• 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

September 1944

September 2, 1944 - D-Day + 88

The British I Corps’ 49th Infantry Division continued to advance along the peninsula near Le Havre towards the harbor, and occupied the enemy’s defense position located here. In the meantime, the British 51st Infantry Division conquered St Valery-en-Caux. The 4th Canadian Armored Division reached the Somme River just before Abbeville, and the Polish 1st Armored Division swiftly approached the river to the west of Abbeville.

Advances were also made in the British XII Corps zone, where the British 7th Armoured Division headed northeast of the Somme River to positions behind St Pol. The British XXX Corps continued northwards so quickly, a planned airborne unit operation in the Tournay area was made redundant. In the end, Tournay was occupied by the British Guards Armoured Division while the British 11th Armoured Division advanced to the Lille region.

At a meeting of the military commanders, General Eisenhower sketched out the plans for the advance of the US Third Army and the US First Army’s V Corps to the Siegfried Line (Westwall) as soon as the supply situation would improve.

A major event occurred on September 2, 1944, when units from the US XIX Corps in the operational zone of the US First Army advanced to Belgium and headed for Tournai. In the course of the day, the US V Corps relieved the French 2nd Armored Division from its contingent; the division was presently located in the Paris area and was reassigned as a reserve for the US First Army. In the course of the day, the V Corps continued to the northeast, went through Noyon and St Quentin, and was ordered to halt at the main line running through Landrecies, Le Cateau and Cambrai. In the meantime, the US VII Corps, relentlessly pushing the enemy into Belgium, crossed the border near Maubeuge and Hirson. The 3rd Armored Division advanced to the Mons vicinity. The 9th Infantry Division, maneuvering to the right of the corps, turned to the northeast to positions near Charleroi, while units from the 1st Infantry Division advanced to the left flank of the corps formation in the rear, behind the 3rd Armored Division’s tank groups.

In the course of the day, Patton’s US Third Army was forced to halt due to a severe fuel shortage. Fuel problems had been going on for quite some time; no one had expected that the US tank forces would advance so quickly. The supply line leading from far-away Normandy became longer and longer, and the transport of fuel alone consumed a huge amount of gas. Now, though, Patton’s Shermans had run dry, allowing the enemy to entrench itself on the legendary Siegfried Line even more.

In the meantime, the US VIII Corps continued to shell German positions in Brest. The 2nd “Indianhead” Infantry Division conquered Hill 105, a dominant hill located to the east in front of the city. In the meantime, units from the 8th Infantry Division fought on Hill 80 and the men from the 99th Division were embroiled in a battle for Hill 103. A combat unit from the 83rd Infantry Division landed on Ile de Cézembre, where the German garrison capitulated. While the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) from the US XX Corps patrolled the terrain closer to the Mosel River, tanks from the 7th Armored Division departed Verdun and headed to Sedan. They were forced to halt before the city, however, due to a dire fuel shortage. In the US XII Corps sector, the 80th Infantry Division took over the area assigned to Combat Command A from the 4th Armored Division on the bridgehead to Commercy. The 319th Infantry Regiment crossed the Meuse north of St Mihiel. The 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) sent a reconnaissance group out to the Mosel. The corps was forced to halt all of its attack operations, as the armored units only had enough gas to travel 18 miles. In the task of securing the south flank between Orléans a Auxerre, the 6th Armored Division’s Combat Command B replaced units from the 35th Infantry Division.

In the south of France, the 1st Airborne Task force again made contact with the enemy and cleared the footholds in La Turbia. Task Force Bibo replaced the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division in the Briancon area. French units protecting the right flank of the Seventh Army made contact in the east with the men from the 1st Airborne Tactical Group. Regiments from the US VI Corps’ 36th Infantry Division halted to the east and southeast of Lyon to allow the French 2nd Corps, whose patrols had already started to mop up in the course of the day, to occupy the city. The 45th Infantry Division’s 179th Regiment renewed and strengthened its position in Meximieux. In the area of French Army B, Lieutenant General Aimé de Goislard de Monsabert took over the command of the French II Corps, which was comprised of the French 1st Armored and the French 1st Infantry Divisions.

Also in the course of September 2, 1944, the Czechoslovak No. 311 Squadron RAF sent two huge B-24 Liberator bombers out over the North Sea. Their mission was carried out without any incidents. No contact was registered either at sea or in the air. Fighter aircraft from the Czechoslovak squadron did not take part in any Ramrod, Ranger or Rodeo missions that day, allowing mechanics to spend more time on the aircraft. A happy return to the home base also depended on their good work.