Tuesday, August 29, 1944
The days that marked the Battle of Normandy
On August 29, the operations of crossing the Seine river by the Germans on floating bridges, north and south of Paris, are now finished. Now the Allied forces are advancing towards the north, east and south, in pursuit of the German divisions retreating to reorganize. The soldiers belonging to the 3rd Army of General Patton will in particular carry out a “lightning advance” towards the east of France during the weeks that follow, before being slowed down by problems of refueling.
North-east of Caen, the soldiers belonging to the Belgian brigade of Colonel Piron cross the Seine at the level of Caudebec-en-Caux and La Mailleraye.
On this day, 132 transport companies (a total of nearly 6,000 trucks) move on the “red ball express” logistics axis supplying the Allies from Cherbourg to Reims.
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the death of more than 36,000 Allied soldiers and about 50,000 German soldiers. On 29 August 1944, when the last German convoys crossed the Seine, the Allies had more than 2,850,000 soldiers on the European continent. Fighting has also lastingly affected the Normandy region: Frederick Alexander Lindemann, scientific advisor to Winston Churchill, estimated that approximately 80,000 to 160,000 Norman civilians would be killed by the bombing and operations. In fact, 20,000 people were killed; 300,000 are homeless. 100,000 cattle and 8,000 horses were also killed.
