June 1944

Western Front

The US 1st Army halts its southward attack of the V Corps at the end of the day, ordering it to hold its positions while the VII Corps makes the main effort to cut the Cotentin Peninsula and take Cherbourg. The XIX Corps (Gen Corlett), which is not yet operational, is given the mission of securing and deepening the corridor between the VII and V Corps in the Carentan-Isigny regiion.

In the VII Corps' 4th Division sector, the 39th Infantry (attached) makes limited progress against coastal strongpoints south of Quinéville. The 22nd Infantry gets into position for a drive down the ridge to Quinéville while the 12th maintains its positions at the west end of the Quinéville ridge. The 8th Infantry contains the enemy at Montebourg. The 90th Division, whose commander is replaced, continues an extremely slow advance, reaching the general line Gourbesville-Pont l'Abbe. The 508th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division reaches Baupte by 0800 as the Germans make a hasty withdrawal. The Germans make a strong effort from the southwest to recover Carentan and gets almost to the city before the 101st Airborne Division, assisted by elements of the 2nd Armored Division, halts the attack. The 101st Airborne Division then attacks with the 502nd Regiment, which passes through the 506th, on the north and the 501st on the south and reaches the line along the road from Baupte to the Carentan-Périers highway. The 327th Glider Infantry, expecting a counterattack that does not materialize, pulls back to a defensive position along the north side of the railroad between Carentan and the Vire. The VII Corps is now securely joined with the V Corps.

The V Corps halts its attack toward St Lô at the end of the day. Isolated elements of the 175th Infantry, 29th Division, withdraw from the Montmartin-en-Graignes area. The 116th Infantry takes St Clair-sur-Elle and Couvains as the 38th Infantry, 2nd Division, with strong artillery support, pushes about 2 miles beyond the Elle River toward St Lô. Caumont falls to the 1st Division during the morning.

In the British 2nd Army's XXX Corps area, the 7th Armored Division reaches Villers-Bocage, an important communications center, but withdraws northward to tie in with the US V Corps, after an enemy counterattack gets almost to the road from there to Caumont. The 50th Division is held up near Tilly-sur-Seulles.