Thursday, August 10, 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
On August 10, 1944, the Americans of the 15th Corps, who had just liberated the city of Le Mans the previous day, advanced north towards Alençon, to close the pocket which gradually tightened over the German troops. However, the progression, very rapid, remains difficult because of the fierce defense of the troops of the 9th Panzerdivision. Among the divisions attached to the 15th Corps, the 2nd French Armored Division participates actively in the reconquest. The 20th Corps of the 3rd US Army attacks in the direction of the Loire and is approaching Angers. In Brittany, the headquarters of the city of Brest by the 8th Corps of the 3rd Army continues, while the fighting around Saint-Malo multiplies.
Fighting continues in the region of Mortain, but operation Lüttich is definitely stopped and the Americans counterattack to take control of this city. The German soldiers of the S.S. Panzer divisions retreated, but the ferocity of the fighting did not diminish.
General Crerar’s 1st Canadian Army continued operation Totalize, and gradually approached the town of Falaise, about ten kilometers from the front at the end of the day. To the north-east of Caen, the Belgian group under the command of Colonel Jean Piron left for his first reconnaissance in the sector of Ranville.
