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CHAPTER ONE
The 3rd Armored Division had been honing their craft and training Stateside since 1942 and in England since early 1944. They were ready and eager to join the fight in Europe after the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944. The majority of the 3rd Armored Division landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy starting on 23 June, with the remainder of the supporting units in the subsequent days. Most vehicles were able to disembark from their LSTs (Landing Ships, Tank) in dry conditions on Omaha, but some did have to deal with the surf and waves.
The division would not have to wait long for their baptism of fire in the Normandy countryside. In late June, there was an enemy salient protruding about 3,000 yards in the zone of the American 29th Infantry Division around the town of Villiers-Fossard just east of the River Vire. Combat Command A (CCA) of the 3rd Armored was given the assignment to eliminate the bulge in the lines and seize and hold Villiers-Fossard until relieved by the 29th Infantry Division. The three task forces that made up CCA from the 32nd Armored Regiment were X, Y and Z, naturally built around the three tank battalions, supporting armored infantry, tank destroyers and engineers. The attack was slated to commence on 29 June. The 3rd Armored found the area well-defended by the German 353rd Infantry Division who were firmly entrenched in the natural defenses of the hedgerow country and skillfully utilized artillery and anti-tank weapons. To assist with the hedgerows, the division was assigned some bulldozer tanks. However, this initial engagement with the enemy would prove costly and give the men of the Spearhead a bloody nose. The battle raged for two days before the bulge in the lines could be eliminated and the town taken. Tank losses were extremely high for such a short engagement: more than thirty were damaged, most being able to be repaired by the maintenance units. Approximately 100 men were killed in action, with the number of wounded close to 300. The division learned what it was like to face intense small-arms fire, anti-tank weapons and mortar barrages from a well-concealed enemy. They learned that panzerfaust and bazooka teams could cause havoc in a short period of time.
After the battles at Villiers-Fossard, the 32nd Armored Regiment was in a rest and refit mode while the 33rd Armored Regiment and other division units were brought together for their piece of action in early July. CCB, of which the 33rd Armored Regiment was the primary combat unit, was teamed with the 30th Infantry Division for an attack toward St. Gilles on 9 July. At the same time, CCA was to protect the right flank and was teamed with the 9th Infantry Division on 10 July. On 11 July, CCA was forced to move to St. Jean de Daye/ Le Desert area to stem a counter- attack by the German Panzer Lehr Division. Meanwhile, CCB had its hands full on Hill 91 or Les Hauts Vents. Colonel Dorrance Roysden led a task force up the hill on 10 July with heavy losses, only to be driven off on the 11th but then the armored task force retook it and was finally relieved by the 30th Infantry Division on 16 July. The fighting in the areas of both combat commands of the 3rd Armored was intense and the counter-attack by the Panzer Lehr resulted in high tank losses for both sides. Areas with the names of Les Haut Vents, Pont-Hébert and Belle Lande would become cemented in the memories of the men of the Spearhead. In particular at Pont-Hébert, the 3rd Battalion of the 33rd Armored Regiment would lose all their command tanks, including that of Lieutenant Colonel Sam Hogan. The division learned the importance of teaming with their fellow infantry divisions and this would be critical not only in Normandy but for the duration of the war. CCA worked with the 9th Infantry Division at this time, while CCB was teamed with the 30th Infantry Division.
After these brief but intense engagements, the 3rd Armored was given about ten days to rest and refit before Operation COBRA would begin on 26 July. Replacements were brought up to the front lines, and vehicles were repaired. To assist with the continued hedgerow problem and the upcoming offensive, the 3rd Armored Division tanks were fitted with a hedgerow-cutting device called the T2 Douglas. The tank units took this time of rest to equip their tanks with this new device. On 26 July, the weather broke and the bombardment to open Operation COBRA began with the main focal point in the middle of the American VII Corps sector, of which the 3rd Armored was part between Marigny and St. Gilles. The 3rd Armored’s familiar friends the 9th and 30th Infantry divisions would be involved as well, in addition to the 1st Infantry Division with which CCB would attack toward Coutances. After the Army Air Corps had done their damage, CCA would move out towards Roncey. Intense rapid movement was the name of the game with fierce engagements with German armor along the way in places like Cerisy-la-Salle, Marigny, Juvigny-le-Tertre, Villedieu-les-Poêles and Reffuveille. In addition to working with attached infantry units, the 3rd Armored began to perfect the land-air coordination with fighter-bomber units and the forward observers attached to the tank units. Air strikes were called in within minutes of engaging German armor and their results were fantastic.
The success of Operation COBRA caused extreme panic in the German high command and a doomed counter-offensive was called for around the Mortain area for 7 August, code-named Operation LÜTTICH. The German counter-attack hit smack in the middle of the 30th Infantry Division around Mortain. CCB was resting west of Reffuveille and was ordered to meet this German attack at Le Mesnil-Tôve and Le Mesnil-Adelée. The action was fierce and losses were high on both sides, but the German tank units were driven...
