Thursday, August 24, 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
The 5th American Armored Division is still making difficult progress in the Eure region, precisely in the area of Elbeuf and Louviers. The Germans, leaving the left bank of the Seine river, ordered a rear guard to halt the Allied advance for a while, thus enabling them to rejoin the right bank of the Seine, and then reform. This German rear-guard poses many problems to the Americans, who do not have organized units in front of them, and the allied aviation ends its day with weak results, because of this lack of coordination within the German divisions in rout.
In the evening, the 2nd Free France Armored Division of General Leclerc enters Paris by the south. The Parisians, who have been rising for several days, welcome as heroes the French-controlled Sherman tanks, which reach the Town Hall at 9.20 pm.
East of the Orne river, the Belgian motorized units of the Piron brigade arrive at the center of the localities of Honfleur, Pont-l’Evêque, while the last defenders of Deauville and Trouville surrender.
