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From D-Day to V-Day

August 1944

August 29, 1944 - D-Day + 84

General Eisenhower ordered that the main efforts of the Allied Expeditionary Forces direct their efforts at the northern section of the front. Over the past several days the German border had come within closer reach of the Anglo-American-Canadian units, and the German military was on the retreat – at least as far as France was concerned.

The British XII Corps’ 15th Infantry Division crossed the Seine and held the space west of Les Andelys. The XXX Corps’ 11th Armoured Division, with reinforcement from the British 8th Armoured Brigade, advanced towards the Somme River and reached the Mainneville region.

The 12th Army Group issued instructions for a planned operation beyond the Seine. As the US Third Army continued to grapple with a critical fuel shortage, the Air Transport Command was ordered to make fuel supplies a priority. Patton continued to push his tanks forward. He did not want to give the German units a chance to regroup and take up defenses that would be advantageous for them. He knew that each additional day of battle could bring injury and loss of life to his troops.

The US First Army’s XIX Corps took over the US XV Corps’ zone, thus also taking control of the 2nd Armored Division and 30th and 79th Infantry Divisions. The 2nd Armored Division’s wedge tank formations went through the 79th Infantry Division’s position and advanced to Magny en Vexin. Advancing on the right, the 30th Infantry Division reached the Wy-dit-Joli-Village – Saillancourt line. The US XV Corps returned to Patton’s US Third Army and was placed in reserve. The US V Corps left the French 2nd Armored Division in the rear in Paris. The 4th Infantry Division advanced to the northeast to the Mitry Mori – Le Plessis zone while the 28th Infantry Division, after carrying out an inspection in Paris, advanced to its assigned starting position it to launch an attack west of the 4th Infantry Division. The US VII Corps’ 3rd Armored Division crossed the Aisne River east of Soissons and headed towards Laon.

The Command of the US Third Army ordered that the advance towards the Meuse River be continued. In the course of the day, units from the 2nd Rangers Division and the 29th Infantry Division’s Sugar Task Force conquered Pointe de Corsen and continued on to launch attacks on Brest, where they faced the enemy’s fierce resistance. The US XX Corps swiftly advanced to the northeast, while the 5th Infantry Division took control of Rheims and Combat Command A from the 4th Armored Division conquered Chalons-sur-Marne and Vitry-le-Francois.

In the south of the country, a plan started to be forged out that would lead to having the Allied armies fighting throughout France converge. The 1st Airborne Tactical Group operating on the Mediterranean coast started to cross the Var River. In the VI Corps zone, organized enemy resistance ended on highway route 7 in Loriol and Livron in the Rhône River Valley. Units from the 36th and 3rd Infantry Divisions destroyed the rest of the enemy’s rear guard. The 3rd Infantry Division gathered in Voiron, northwest of Grenoble, and was prepared to provide support to French troops while the 36th Infantry Division continued to advance northwards towards Lyon. Battalions from the 45th Infantry Division’s 179th and 180th Infantry Regiments continued to carry out reconnaissance to the north. The Moroccan 2nd Infantry Division had just landed and was ordered to advance to the Seventh Army’s right flank. The Algerian 3rd Infantry Division covered the Army’s left flank while the 9th Colonial Infantry Division gradually left its guard positions in the Marseille – Toulon section.

On August 29, 1944, an uprising broke out in the former Czechoslovakia. The uprising took place in Slovakia, where partisan activity had increased sharply over the course of the month – as did the number of acts of sabotage. In the latter half of August, the core of the partisan movement had moved to central Slovakia. In the effort to uphold the fascist government in Slovakia, Slovak President Jozef Tiso consented to the German Reich’s proposal to deploy German military forces to fight the rebels. The Slovak National Uprising was in full swing – but would soon turn tragic.

At the same time, the Czechoslovak No. 311 Squadron RAF sent several B-24 Liberators out over the North Sea to patrol for German U-boats. The crews returned without having made contact with the enemy. Despite the negative report, this was a certain victory as it showed that the times of the “wolf pack” attacks were long gone.

One of the largest air fights ever held over the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia took place on August 29, 1944. A total of 460 four-engine Fortresses and Liberators from the US Fifteenth Air Force went into action. Their target was the classification yard in Vítkovice and industrial zone in Ostrava. The Flying Fortresses from the 5th Bomb Wing headed for the train station and the David Fanto refinery in nearby Bohumín. The small refinery in Přívoz was also targeted. Dozens of Mustangs and Lightenings protected the bombers.

It was about 1100 hours when the aircraft from the 5th Bomb Wing appeared over the Moravian-Silesian region, and it was here where German fighter aircraft attacked the formation. Although part of the US formations was protected by an “umbrella” of fighters, Göring’s Messerschmitts managed to shoot down fourteen Flying Fortresses. Seven crashed in Moravia. In Přečkovice, Pršná, Kašava, Krhov, Liptál and Bojkovice – in all of these Czech villages, American pilots died fighting to liberate the nations of Europe. Most of the men from the Fifteenth Air Force who managed to survive and parachute down were captured. Those who landed in Slovakia were taken to the POW camp in Griňava. After the Slovak National Uprising broke out, they were transported to Banská Bystrice, and Fortresses from the Fifteenth Air Force were able to land at the partisan-controlled Tri Duby air field near Zvolen to collect the pilots. A number of memorials in Bojkovice, Slavičín and other towns now stand to commemorate the American pilots who died over Moravia and Silesia on August 29, 1944. A memorial service is held each year on the anniversary of the “Battle over Slavičín,” as the fight between the Americans and the Nazi Luftwaffe that day has been called; several services have even been attended by crew members who survived the mission.