The Battle of Carentan, Normandy 1944

The Battle of Carentan, fought between 10-14 June 1944, was an important strategic campaign during the Normandy landings, with Allied forces attempting to consolidate the Utah and Omaha beachheads and linking them to the front lines.

In this featured image (more pics below), we see American soldiers firing an M3 105 mm howitzer on retreating German forces in the evening of June 11th.

During this night German defenders (6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment and later elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division) were forced to evacuate the city. Low on ammunition, they were facing heavy pressure, as U.S. Army paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division and incoming reinforcements were relentlessly targeting their defensive positions.

US troops captured Carentan by the morning of June 12th, but had to fend off fierce German counterattacks for the next two days (notably at “Bloody Gulch”) before finally establishing control.

Book suggestions ⤵️

📖 The Lions of Carentan: Fallschirmjager Regiment 6, 1943-1945 (Volker Griesser, 2006)

📖 Heroes of Carentan (Denis Van Den Brink, 2019)

Movie suggestion ⤵️

🎥 Band of Brothers (2001)