Le Carrefour des Vignes aux Gendres (Calvados)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Liberation: June 9, 1944
- Deployed units:
115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
Grenadier-Regiment 916, 352. Infanterie-Division
- History:
On 9 June 1944, the Americans of the 29th Infantry Division crossed the Aure valley and its marshes: a real surprise for the Germans, who had not imagined that the flooded lands of the Aure could be crossed so quickly by their adversaries.
In the early evening of 9 June 1944, the 2nd Battalion of the 115th Infantry Regiment (29th Infantry Division) commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel William E. Warfield reached the village of Le Carrefour (which the Americans spelt ‘La Carretour’ on their map, and which has now become Le Carrefour des Vignes aux Gendres) after a long march and several misdirections during the advance. The American soldiers were exhausted by the last few days of fighting and the crossing of the Aure marshland: they quickly set up various bivouacs in the shelter of hedges before nightfall, without digging any fighting holes and neglecting to maintain sufficient guard towers. At 8.45 p.m., a column of German soldiers and armoured vehicles belonging to Grenadier-Regiment 916 (352 Infantry-Division), in the process of withdrawing southwards, discovered the enemy’s position near the hamlet: they decided to mount a surprise attack and quietly prepared for several hours.
At around 2.30 am, the Germans launched their assault, supported by two self-propelled guns: an impressively intense battle broke out in the night and totally disorganised the Americans, causing them very heavy casualties. A rain of bullets, grenades and shells tore through the night and surprised many soldiers in their sleep. Lieutenant-Colonel Warfield, who was gathering his staff in a village building at the time of the assault, found himself surrounded and refused to surrender. As he tried to reach the orchard where most of his regiment was stationed, he was killed by a burst of German machine-gun fire as he crossed the street.
The exchange of fire continued until the Germans broke contact at dawn on 10 June. In all, 150 American soldiers, including 11 officers, were put out of action (50 were killed) at the end of this engagement. Lieutenant Kermit C. Miller, who had distinguished himself on 8 June at the village of Colombières, was among the dead. Major General Charles H. Gerhardt, commanding the 29th Infantry Division, immediately went to the scene and spent long minutes over the lifeless bodies of his men, in particular that of Lieutenant Colonel Warfield, who was holding his pistol in his hand when he was killed. Gerhardt said: ‘If you have to die, this is the way to do it‘.
The 115th Infantry Regiment reorganised its 2nd Battalion, which was now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur T. Sheppe. During the day, the regiment continued towards Cartigny-l’Epinay.
Carrefour des Vignes aux Gendres maps:
