Key Facts
- Dates
- 5–14 July 1944
- Duration
- 10 days
- US Corps engaged
- VIII Corps (Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton)
- Key terrain seized
- Hill 131, Hill 121, Mont Castre ridge, La Poterie ridge
- Final objective reached
- Sèves River, 14 July 1944
Strategic Narrative Overview
Between 5 and 14 July 1944, US VIII Corps drove southward through dense forest, swamps, and hedgerow country against determined German resistance. The 82nd Airborne Division seized Hill 131 and La Poterie ridge, the 79th Infantry Division captured Hill 121, the 90th Infantry Division fought through Mont Castre ridge toward Périers, and the 8th Infantry Division secured the ridge above the Ay River, all at considerable cost to both sides.
01 / The Origins
Following the Allied landings on D-Day, 6 June 1944, US First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley sought to push south through Normandy to secure a line from Coutances to Saint-Lô. This advance was intended to move American forces off swampy, bocage-covered ground and onto terrain more suitable for mechanized operations, building momentum for a larger breakout from the Normandy beachhead.
03 / The Outcome
US VIII Corps reached the Sèves River on 14 July, achieving its operational objective. The battle was costly for both Americans and Germans, but the attrition of German forces in the bocage directly contributed to the conditions that enabled Operation Cobra on 25 July 1944, which broke through German lines and accelerated the liberation of France.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Omar Bradley, Troy H. Middleton.
Side B
1 belligerent
Paul Hausser, Dietrich von Choltitz.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.