• Serial
  • June 1944
  • July 1944
  • August 1944
  • September 1944
  • October 1944
  • November 1944
  • December 1944
  • January 1945
  • February 1945
  • March 1945
  • April 1945
  • May 1945

From D-Day to V-Day

August 1944

August 1, 1944 - D-Day + 56

It is now the start of month three since the Allied armies attacked the Nazi military forces which had been occupying France since 1940. On this day, the 12th Army Group commanded by General Omar N. Bradley became an operational unit. Starting now, all of the American corps and divisions fighting in France fell under the command of the 12th Army Group. These units are now divided between the US 1st and 3rd Armies. General Montgomery, who until now had led the Allied land units in France, will continue to command the units for the entire month of August.

The 9th US Army Air Forces' XIX Tactical Air Command (TAC) under the command of Brigadier General Otto P. Weyland was assigned to the US 3rd Army as its air support. Major General Elwood R Quesada's IX TAC would continue with its original “work” of providing air support to the US 1st Army.

Lieutenant General George S. Patton's 3rd US Army, which would go on to be legendary in the Czech Republic, became operational as of August 1, 1944. Four corps were now under the 3rd Army's command: VIII, XII, XV and XX. Patton could also count on the support of units from the French resistance, Forces Francaises de l’Interier (FFI). The operational territory of the US 3rd Army was located to the right of the US 1st Army, forming the right wing of the entire Allied forces in France. The mission of Patton's 3rd Army was to occupy the Breton Peninsula and conquer the area's ports – which were absolutely vital for the Allied forces.

With its 4th and 6th Armored Divisions and 8th and 79th Infantry Divisions, the US VIII Corps were sent on a mission to have its tanks wedge a narrow corridor near Avranches and fan out their attack to the south, southwest and west. On August 1, the 6th Armored Division crossed the bridge in Pontaubault over the Sélune River. Following this, the attack vanguards launched an advance through the Breton Peninsula westwards and occupied the Pontorson – Antrain area. In a mere 72 hours, General Patton was able to move an incredible seven divisions – a huge amount of machinery and thousands of men – over the bridge in Pontaubalt. This breathtaking speed became a hallmark of Patton's formation. A brilliant strategist, Patton managed the seemingly impossible five months later, when his men literally burst into the German lines near Bastogne – even though his men had started out many miles away. After crossing the Sélune and Sée Rivers from Pontaubalt, the 4th Armored Division's Combat Command A set out to the southwest to the city of Rennes – a major junction with over ten roads crossing through the city. After swiftly advancing forty miles, the unit reached the northern outskirts of the city and met with strong resistance. With support from 25 Sherman tanks, the armored infantry was unable to penetrate the defense while moving forward. As a result, the commander of Combat Command A, Col Clarke, ordered his troops to withdraw and he called for assistance. This came in the form of thirty P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. These “flying tanks” broke the German defenders; the pilots of the Thunderbolts carried out their job perfectly. In the course of the day, General Wade H. Haislip's US XV Corps, made up of the 83rd and 90th Infantry Divisions and the 5th Armored Division, focused on the area between the Sélune and Sée Rivers and blocked the enemy's advance towards Avranches.

In the course of the day General Bradley, who from August 1 became the commander of the operational 12th Army Group, transferred command of the US 1st Army to General Courtney H. Hodges. The US V Corps directed its attack to the southwest and occupied all of the heights north of the Vire River. With the famous Big Red One and the 3rd Armored Division's Combat Command A at the vanguard, the US VII Corps expanded the bridgehead at Brécey on the right flank. The 4th Infantry Division, supported by the 3rd Armored Division's Combat Command B, advanced towards St Pois. The 9th Infantry Division attacked southwards on the Corps' left flank. Units from the US XIX Corps' 28th Infantry Division occupied Percy. The US V Corps' 35th and 2nd Infantry Divisions continued to advance southwards to the town of Vire. The 5th Infantry Division, moving in the area between the US and British troops, started to move back to the rear as a reserve of the US 1st Army.

The Allied forces also made territorial gains in the British-Canadian sector as the 11th Armoured Division, a part of the British VII Corps under the 21st Army Group's British Second Army, occupied Le Bény-Bocage. On the left flank, the British Guards Armoured Division advanced towards Estry. During the day, the British XXX Corps advanced in the direction of Mont Pincon and Villers-Bocage. The British 7th Armoured Division prepared for an attack on Aunay-sur-Odon. The British 49th Infantry Division from the British I Corps occupied the Sannervile – Troarn sector in the course of the day.

The Canadian 1st Army's II Corps encountered strong resistance during their attack below Caen, in the Tilly la Campagne – La Hogue area.

Although Czechoslovak fighter aircraft did not get involved in the fighting on August 1, 1944, this did not mean that they were relaxing. They continued to carry out training flights; for example, in the No. 311 Squadron the pilots trained flying in formation. This too was an essential part of gradually winning Allied domination of the air – a factor that had become ever more apparent since the invasion. The Liberators from the No. 311 Squadron also took to the skies to search for German naval commander Dönitz's U-boats. The crew led by F/Sgt Bureš also took part in the mission; he would have just five months left to his life, as on January 1, 1945, his aircraft crashed, killing the entire crew. At the beginning of August, the soldiers under General Liška, the commander of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade, were taking part in live fire exercises at the tank firing range in Kirkcudbright until August 7, 1944.