Thursday, June 15, 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
The British tried to minimize the possibilities of retrenching the German forces by systematically bombarding the localities on and behind the front line. Thus, a line of towns and villages are attacked by Allied bombers, like Evrecy and Noyers-Bocage. Taking advantage of the devastating effects of the bombardments, the British armored units tried to break through the front in the direction of Villers-Bocage, but were once again repulsed by the German Tiger tanks.
On the American side, the strong advance recorded in the first days before the D-Day landings is now significantly slowed by a strong German resistance. The main objective of the Americans in the Cotentin is to capture the city of Cherbourg and its port in deep water; If the artificial ports of Arromanches and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer are fully operational on 15 June, the unloading of equipment necessary for the war effort is considered insufficient in the long term by the Allied High Command. It is imperative to capture a deep-water port that will accommodate high-tonnage transport vessels. Thus, Cherbourg appears as the number one objective in the Cotentin Peninsula. But the Germans are aware of the allied problem and they understand from the beginning the strategic importance of this city and its port. The reinforcements of the defense of Cherbourg continue.
But before attacking Cherbourg, the Americans decided to join the other end of the Cotentin Peninsula in order to cut German reinforcements between the north and the south of the Cotentin. So they need enough soldiers to make their way to the west while maintaining contact with their opponents to the north.
On the same day, the Allies disembarked at Utah Beach the fourth US Army corps since June 6, 1944. The General Staff estimates that the numbers are now sufficient: the 7th corps of General Collins can now cut the Cotentin in two. He began his offensive without further delay and the 9th and 90th American infantry divisions, attached to the 7th Corps, seized the village of Bonneville, south of Valogne.
