From D-Day to V-Day
September 1944
September 1, 1944 - D-Day + 87
The Day Dieppe Fell
After a hectic August 1944, when the German front could finally be broken and the enemy could be forced to retreat while a second front in the south of France was opened, September 1944 came. It was a month full of expectations and faith in the invincibility of the Allied armies. But as time would tell, the enemy did not intend to simply give up. It was expected that Operation Market Garden, which Montgomery was planning for the latter half of September 1944, would end the war by Christmas of 1944. The operation did not bring the result that had been hoped for, however, and the foreboding specter of Arden started to form on the horizon.
After crossing the Seine, the British I Corps’ 49th Infantry Division turned west towards Le Havre while the British 51st Infantry aimed towards St Valery-en-Caux. On the same day, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division from the II Canadian Corps occupied Dieppe. In the course of the week, the port was finally opened, allowing the Allies to use it to supply the troops. The ability to provide supplies became one of the crucial factors of success in all the Expeditionary Force’s efforts. Dieppe was occupied after the heroes of the Canadian unit and other Allied troops had attempted to take control of the same port from the sea nearly two years earlier. Operation Jubilee, as the attack on Dieppe was then called, ended in utter failure as the beaches of Dieppe were covered with fallen Canadian soldiers. Now, however, the situation was entirely different as compared to 1942, and the once “masters of Europe” became hunted prey. On September 1, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division also attacked Le Tréport, while two armored divisions, the 4th Canadian and the Polish 1st, rapidly advanced to the Somme River.
In the British XII Corps zone, the British 7th Armoured Division crossed the Somme near Airaines while the British 53rd Infantry Division, located in the rear, protected the left flank of the corps units. The British Guards Armored Division and 11th Armored Division, maneuvering in the vanguard of the British XXX Corps, quickly advanced to the northeast in the course of the day. The 11th Armoured Division reached the main highway between St Pol and Arras while the Guards moved around Arras. The British 50th Infantry Division advanced behind them.
Starting on September 1, 1944, Monty’s 12th Army Group (Central Army Group) came under the direct command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).
The Americans also reported territorial gains, even though the contingent was fraught with an acute fuel shortage. The 2nd Armored Division under General Major Edward H. Brooks of the XIX Corps, closely followed by infantry units, occupied positions northwest of Cambrai. The US V Corps advanced towards St Quentin while the 4th Infantry Division, reinforced by Col Eugene R. Regnier’s Combat Command A of the 5th Armored Division, arrived in the Chauny region. Other units from the corps improved their positions in Compiégne and the vicinity, where bridges were being built over the Aisne and Oise Rivers. After moving to the northeast, the US VII Corps rotated its units northwards. Combat Command B under Brigadier General Truman E. Boudinot of the 3rd Armored Division rapidly advanced through Vervins to La Capelle. In the meantime, Combat Command A under Brigadier General Doyle O. Hickey, moving together with infantrymen from the 9th Infantry Division, reached the Etreaupont – Aubenton area. Operating on the corps’ right flank, the men from the “Big Red One” reached Voyenne.
Due to the critical fuel shortage, Patton’s US Third Army was practically unable to move at the beginning of September, 1944. This forced period of rest allowed the enemy to build a strong defense line on the Western Wall. The legendary Siegfried Line was a true threat to the Americans, but one that they later proved could be overcome despite the difficulties. Combat Command R under Col John L. Ryan from the US XX Corps’ 7th Armored Division advanced along the Verdun – Metz highway. At the same time, the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) under Col James H. Polk used seized fuel to move forward, and it sent reconnaissance patrols out to the east to the Mosel River. Combat Command A under Col Bruce C. Clark from the 4th Armored Division expanded the bridgehead over the Meuse River in Commercy, where units from the 80th Infantry Division also crossed the river. Combat Command B under Brigadier General Holmes E. Dager crossed the river south of Commercy, but was slowed by bridge repairs and remained in its positions south of Combat Command A and the 80th Infantry Division. The successful attack launched by the 4th Armored Division’s Combat Command A in Commercy and the construction of a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river got the US XII Corps into positions they would later use to launch an offensive to the Mosel River and Nancy. Due to Allied pressure, the retreating German army was unable to build any sufficient defense. In the course of the day, regiments from the 35th Infantry Division secured the army’s south flank.
The day was also filled with activity in the US VIII Corps zone. Preparations to renew the attack on Brest, where the enemy was still holding out, continued. The subsequent attack, supported by intense aerial bombing, brought little in terms of territorial gains. In the meantime, the air force, artillery and battleships crushed the island of Ile de Cézembre near St Malo, where units from the 83rd Infantry Division were due to land.
In the 6th Army Group zone in the south of France, units from the VI Corps rapidly approached Lyon. The troops from the 36th Infantry were able to capture the majority of the officers from the city’s main command. The 3rd Infantry Division advanced behind units from the 45th Infantry Division, which had left the 179th Infantry Regiment behind to defend Meximieux and advanced along the eastern bank of the Ain River without encountering any resistance. After a decisive attack supported by tanks and self-propelled artillery, the 179th Infantry Regiment finally isolated the German defense in Meximieux. Units from the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) were sent out to support the regiment. The French II Corps from French Army B advanced in the sector west of the Rhône River towards Lyon and occupied Serriérs and Firminy.
For the Czechoslovak fighter pilots, September 1944 was marked by an increased number of missions. Already on the first day of September, formations from the No. 310 and No. 312 Squadrons took to the air to carry out deep attacks in the area between the cities of Calais, Ghent and Lille. The plan for the day also included accompanying bombing groups. As part of Operation Ramrod 1253, the men from the No. 310 and 312 Squadrons escorted 25 four-engine Halifaxes on a mission to bomb the V-2 rocket bases near the French city of St. Omer. On that same day, Czechoslovaks from both squadrons protected 25 two-engine B-25 Mitchell aircraft flying over the classification yard in Givet, France. Over the next several days, the pilots would fly one mission after another. Gradually there would be mostly bomber escort missions, but this in no way meant that they would be taking a stroll through a rose garden.
The No. 311 Squadron RAF sent four crews out over the North Sea on an anti-U-boat patrol, but there were no enemy sightings during the mission. The German navy had perfected its use of its latest invention – the Schnorchel, literally a “snorkel” that allowed the U-boards to spend extended periods of time underwater. In addition, new types of U-boats which were more effective, durable and robust also started to take to the seas. During this period, German U-boat formations started to once again threaten the Allied naval transport that was critical for victory in Western Europe. This made the Coastal Command’s work so important.
The convoy of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade across the English Chanel was also in full swing. Slowly, the many years of infantry, artillery and tank training under Alois Liška started to all make sense.
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