Cerisy-la-Forêt (Manche)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Libration: 10 June 1944
- Deployed units:
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
5th Infantry Division
352. Infanterie-Division
- History:
The commune of Cerisy-la-Forêt is a key crossroads, located halfway between Le Molay-Littry and Saint-Lô. It is bordered to the east by the Balleroy Forest, also known as the Cerisy Forest, which extends mainly through the commune of Montfiquet. According to the initial plans for Operation Overlord, the U.S. 5th Corps was to capture the village of Cerisy-la-Forêt five days after the start of the landings to facilitate the capture of Saint-Lô. To this end, it was also essential to secure crossing points along the Elle River, southwest of Cerisy-la-Forêt.
Late in the afternoon of June 8, 1944, the 2nd (US) Infantry Division received its orders for the following day: it was to successively capture Trévières and Cerisy-la-Forêt. But due to strong resistance from the Germans, composed of composite units from the 915th and 916th Regiments of the 352nd Infantry Division, the Americans struggled to impose their pace on the enemy.
Furthermore, at that time, the American division did not yet have all of its vehicles and heavy weapons at its disposal: it had to wait until June 10 to fight with sufficient resources. That day, it made a significant breakthrough southward, encountering no organized defenses along the way: the 38th Infantry Regiment (IR), commanded by Colonel Walter A. Elliot, reached and liberated Cerisy-la-Forêt, then paused. Elliot ordered his 1st Battalion to seize and defend the crossroads at Haute-Littée, located on the Bayeux-Saint-Lô road, for the night. Lieutenant Colonel Frank T. Mildren set out at 9:00 p.m. and encountered the first real opposition of the day, led by sappers from the Pioneer Battalion 352, who prevented any further advance.
On June 11, fighting continued for control of the crossroads at Haute-Littée. In the early afternoon, batteries of the 12th Field Artillery Battalion entered action and fired 1,015 shells, allowing the 1st Battalion to capture its objective.
On June 12, the 38th IR had to cross the Elle towards the high point of hill 192, near Saint-Georges-d’Elle, but the Germans firmly held the various crossing points, which they had time to exploit with simple but effective defensive positions. Raining metal on Colonel Elliot’s men, they broke off contact and prepared a new assault. On June 13, the 1st Battalion of the 38th IR relaunched its action towards the place called La Couespellière, southwest of Cerisy-la-Forêt. Company A attacked towards the place called La Maumistière, Company B from Le Biot, while Company C was violently attacked near the Moulin des Rondelles: two of its sections were pinned down by particularly dense machine-gun and mortar fire. Private Theodore K. Mister then took the initiative to cross the river and attack the German positions, yelling “Come on, follow me!” to encourage his comrades, but he was mortally wounded in the process. His act of heroism was not in vain: the Americans soon managed to regain the initiative and cross the Elle. Casualties were high: Company C alone lost eleven killed and twenty-three wounded. As for the 2nd (US) Infantry Division, the fighting to cross the Elle cost it 540 men (killed, wounded, missing, or captured) in just two days.
On July 2, 1944, General Eisenhower and General Bradley traveled to the Château de la Boulaye, south of Cerisy-la-Forêt, where the command post of the 2nd “Indianhead” Infantry Division was located, and where they presented decorations. Eisenhower took the opportunity to visit his cousin, Sergeant G. C. Etherington of the Chemical Warfare Section. The 5th (US) Infantry Division set up its command post at Cerisy-la-Forêt from July 24 to 28, 1944.
Map of Cerisy-la-Forêt :
