Mantes-Gassicort and the Seine

The enemy were already talking about the "Cross of Lorraine" guys, and it was clear the unit had made an impression on the German troops; this is one Divison not to be messed with, and had the reputation as a tough fighting unit.

On 19 August, 1944, a small task force was dispatched to go into Mantes-Gassicort to stop any lateral movements by the enemy on the south bank of the Seine. A/Co riflemen stopped and captured a German dispatch rider along with his dispatch case and motorcycle.

C/Co ran into two German vehicles - one carrying fuel and ammunition (promptly taken out by a bazooka blast) - the other carrying troops. The Germans hurriedly deployed and a fierce firefight ensued. It was quickly over with the 3rd BN eliminating one-half of the opposition and both battalions registered 40 POWs.

German POWs detained

By nightfall, 20 August, 2nd BN was in reserve at Regimental CP - 1st and 3rd in solid positions of defense. Around the CP area, there were five 88-mm guns, eight multiple 20-mm AA guns and plenty of ammunition, but thankfully no German soldiers.

On 21 August, the 314th extended the bridgehead 1000 yards further southeast. A battalion from the 315th took over the southern part of the Regimental sector. In the morning, a group of 150 German troops was spotted moving towards the river road near Limay. F/Co, supported by tanks and a platoon from the Anti-Tank Company sent the Germans headed back to Berlin with the first assault.

A few other small skirmishes broke out randomly, but the real battle began late the night of 21 August in the 1st BN sector.

German King Tiger tank

Troops from the 36th Luftwaffe Field Regiment, supported by five King Tiger tanks, had arrived from Holland and moved south from Drocourt into the 1st BN outposts. A/Companies outpost was driven back and a few men captured. The rest of 1st BNs outposts were driven back to the main line of resistance.

Fighting continued well after midnight. It was an anxious night for the 314th, as this was the first real counterattack in force the enemy had mounted. Only the artillery barrages launched by Division Artillery and the 30 Batteries attached from Corps broke up the first enemy attack.

At 0700, 22 August, German infantry, supported by four tanks, hit the 3rd BN from the south, forcing I and L/Co to pull back. But the Germans, known for being stingy on its armor usage, sent their tanks back to the German assembly area. I/Co regrouped and, supported by B/Co of the 749th Tank BN, caught the German infantry cold. By just before noon, 3rd BNs lines were re-established. 1st BN had it somewhat easier as the resistance they faced had no armor support.

On 24 August, at 0600, XV Corps (including the 79th) went over to 1st Army control. Work continued as before, laying anti-tank mines and stringing wire preparing for the next wave of German attacks. The Luftwaffe roughed up the 3rd BN area that day, and to the left, the 2nd BN was set in the event of an enemy breakthrough in the 1st BN lines. Not until midnight did the 314th see any action. A B/Co outpost was driven back from the woods southeast of Fontenoy St. Pere. The loss was short-lived, however. By 0230 (25 August) supported by artillery and mortar fire, the position was restored. The situation stayed fairly quiet throughout the rest of the night.

At 1630, 26 August, B/Company's position east of Guitrancourt and Fontenoy St. Pere was hit hard by a battalion of enemy which burst through the woods accompanied by five tanks. 3rd BN's lines were hit by another infantry attack supported by armor, but the combined artillery, small arms and 57-mm High Explosive fire staved off the enemy, and cost them wholesale casualties. In the 1st BN area, German King Tiger tanks were on a rampage. The battalion was taking a heavy hit but managed with small arms, and a few well-placed bazooka rounds, to disable two of the tanks. They held on until artillery pushed back the German attack.

The 3rd BN rolled into Drocourt on 28 August, 1944, supported by nine tanks. The 2nd, with armor support, took residence on the high ground northwest of Drocourt. Ahead, the remains of the German 18th Luftwaffe Field Division (keystone unit of the Paris Defenses) went back towards Germany, beaten.

At midnight, 28 August, the 79th was transferred to XIX Corps control. The 29 August objective was to take a sanitarium held by the Germans near Le Tremblay. Backed up by the 2nd Armored Division, the 1st BN reached its section, with the 2nd BN arriving to the east two hours later. The breakthrough was on, and well ahead of schedule.

Operations had XIX Corps going east towards the Belgian front on line - the 2nd Armored Division on the left, the 30th Division on the right, with the 79th down the center. On 30 August, the I&R led off with tanks, two platoons from 3rd BN, a platoon of tank destroyers (TDs), Cannon Company, with 1st and 2nd BNs bringing up the rear. At Henonville, the lead elements of the column ran into an enemy demolition crew setting off an ammunition dump. They were dispatched after blowing only one bunker. The march forward was progressing smoothly and quite fast, driving deeper into eastern France. 31 August found the troops in the vicinity of Mouy, but the real push to the border began 1 September.

The emphasis of troop movement was on speed. The 79th split into two motorized combat teams with the 314th on the left. Five hours of riding, and the column had covered half the distance to the objective. They crossed the Somme, ever wary of ground resistance and the Luftwaffe, at 0215, 2 September.

The next morning, (2 September) a 60 mile march with the 2nd BN in the lead, was fairly uneventful. Shortly after midnight, the 314th was at its objective - an assembly area northwest of St. Armand - two miles from the Belgian border.

In 72 hours, the 79th Division covered 180 miles through enemy-held territory, crossed the bridgeless Somme, and reached the objective.

Major General Charles H. Corlett called it "...one of the fastest...advances of comparable distance by an infantry division in warfare." The 79th Division crossed the Belgian border, becoming the first American division to do so. As reward, the 314th drew three days of R & R. The added bonus was that the enemy had pulled out so fast the Division ran out of gas trying to keep up.

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