The story
The 4th Infantry Division, in concert with the 9th and 79th Infantry Divisions, at13 tacked to seize Cherbourg.
The enemy was well fortified and put up fierce resistance.
At times maneuver units found themselves involved in 360-degree battles as Germans they had bypassed or overrun fired into their rear while they were continuing to attack to the front.
Supply trains and reinforcements required armored escorts until follow-on forces mopped up this residual resistance.
Artillery, air strikes, tanks, engineers and infantry were tightly integrated into attacks on one strong point after another.
By 25 June the division fought its way into Cherbourg itself, and cleared its sector in house-to-house fighting.
Here mines and booby traps proved as great a threat as enemy firepower.
When Cherbourg itself fell, the division turned its attention to reducing strong points around the perimeter bypassed during the advance.
The last of these surrendered on 29 June.
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.