daily lives. Some of the departing members of the 1st Infantry Division congratulated the new arrivals of their soft assignment. Not expecting their stay to be a long one, the battalions set up only hasty defenses. Operation LUTTICH, the German counteroffensive launched at Hitler’s direction to eliminate American gains made during COBRA, struck Mortain in the misty dawn of 7 August. The first sign of trouble was SS infantry in the streets of the town.
Location
Mortain, France
Battle Name
Battle Narrative
Operation Lüttich was a codename given to a German counter-attack during the Battle of Normandy, which took place around the American positions near Mortain in northwestern France from 7 August to 13 August 1944. The offensive is also referred to in American and British histories of the Battle of Normandy as the Mortain counterattack. The assault was ordered by Adolf Hitler, to eliminate the gains made by the First United States Army during Operation Cobra and the subsequent weeks, and by reaching the coast in the region of Avranches at the base of the Cotentin peninsula, cut off the units of the Third United States Army which had advanced into Brittany. The main German striking force was the XLVII Panzer Corps, with one and a half SS Panzer Divisions and two Heer Panzer Divisions. Although they made initial gains against the defending U.S. VII Corps, they were soon halted and the Allies inflicted severe losses on the attacking troops, eventually destroying most of the German tanks involved in the attack. Although fighting continued around Mortain for six days, the American forces had regained the initiative within a day of the opening of the German attack.
Narrative Source
Combatants
German
American
Additional Information
Scenario Type = Standard

Geolocation