Most of you readers likely know that my father was an infantryman during
WWII.
Howard landed at Utah Beach as an infantry replacement shortly on the heels of the initial invasion. He was assigned to M Company, 47th
Infantry Regiment, Ninth Division. He served in a weapons platoon and including mortar his MOS was - 605 - heavy machine gunner.
On
one of several trips to France Jill and I spent some time touring the
Normandy battlefield in a rental car. The objective was to retrace
the movements of the 47th
during
the months of June and July 1944. We were - in our own fashion - attempting to walk
in the
footsteps of my father in those initial days and weeks following the
invasion.
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| Sunken Road Flanked by Hedgerows Today |
On
this day – July 25, 1944 – an operation was launched to break-out
of the mud
and slogging misery of Normandy’s
hedgerow
country. Allied
troops had been bottled-up in the Norman countryside since the
invasion of June 6. Plans
called for a massive aerial bombardment of a narrow sector west
of the battered town of Saint-Lô. To facilitate a breakout - thousands of
U.S. aircraft were
to bomb a
narrow section of the front. This would
be the largest, concentrated bombing attempt in history.
 |
Sunken Road Flanked by Hedgerows - 47th Inf.
Photo - US Army |
Ninth
Division troops - including my
dad’s unit - had retreated
from their forward positions to a bomb-safety line. Shortly
before 10 AM the bombardment commenced. Middle-weight fighter
bombers were followed by heavy bombers - carpet bombing an area 6000
yards wide along the Saint-Lô–Periers road.
 |
On the
Saint-Lô–Periers
road - east is the town of Saint-Lô
|
Notably, General
Bradley
had specifically requested that the bombers approach the target from
the east - out of the sun - and parallel to the road in order to
minimize the risk of friendly losses. Most
of the aircraft
instead came in from the north, perpendicular to the front line.
Matters quickly
went
awry.
 |
On the
Saint-Lô–Periers
road facing west - follow the D29 to the German cemetery
|
Smoke and
dust from
the bombing began to drift back towards the bomb-safety line
obscuring marker panels. Flying crews released
their clusters right into the smoke, missing their
mark and falling short among friendly troops.
 |
| Location of the Breakout |
The 47th Infantry of the 9th and the
120th Infantry of the 30th Division suffered more than six
hundred casualties from friendly fire. All but two
individuals of Howard's 3rd battalion command group were
killed. The largest aerial bombardment in history also become
one of the largest incidents of fratricide in US Army history.
From my late father’s memoirs is his attestation of the events
on the ground during the immediate days of the break-out. In his own words there is this.....
 |
| Photo - US Army |
July 25th our bombers and
fighters, over 3000 aircraft, hit the area about Saint-Lô. This is still clearly imprinted in my
mind. Even though we were pulled back a good distance from the
front - shock waves caused by the exploding bombs denuded many
trees and bushes of their foliage. Our trousers and jackets
flapped as if we were caught in a hurricane.
We lost several of
our comrades because ground panels we displayed to indicate our
positions became obscured by the dust. It was here that Art
Draeving was killed. Art and I trained together at Camp
Butner. We were in the same platoon. Art was a
farm boy from central Wisconsin.
 |
| Photo - US Army |
After the bombardment we moved
out only to be greeted by the now-familiar sound of burp guns.
After advancing perhaps a quarter of a mile we came upon a
deserted German aid station. Much to our surprise we found six
or seven dead German soldiers. They obviously had been treated
for their wounds. One in particular was encased in a partial
cast. Apparently they died from their wounds and were left
behind because of a hasty withdrawal and or lack of transport.
 |
Church in Lozon - liberated
by the 47th's 3rd Battalion by nightfall on the 25th
of July, 1944
|
Later we went into reserve. This comes to mind for several
reasons. First, we were bivouacked just ahead of our
artillery. Second, a bloated, foul-smelling, dead cow graced
our area. I believe the entire company got together and buried
the carcass in record time. Also, it seems that during this
brief respite the Mess Sergeant slaughtered a cow. This was to
be our first warm meal in some time.
 |
| Contented Norman Cows |
A day or two later we were
returned to action. We made a forced march at night. We
became so dog tired that some of our group fell asleep while
marching. A tumble in the roadside ditch did wonders in
providing a second wind. Later that night, as we were crossing
an open field, we got caught by the light of a parachute flare.
We froze and waited for the worse. After a few seconds (that
seemed like an eternity) we dashed for cover.
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47th Inf. Heavy Machine Gunner - Normandy
Photo - US Army |
Against
fierce resistance the 3rd Battalion led the 47th's attack
supported by artillery and fire from the 1st and 2nd Battalions.
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