The story
On 11 July the 2nd Infantry Division attacked to secure the entirety of Hill 192.
Soldiers and leaders had trained carefully for the assault, drilling teams of tanks, engineers and infantry to fight together in the close terrain of the bocage while husbanding a mass of artillery munitions to support them.
In preparation for the attack the division fired 20,000 rounds of artillery, and dropped 45 tons of ordnance all told during the course of the attack.
One regiment advanced with two battalions abreast across the west slope of the hill while another rushed forward in a column of battalions along the east slope.
By the following day all of Hill 192 was in American hands, although the cost of success had been over 400 American casualties.
Saint-George-d’Elle was now untenable for the Germans, who withdrew from that hotly contested village as well.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.