Saturday, 26 August 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
From 26 to 29 August, the Germans continued to cross the Seine river on floating bridges north and south of Paris. They are followed directly by US and British troops, who chase the defeated soldiers to prevent them from regrouping and counter-attacking. But it was without counting on the German rear-guards that prevented the Allies from advancing in safety and favoring the withdrawal of the Wehrmacht and Panzer armies.
Northeast of Caen, paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division, backed by soldiers belonging to Colonel Piron’s Belgian brigade, liberate new villages still in the hands of German forces. On 26 August, the village of Conteville is liberated and the Belgian armored units manage to enter the localities of Saint-Maclou, Toutainville and Pont-Audemer, gradually evacuated by the German defenders who destroy the bridges during their retreat, set fire to the reserves and the prisons.
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