Pontorson (Manche)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Liberation: 1st August 1944
- Deployed units:
Combat Command R, 6th Armored Division
Combat Command B, 6th Armored Division
358th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter Command, 9th Air Force
819th Engineer Aviation Battalion
Kampfgruppe Bacherer, 91. Infanterie-Division
- History:
On June 7, 1944, the village of Pontorson was the target of an air raid targeting the bridge over the Couesnon and the railway. The objective of this bombing was to damage the communication lines allowing the Germans to send their reinforcements to Normandy. However, this attack hit Rue de la Cité, near the railway, killing seven residents of the town.
By the end of Operation Cobra on July 31, General Patton’s Third Army was fully operational in Normandy. The orders transmitted by the 8th Corps to the 6th Armored Division (AD) in the early hours of August 1 were clear: not to stop at Pontaubault and to capture Brest without being delayed by isolated resistance. The Reserve Command (CCR), commanded by Colonel Harry F. Hanson, was tasked with securing Pontorson and the crossing points over the Couesnon. He was supported by Brigadier General James Taylor’s Combat Command B.
At around 9:30 a.m., the last elements of the CCR’s advance guard were ambushed near the hamlet of Brée, about five kilometers northeast of Pontorson: three self-propelled guns were destroyed in the first seconds of the engagement. Colonel Hanson reported that he was able to reduce this opposition to his own level by pinning down the enemy and then sending his second echelon to neutralize it. General Grow, commanding the 6th AD, approved his proposal, while ordering the first echelon of the CCR to continue towards Pontorson at all costs.
As the infantrymen dismounted from their vehicles and took cover on both sides of the road between Pontorson and Précey, the 15th Tank Battalion immediately engaged in combat to push back the Germans who had taken up entrenched positions. The artillery pieces moved into position to support the troops in contact, guided by a Piper L-4 Grasshopper liaison aircraft. First Sergeant John R. Morton, belonging to Battery A of the 231st Field Artillery Battalion, saw his half-track destroyed by a shell fired from a German 88mm cannon. Exiting the vehicle and going to the aid of his wounded comrades, a bullet struck his helmet without injuring him. As he inspected the impact, he realized that the Germans were bayoneting his position. He immediately opened fire, first with his M1 Garand rifle and then with a submachine gun he found on the ground. Without seeking cover or ceasing to fire, he advanced towards the German positions, single-handedly killing 26 enemies. In recognition of his bravery, Morton was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Simultaneously, the vanguard continued its advance and reached Pontorson. The unit reported around 11:00 that the bridge over the Couesnon was passable and that it had secured a bridgehead west of the wet break. Shortly after 12:30, the fighting in the ambush gradually ceased, except for sporadic sniper fire. Colonel Hanson took stock: during these three hours of fighting, 70 CCR fighters were wounded, killed, or missing, and the Americans had taken approximately 100 prisoners. The battle group had consumed a large quantity of its ammunition, fuel, and water reserves: it was no longer able to resume the action towards Dinan without being resupplied as soon as possible. The 6th AD set up its command post on the outskirts of Pontorson and halted its action for the night. The following morning, Combat Command B took over the division’s northern sector and began advancing at full speed.
Following the liberation of Pontorson, the 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion began constructing a new airfield near the hamlet of Boucey. Comprising two parallel runways, the site was named “ALG A-28” and, starting on August 15, welcomed P-47 Thunderbolts of the 358th Fighter Group from Cretteville. The arrival of the fighter-bombers caused brief panic in the village of Pontorson, as residents feared another air raid in the area. From September 11 to 26, the P-47s gave way to several Douglas C-47s transporting wounded soldiers, and the site was then returned to its owners.
Pontorson map:
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