Hambye (Manche)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Liberation: 29 July 1944
- Deployed units:
12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
3rd Armored Division
- History:
The initial plan for Operation Cobra had assigned the capture of the commune of Hambye to the 2nd Armored Division. But with the opportunity to capture several thousand German soldiers in the Roncey sector as early as July 27, 1944, this objective was ultimately assigned to the 4th Infantry Division.
On July 29, the 12th Infantry Regiment (IR) was tasked with capturing the embankments overlooking the Sienne Valley between Hambye and Villebaudon. The 2nd Battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment approached Hambye from the west, preceded by reconnaissance units of the 4th Infantry Division. Approaching the village in the early afternoon, the Americans discovered two abandoned German tanks and part of the population in the street: no defenders appeared to be present in the commune.
While the inhabitants congratulated their liberators and sang the Marseillaise, the infantry deployed around Hambye and surveyed the surrounding area, searching for crossings over the Sienne River. They discovered a damaged bridge. A few minutes later, the Americans detected several dozen German infantrymen infiltrating toward Hambye through the woods of the Sienne Valley. The alarm was sounded: the unit commander of Company H, Captain Earl W. Enroughty, organized the defense and positioned 81mm mortars and heavy machine guns. When the Americans opened fire, their opponents seemed momentarily pinned down, but they resumed their advance regardless. Enroughty requested artillery support and witnessed a barrage from the 42nd Field Artillery Battalion. The Germans immediately retreated south. The men of the 2nd Battalion then completed their reconnaissance of Hambye until late into the night to ensure that no enemy remained hidden in the village houses, but the town had indeed been abandoned. Meanwhile, the sappers worked to repair the bridge over the Sienne in order to reopen the road towards Villedieu-les-Poêles.
Hambye map:
