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From D-Day to V-Day

August 1944

August 2, 1944 - D-Day + 57

General Eisenhower, the Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, issued an urgent order to General Montgomery to launch an attack in the British-Canadian sector. Not just the liberation of France was at stake; it was also necessary that they provide relief from the pressure the German forces were exerting on the American troops. The GI's were now on the advance and Eisenhower intended to take full advantage of the retreating Wehrmacht and SS units on the German-American front.

In the course of the day, the British VIII Corps from the British Second Army encountered strong resistance in the Vire area. The British 11th Armoured Division advanced to the northern outskirts of the city and reconnaissance missions crossed the main road between Vire and Vassy. The enemy's resolute resistance halted the Guards Armoured Division before Estry. In the course of August 2, the Corps received reinforcements from the British 3rd Infantry Division. The British XXX Corps, operating with the 3rd Infantry Division on the right flank of the British-Canadian front, continued to advance southwards to Mont Pincon. In the meantime, the British 7th Armoured Division aimed towards Aunay. On the Corps' left flank, the British 50th Infantry Division occupied Amayé sur Seulles, a village located west of Villers – Bocage.

The 3rd US Army was ordered to secure the St Hilaire du Harcourt – Fougerés – Rennes line, clear the Breton Peninsula of the enemy and go around St Malo if it would prove impossible to quickly occupy the port. For now, though, the US VIII Corps continued in its advance to the west through the Breton Peninsula. The 6th Armored Division went through Avranches and Pontaubalt and went around Dinan from the south, where it encountered strong enemy defenses. The 83rd Infantry Division was assigned to the corps to replace the 79th Infantry Division, and advanced behind the tank vanguards of the 6th Armored Division. The 79th Infantry Division was later reassigned under the US XV Corps and advanced to Fougeres. At the same time, Task Force A, made up of anti-tank, mechanized and combat engineer troops, was created. This group, commanded by Brigadier General Herbert L. Earnst, was designated to “mop up” the area along the peninsula's northern coast. The 13th Infantry Regiment from the 8th Infantry Division, which made swift advances into the area, reinforced Combat Command A for another attack on Rennes.

In the course of the day, units from the 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division groups assigned to it from the 1st US Army's VII Corps quickly advanced southwards to Mortain. The 4th Infantry Division continued to advance on St Pois. In the meantime, the 9th Infantry Division crossed the main road northeast of Villedieu. At the same time, the US VII Corps released the 2nd Armored Division from its formation and the division was assigned to the US XIX Corps. The troops unrelentingly attacked the retreating enemy's weak defenses in the Percy – Tessy-sur-Vire area. The US V Corps advanced south to the town of Vire with the 35th Infantry Division on the west and the “Indianheads” from the 2nd Infantry Division on the east. As a result of the advance, they crossed the Vire and Soulevre Rivers.

As the territorial gains that the Allies had won in many bloody battles till now represented a threat to the German naval bases in the Bay of Biscay, it was expected that the Germans would try to relocate their U-boats to Norway and ports in the North Sea. Following the U-boats also affected the Czechoslovak No. 311 Squadron, which till now had served in the No. 19 Group RAF Coastal Command. On August 2, 1944, on the very day the squadron celebrated its 4th anniversary, it was ordered to move to RAF Tain, located in the county of Ross and Cromarty on the northeastern coast of Scotland. RAF Tain was under the No. 18 Group Coastal Command. The men from the No. 311 Squadron would remain here, far from civilization, until the end of the war. Many who escaped occupied Czechoslovakia to fight for victory over Hitler's Germany would also meet their ends here in the Scottish highlands.