Villebaudon (Manche)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Liberation: 28 July 1944
- Deployed units:
Combat Command A, 2nd Armored Division
175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
2. Panzer-Division
116. Panzer-Division
- History:
At dawn on July 28, 1944, Combat Command A (CCA) of the 2nd Armored Division was tasked with conducting a breakthrough toward Percy. Along the way, the Americans first had to capture the village of Villebaudon, defended by elements of the 2nd Panzer Division. The Germans lost 50 infantrymen, a Panzer IV, and six armored vehicles during the fighting, which ended shortly before noon.
Brigadier General Maurice Rose, commanding the CCA, ordered the 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (AFAB) to take up positions in Villebaudon to support his forces’ advance. Given the further stretching caused by the rapid southward advance of his tanks, the general became concerned about the presence of German armored troops on his left flank. He decided to deploy two tactical subgroups towards the town of Moyon and as far as the Villebaudon-Tessy road to flank his advance. But this flank guard was unable to advance beyond Moyon: the Germans took advantage of this to commit at least three tanks towards the place called La Denisière, more than two kilometers north of Villebaudon. They were nevertheless repelled by fire from the M7 « Priest » self-propelled guns of the 14th AFAB, preventing the isolation of part of the CCA.
Unable to physically seize the road between Villebaudon and Le Mesnil-Herman, the Germans decided to conduct artillery fire along this axis to prevent vehicles from crossing. But this tactic failed to halt the movements of the American units, which then continued towards Percy. The 175th Infantry Regiment (29th Infantry Division) moved into Villebaudon and prepared defensive positions. Over the next two days, they had to repel reconnaissance by German soldiers belonging to the 2nd Panzer Division, coming from Beaucoudray. On July 29, the 115th Infantry Regiment crossed the town, which then headed towards Percy.
On the morning of July 30, the headquarters of the 175th Infantry Regiment (IR), under the command of Colonel Ollie W. Reed, set up the tents for its command post in the town of Villebaudon. Late that morning, at 11:45 a.m., a heavy German artillery barrage rained down on the village with formidable precision. The tents for operations management (S3) and personnel administration (S1) were each hit by a direct hit. The losses resulting from this bombardment were heavy: in addition to the numerous casualties among the staff officers, Lieutenant Colonel Edward A. Gill, commanding the 3rd Battalion, was killed. Following the artillery fire, the Germans of the 116th Panzer Division launched a counterattack towards Villebaudon: all the soldiers belonging to the regimental support of the 175th Infantry Regiment engaged in a fierce battle. With the key American officers killed or seriously wounded, two sergeants took control of the situation: Abraham Sherman and Everett Pratt, organized the defense and prevented a rout. Their heroic resistance helped prevent the Germans from destroying the 175th Infantry Regiment’s headquarters. During the fighting in Villebaudon, the gunners of the 14th AFAB increased their fire, notably using red smoke shells to designate enemy positions so that Allied fighter-bombers could attack with greater precision. But with the German counterattack having almost reached the American tanks, the gunners withdrew further north before resuming their barrage. Informed of the ongoing violent attack, Colonel Reed rushed to Villebaudon. Reaching the central crossroads of the village, he disembarked from his Jeep when a German shell struck the ground a few meters away. Seriously wounded, he was treated by the medical service but died shortly after.
The defense of this town continued the next day, while Lieutenant Colonel William C. Purnell was once again placed in command of the 175th IR. The pressure on the town, reduced to ruins, gradually eased as the Germans reorganized along a new defensive line between Vire and Brécey beginning on July 31.
From July 29 to 31, the 175th Infantry Regiment suffered 109 killed, 426 wounded, and 33 missing during the fighting in defense of Villebaudon.
Villebaudon map:
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