Wednesday, June 21, 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
The storm is still raging in the English Channel and if the wind seems to increase in power, the Allied specialists plan a return to normal conditionsfor the following day, June 22.
In the Cotentin Peninsula, it is the beginning of the battle of Val-de-Saire. The American forces of the 7th Corps entered Cherbourg, transformed into a fortified city by the German defenders, who refused to surrender. US soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, with close support from the Allied navy stationed off the coast of Cotentin, made their way to the city center and the port. The port is obstructed by a considerable number of mines, the firing of which can be carried out from a German defense station located in the Fort du Roule. The fighting in the streets of the city is intense and, seeing the number of its troops decreasing hour by hour, the commander in charge of the city of Cherbourg, Lieutenant-General Von Schlieben orders the destruction of the port facilities as well as the navy units.
South of the Cotentin, the 115th American infantry regiment attacks in the direction of Saint-Lô, but the Germans oppose a very strong resistance in the region of the wood of Bretel. But their orders are to hold the ground at all costs, which dramatically stretches their lines of defense.
To the east, the British are slowly and hardly progressing, awaiting the end of the storm to begin operation Epsom planned by General Montgomery.
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