Battle of Bloody Gulch

Following Allied action near Hill 30 by the 101st Airborne, heralding the fall of Carentan on June 12th, 1944 (D-Day + 6), surviving German defenders from the 6th Fallschirnijager Regiment had withdrawn and resupplied, and were reinforced by elements of …

1944-06-13

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Following Allied action near Hill 30 by the 101st Airborne, heralding the fall of Carentan on June 12th, 1944 (D-Day + 6), surviving German defenders from the 6th Fallschirnijager Regiment had withdrawn and resupplied, and were reinforced by elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division. These newly combined German forces counterattacked northeast toward Carentan at dawn on June 13th, just as several Allied paratroop regiments were enlarging their defensive perimeter around the town. The 506th took the brunt of the attack, and by 10:30 a.m. the outnumbered and outgunned paratroopers were pushed almost back to the outskirts of the town. However, just as they were on the verge of breaking through the Allied defenses, the Germans were forced to withdraw late that afternoon, with the arrival of 60 tanks from Combat Command A of the American 2nd Armored Division, accompanied by the 29th Infantry Division.

S Of Carentan, France

The Battle of Carentan was an engagement in World War II between airborne forces of the United States Army and the German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Normandy. The battle took place between 6 and 13 June 1944, on the approaches to and within the town of Carentan, France. The objective of the attacking American forces was consolidation of the U.S. beachheads (Utah Beach and Omaha Beach) and establishment of a continuous defensive line against expected German counterattacks. The defending German force attempted to hold the town long enough to allow reinforcements en route from the south to arrive, prevent or delay the merging of the lodgments, and keep the U.S. First Army from launching an attack towards Lessay-Périers that would cut off the Cotentin Peninsula. Carentan was defended by two battalions of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 (6th Parachute Regiment) of the 2nd Fallschirmjäger-Division and two Ost battalions. The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, ordered to reinforce Carentan, was delayed by transport shortages and attacks by Allied aircraft. The attacking 10ist Airborne Division, landed by parachute on 6 June as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy, was ordered to seize Carentan. In the ensuing battle, the 10ist forced passage across the causeway into Carentan on 10 and 11 June. A lack of ammunition forced the German forces to withdraw on 12 June. The 17th SS PzG Division counter-attacked the 10ist Airborne on 13 June. Initially successful, its attack was thrown back by Combat Command A (CCA) of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division.

Wikipedia: Battle of Carentan

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Germany