Battle of Cherbourg

The battles of Cherbourg takes on June 6th, 1944 with the Débarquement of Normandy. This episode of the Bataille of Normandy, which proceeds during the Second world war, sees the American troops , after three weeks of rough combat, to encircle and take the strengthened port of Cherbourg (department of the Manche). This catch proves to be capital, because it makes it possible to improve the supply of the allied troops committed on the face of the West.

Plans of the Allies

When the Allies establish their plans to release France, the strategists consider essential the catch of a deep water port to make sure a corridor of direct supply from the United States. Without this port, the equipment was to forward by Great Britain to be discharged, returned there hydrorésistant and reloaded on machines of unloading before being conveyed in France. Cherbourg, on the Peninsula of Cotentin, is the only deep water port near the beaches of the unloading.

In their initial plans, the Allies take care not to unload directly on Cotentin, because this area is separated from the principal places of unloading by the valley of the Douve, flooded by the Germans in order to prevent a possible airborne intervention. However, as of his nomination at the post of commander-in-chief of the terrestrial operations of release in January 1944, the British general Bernard Montgomery takes up the idea to unload on Cotentin: he wants to thus widen the face, to prevent that the troops of release are not encircled on a narrow piece of territory, and to facilitate the rapid hardening of Cherbourg and his port.

Unloading

At the early hours of the morning of June 6th, 1944, the 82 {{E}} and 101 {{E}} American airborne divisions land on Cotentin. Although the parachutists are passably dispersed, they manage to adapt and preserve the majority of the roads necessary to advanced of VIIe American Army corps since Utah Beach. The 4 {{E}} division of American infantry unloads on Utah Beach shortly after the paddle without having to regret of heavy losses.

In the hours which follow this unloading, the priority of the camped American troops with Utah Beach is to carry out a junction with the allied main forces unloaded more in the west. The June 9th 1944, the 101e airborne division manages to cross the flooded valley of the Douve; the following day, it takes Carentan and thus gives a continuous face to the Allies.

Crossing of Cotentin

This success makes it possible VIIe Corps to start to advance towards the west in order to cut the peninsula of Cotentin. Three new divisions of infantry unload to reinforce the Body. Its commander, the Major-general Hakes, is pitiless towards his troops. If he considers the progression too slow, he replaces the troops on the face or dismisses officers.

German side, the regiments are heteroclite and come from various divisions whose majority underwent heavy losses with the hands of the American airborne troops the first days of the unloading. About no armor-plated or mobile troop can be to them sent in reinforcement, because of the threat on Caen more in the east. The reinforcements of infantry only arrive very slowly and are launched in the battle with the account-drop. The flood of the valleys of the Ditch and the Merderet by the Germans plays now in their discredit, because it ensures the protection of the southern side of the Americans.

As of the June 16th, no natural obstacle slows down the projection of the American troops. The German command is in full confusion. The commanders on the face (of which Feldmarshall Rommel) beat a retreat towards the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall in Cherbourg, from where they could have supported a long seat. Adolf Hitler, since its general headquarter of Eastern Prussia, orders with the German troops to hold their positions at the exact place where they are, in spite of the vastness of the risk.

Late the June 17th, Hitler grants the withdrawal of the troops, but establishes a new line of defense, illogical, extending on all the peninsula, just in the south of Cherbourg. Rommel is opposed to this order, but raises nevertheless of its functions the Farmbacher general, ordering LXXXIV German Army corps, which he suspects of trying to ignore the orders Führer.

Advanced on Cherbourg

The June 18th, the 9 {{E}} division of American infantry reaches the west coast of the peninsula, thus isolating the 709e and the 243e German divisions from infantry in north. In 24 hours, the 4 {{E}}, 9th and 79e American divisions of infantry advance towards north on a broad face, without much of opposition since the west of the peninsula while to the east, around Montebourg, the enemy, exhausted by ten days of engagements, crumbles. With Brix, several hiding places of V1 are discovered as well as an installation of V2.

In two days, Cherbourg is with the range of an attack of American divisions. The commander of the German garrison, the Lieutenant-general von Schlieben, has 21.000 men. However, the majority of its manpower are recruited with haste in the units of the marine or workers, or come from the units of combat tired and disorganized which beat a retreat on Cherbourg. Vivres, fuel and ammunition miss. The Luftwaffe tries to make the supply, but releases especially articles like Croix of iron to go up moral troops. However, von Schlieben refuses to go and the admiral Hennecke undertakes to demolish the port so that it cannot be used for the Allies.

Hakes launches the attack the June 22nd. Resistance is sharp, the engagements are held in the streets and with broad between the allied battleships and the German guns. But, slowly, the Americans drive out the Germans of their bunkers and their Blockhaus. The June 26th, the 79e division takes the Fort Rolls, which dominates the city and its defenses, putting thus fine at any organized action of the German troops. Von Schlieben and Hennecke sign rendering with 16:00 with the castle of Servigny. The troops which defend the fortifications of the port and the arsenal return at the end of a few days, and certain German troops outside the fortifications will resist until July 1st.

Consequences

The Germans, because of the speed of intervention of Allied and the incoherent orders of Hitler, underwent a heavy defeat. It is not less than 39.000 German soldiers who will be made prisoners following this allied victory. But they so conscientiously demolished and mined the port, that the first ships accost there only at the end of July. It is necessary to wait mid-August so that the port is partly usable.

Whereas Hennecke is seen decorated by Hitler with the Cross with knight with iron the Croix for “an exploit without precedent in annals with coastal defense”, the general Friedrich Dollmann, ordering the Seventh army German, dies of an heart attack the June 28th after having learned that the catch of Cherbourg is worth the martial Cour to him.

Until the release of the port of Antwerp, Cherbourg is the largest port of the world, from which leave for the face the fuel (PLUTO), the men and the material (the Red Ball Express train by road and the Toot Sweet Express by railway) necessary to the engagements.

After the war, the German government is constrained to pay repairs with the civilians and the families of the civilians of Cherbourg which the war killed, famished or deprived of roof. Cherbourg is quoted with the Order of the army on June 2nd, 1945, and is returned to France by the Americans on October 14th.

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