Hill 219

The town of Vire was a key objective for both sides. It is located on the northern border of a large area containing dense hedge rows and hills known as the “Suisse Normande”. Near the south end of this large area is the town of Mortain; the starting point of …

1944-08-05

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The town of Vire was a key objective for both sides. It is located on the northern border of a large area containing dense hedge rows and hills known as the “Suisse Normande”. Near the south end of this large area is the town of Mortain; the starting point of Hitler’s ill-conceived Operation Luttich, which aimed at cutting off the U.S. 3rd Army breakout along the northwest coast of France. The 3rd FJ Div. was tasked with fonning an anti-tank screen near Vire to defend the town and the north flank of Luttich. Part of the 3rd FJ Div. was deployed on and around Hill 219 and defended against a counterattack by elements of the U.S. Army’s 29th Inf. Div. and CCA of the 2nd Armored Div. on August 5th.

Vire, France

Operation Luttich 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.

Wikipedia: Operation Luttich

American

German