THE OBSTACLES THAT IMPEDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRAZIL IN THE CONTEMPORARY ERA A...
Neils Robert Anderson - WWII U.S. Army 9th Division 60th Infantry
1. Neils Robert Anderson
WWII - U.S. Army
9th
Division
60th
Infantry Regiment
Neils Robert Anderson (1918 – 1944)
Born: 13 Dec 1918 Murray, Salt Lake, Utah
Died: 17 Jul 1944 WWII, near St. Lo, France
Burial: July 1944 American Cemetery Normandy, France
Burial: July 1948 Murray City Cemetery, Murray, Utah
Neils is the eighth and youngest child of Alfred John Anderson (1872 – 1948) & Anna
Maria Erickson (1880 – 1947).
2. 1920-21 Neils with brothers Harry & Milton Neils with Brother-in-law Holger
Jorgensen
1925
3. 1928 1933 With Dad & Brothers & Nephews
1933-34 Neils with brothers 1934 Neils with brother Harry and
Nephews Jack & Brent Jorgensen
4. 1935
1937 High School Graduation
Baptized: 28 May 1927 – Confirmed: 5 June 1927
Deacon: 28 December 1930
Priest: 26 April 1936
Graduated LDS Seminary 8 May 1936
Elder: 27 August 1939
6. Neils Robert Anderson
Born: 13 December 1918 at Murray, Utah
Died: 17 July 1944 – WWII near St. Lo, France
Neils Robert Anderson was the eighth (8th
) and youngest child of
Alfred John Anderson and Anna Erickson Anderson.
1937, at age 18, Neils graduated at Murray High School.
Between 1937 (High School graduation) and 1941, Neils was a
“typical” busy young man. He worked as a meat cutter at Safeway
Grocery stores.
Midyear 1941 Neils and his neighborhood friend, Mel Brown,
were inducted into the US Army.
7. 1941 Neils with Mother & Father
On leave during 1941
Neils R Anderson, "United States World War II Army Enlistment
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K85W-W59
Name:Neils R Anderson
Name (Original): ANDERSON NEILS R.
Event Type: Military Service Event Date: 07 Jul 1941
Event Place: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Race: White Citizenship Status: Citizen
Birth Year: 1918 Birthplace: UTAH
Education Level: 4 years of high school
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Military Rank: Private
Army Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men) Source Reference: Civil Life
Serial Number: 39678309
Affiliate Publication Title:Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946
Affiliate ARC Identifier: 1263923 Box Film Number: 14607.31
Neils Robert Anderson
Summary of Military Service
8. July 7, 1941 Inducted in the U.S. Army Infantry - Reported to Camp Wolters, near
Mineral Springs, Texas For Basic Training
October, 1941 Reported to Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, North Carolina for Advanced
Infantry Training ith the 9th
Division / 60th
Infantry Regiment / Company C
December 7, 1941 Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Jan-Aug 1942 Training at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, North Carolina
Sept.- Oct 1942 9th Division moved to Ft Dix, Wrightstown, New Jersey, for overseas
deployment. Only WWII invasion force launched directly from U.S.A..
November 8, 1942. 9th
Division - Operation Torch, Invasion of North Africa
60th
Infantry landed at Port Lyautey in French Morocco.
February, 1943 9th
Division leaves Spanish Morocco for Tunisia
March 12, 1943 9th
Division arrived near Bou Chebka, Tunisia
March 17, 1943 60th
Infantry detached to the 1st
Armored Division the Battle of Maknassy.
May 12, 1943 9th
division capture Bizerte, Tunisia – Completing Tunisia campaign
May 26, 1943 9th
Division move to Magenta, Algeria
July 9, 1943 Operation Husky, Invasion of Sicily
July 15 & 31, 1943 The 9th
Division /39th
landed at Licata, Sicily 15 July &
The 9th
Dcivsion /47th
& 60th
landed at Palermo, Sicily 31 July
November 8, 1943 9th
Division leaves Sicily
November 25, 1943 9th
Division Arrived in England. Training for the Normandy Invasion.
June 6, 1944 Invasion at Normandy, France
June 10, 1944 9th
Division landed at Utah Beach, Normandy, France.
June 17, 1944 9th
Division capture Barneville sur Mer, France – Cutting Cotentin Peninsula
June 26, 1944 Lead by the 9th
Division, the port city of Cherbourg, France is captured.
July 11, 1944 9th
Division arrives near la Dezert, France NW of St. Lo, France
July 17, 1944 Neils R. Anderson was killed in fighting west of St Lo, France.
July 18-19, 1944 U.S. Troops enter St. Lo, France
====================================================================================
Some information wrongly assumed this was when and how Neils died. Included here for reference only.
July 24-25, 1944 U.S. Aerial bombardment west of St. Lo precedes the Normandy “Breakout”
Some bombs fall short resulting in 400-600 U.S. casualties, mainly 30th
Division. The
dead included General Bradley's friend and fellow West Pointer Lieutenant General
Lesley McNair—the highest-ranking U.S. soldier to be killed in action in the
European Theater of Operations.
9. Neils Robert Anderson - Military Service
Camp Wolter, Texas, Basic Training
BASIC TRAINING
July 7, 1941 - Inducted into the Army Infantry. Reported to Camp Wolters, Texas for Basic Training
and completed basic training during September 1941.
10.
11. Neils and friend Mel Brown Neils Anderson, Mel Brown & Happy Birkland
Mel Brown is a neighborhood friend. Graduation at Camp Wolters
Neils & Mel joined the Army at the same time
They were assigned different Divisions after Basic Training
12. Fort Bragg
Neils & good friend Lark Allen. Both Utah Boys Happy Lark Neils
They remained good friends during their time with Happy Birkland, Lark Allen & Neils Anderson
9th
Division 60th
Infantry Regiment All three killed during WWII
13. FORT BRAGG ADVANCED INFANTRY TRAINING
October, 1941 - Reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Advanced Infantry Training with the
9th
Division, 60th
Infantry Regiment, Company C.
9th
Infantry Division (1947 - 1957)
Division Troops Division Trains Division Artillery
HQ & HQ Company HQ Company & Band HQ & HQ Battery
9th Signal Battalion 9th
Quartermaster Battalion 26th
FA Battalion (105 mm)
15th
Engineer Battalion 709th
Ordnance Battalion 34th
FA Battalion (105 mm)
61th Tank Battalion 9th
Medical Battalion 60th
FA Battalion (105 mm)
9th
Reconnaissance Co. 9th
Military Police Company 84th
FA Battalion (155 mm)
39th
Infantry Regiment 47th
Infantry Regiment 60th
Infantry Regiment
HQ & HQ Company HQ & HQ Company HQ & HQ Company
Heavy Mortar Company Heavy Mortar Company Heavy Mortar Company
Service Company Service Company Service Company
Tank Company Tank Company Tank Company
3 Infantry Battalions 3 Infantry Battalions 3 Infantry Battalions:
Neils: 60th
Company C
December 7, 1941 - Japan attack Pearl Harbor.
During the spring and summer, 1942, the 9th
Division changed greatly. It learned a new type of warfare.
Sending unit after unit aboard transports to stage amphibious attacks on Solomons Island, in the
Chesapeake Bay. Soldiers raced up and down nets on mock landing-craft, across — and often into —
MacFayden's Pond on footbridges, and slashed at one another with bayonets as they had been taught by
Marine Col. A. J. Drexel Biddle.
July 24, 1942 Brig. Gen. Manton S. Eddy became C.G. and on Aug. 9, 1942 he was promoted to Maj.
Gen. He was to lead the 9th to Africa, Sicily, England and France.
14.
15. NORTH AFRICA – PORT LYAUTEY
World War II: Operation Torch 1942
Then it came. In early September, 1942 the 39th Inf. Regt. was alerted. The 39th Combat Team moved
out on Sept. 17, 1942 to a POE (Port Of Embarkation). Later the 47th and 60th Combat Teams
exchanged barracks for tents on Chicken Road, Ft. Bragg's Reservation. On Oct. 14, 1942 the 60th
Combat Team shipped to a POE following Oct. 17 when the 47th Combat Team departed New York
Harbor.
The 9th Infantry Division was among the first U.S. combat units to engage in offensive ground operations
during World War II. Only WWII invasion force launched directly from U.S.A.
Most expected the 9th
Division to deploy to England, following the path of other divisions deployed earlier
that year. To their surprise, they were instead sent to North Africa (Operation Torch) to help throw the
Germans and Italians off the continent. Equally surprising, their opponents on the beaches of Algeria
and Morocco were neither German nor Italian, but French.
The Western Task Force (aimed at Casablanca) comprised American units, with Major General George
S. Patton in command
The 9th Infantry Division saw its first WWII combat in Operation Torch the North African invasion on
8 November 1942. The 39th landed with Eastern Task Force at Algiers. The 47th landed with the
Western Task Force at Safi, Morroco. The 60th landed with the Western Task force at Port Lyautey,
French Morroco.
16. The beachhead most vigorously contested of all the Western Task Force landings were those in the
Mehdia-Port-Lyautey area.
Taking Port–Lyautey - 8–10 November 1942 - Chapter VIII
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-8.html
An excellent report of this action
17. ATTACK ON MEHDIA AND PORT LYAUTEY – NOVEMBER 8-10, 1942
After hitting the beach, the 60th
Combat Team had three objectives:
1- Secure Mehedia Beach
2- Attach and Secure the Casbah (or Kasbah) Fortress.
3- Secure the Airfield and town of Port Lyautey
Operation Torch: Sub-Task Force Goalpost Capture Port Lyautey
http://www.historynet.com/operation-torch-sub-task-force-goalpost-capture-port-lyautey.htm
First Fire of Operation Torch - November '96 World War II Feature
http://www.historynet.com/first-fire-of-operation-torch-november-96-world-war-ii-feature.htm
The primary mission was to seize an airfield where P-40's, brought on the carrier USS Chenango, could
be based to aid in the assault on Casablanca some 75 miles to the southwest. The landing force consisted
of the 60th RCT of the 9th Division (Neils Unit) and a light tank battalion of the 66th Armored Regiment,
2d Armored Division, with supporting units that included nearly 2,000 ground troops of the XII Air
Support Command.
Friend, Happy Birkland, died during this invasion
Hap & Neils
18. The airfield was taken early on 10 November
when the destroyer USS Dallas rammed the
boom across the Sebou River and carried a
raiding party up the river to take the
defenders of the field from the unprotected
flank. About 1030, planes from the USS
Chenango began landing at the field. There
was little fighting the rest of that day, and
French resistance was formally ended at 0400
on D plus 3, Nov 11, 1942.
The 39th
Combat Team remained in Algiers.
The 60th Combat Team was located at
Mamora Cork Forest, guarding the Spanish
Morocco border. The 60th C.T. was soon to
be joined by the 47th Combat Team, after
they foot marched 238 miles from Safi,
stopping on the way to participate in a French-American parade in Casablanca on 13 December 1942.
http://www.bookshopsdriveinsandjive.com/2013/11/world-war-ii-in-pictures-under-watchful.html
World War II in Pictures- Under the watchful eyes of U.S. troops bearing bayonets,
members of the Italo-German armistice commission in Morocco are rounded up to be
taken to Fedala, north of Casablanca, on November 18, 1942.
19. Neils letter of Nov 30, 1942
“Yesterday, we went in town and helped put on a big parade for the people here. The French
soldiers also paraded. They went first with their band and soldiers and mules. Then we came
with our outfit and tanks and planes diving overhead. It was really some show. Boy, the
French people sure did plenty cheering and stuff when we passed by. So I guess were really
in with some friendly people.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkrq5pctBO0
Letter from Neils - Jan 30, 1943
We’ve really had some important people from the States over here seeing us. One being the
President of the good old U.S. who we paraded for just outside our Camp and the other being
Martha Ray who just finished putting on a show right in our camp and it was really a
“Whoo” A couple other “Stars” that were with her got sick and had to go back to the States.
We were really surprised to see the President. They told us some big shots were coming, but
our General didn’t even know that it was to be the President. They really kept it under cover.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_Conference
General Henri Giraud,
President Franklin D Roosevelt,
General Charles de Gaulle and
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
sit together during the Casablanca ...
24th January 1943
World War II North Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnHgj_eYzuI
Not about the 9th
Division but a good overview of Tunisia
20. TUNISIA, NORTH AFRICA
While the 9th
Division was in Morocco and Algeria, U.S. & British forces in Tunisia were engaging
German forces lead by the famous Erwin Rommel Afrika Korps. A series of battles fought around
Kasserine Pass, Tunisia during February 1943 proved disastrous for U.S. troops.
February, 1943 The 9th
Division began leaving Spanish Morocco for Tunisia. The 39th
joined the 47th
&
60th
in route to Tunisia.
BATTLE OF EL GUETTAR AND MAKNASSY PASS – MARCH 16-25, 1943
March 12, 1943 the 9th
Division arrived near Bou Chebka, Tunisia. The division immediately went into
position and began patrolling around Sbeitla and Kasserine. In March, the 60th Combat Team was
detached to the 1st
Armored Division to fight the battle of Maknassy.
On St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th
, 1943) The Twenty Days of Maknassy, a battle of infantry and
armor was underway. In the cold and rain, day and night, the 9th
Division 60th
Infantry was engaged
with exchange of artillery mortars, machine guns and small arms fire.
Gafsa, Maknassy, and El Guettar
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-28.html
The 1st Infantry Division (including 60th
) was to make the attack on Gafsa, with the 1st Armored Division
initially protecting the northeastern flank of the advance, while troops of the French Southeast Algerian
Command were to operate on the other flank south of the line Metlaouïñ Djebel Berda (926).
1st Armored Division, with Combat Team 60 attached, had the initial mission of providing protection
against Axis attacks from the directions of Sidi Bou Zid or Maknassy
If II Corps should continue toward Maknassy, an advance contemplated as the second phase of the
attack, its elements would be on both sides of the mountain ridge extending between Gafsa and
Mezzouna. At its western end the bare and rugged slopes of Djebel Orbata rose abruptly to a crest of
about 3,500 feet. The contours of this somewhat twisting ridge softened, and the crests were lower, along
its eastern half. Trails through its deeply eroded gulches and defiles were narrow and few. Contact
between the two forces on either side would be restricted to the barest minimum from Gafsa to Sened
village, that is, about halfway to Maknassy, and from that point to the tip of Djebel Bou Douaou, five
miles east of Maknassy, would be severely limited. Simultaneous attacks along both sides of the ridge
would have to be relatively independent of each other.
21.
22. March, the 18th Infantry had reached the eastern edge of Gafsa The situation at Gafsa justified General
Patton on 18 March in concluding that the second phase of the II Corps' attack could be undertaken next
day. .. While the 1st Infantry Division organized Gafsa strongly for defense, the 1st Armored Division
(reinforced) could be committed to the seizure of Station de Sened. … with the 60th Combat Team (de
Rohan) were southeast of Djebel Souinia… But if the military situation near Gafsa permitted an
immediate start of the second undertaking, the weather made postponement unavoidable. Much against
his wishes, General Patton was forced to accept the fact that the mud had made an armored attack on 19
March out of the question.
RAIN RAIN Streams were full to overflowing. The earth was soggy and in many places there were
extensive shallow pools. Bivouac areas were flooded. The soft roads were quickly cut into deep ruts by
heavy trucks or churned into a viscous blanket by tank tracks. Travel cross-country became impossible
for wheeled vehicles. Indeed, to assist them in reaching the roads from their parks required
extraordinary effort and much extra time. The weather's one compensation was the fact that it restrained
enemy air activity
While most of the 1st Armored Division remained immobilized on 19 March, Patton drove through the
downpour to review the situation … He was enthusiastic and confident, concerned only that the enemy
should not be given opportunity for a spoiling attack while the Americans waited for conditions to be
wholly satisfactory… While the 1st Infantry Division organized Gafsa strongly for defense, the 1st
Armored Division (reinforced with 60th
) could be committed to the seizure of Station de Senad
The capture of Gafsa and Station de Sened left only a demonstration to be made toward Maknassy,
twenty miles farther east … On 19 March, Patton returned to his headquarters in Fériana after his rain-
drenched visit to the headquarters … The Corps was now to seize the high ground east of Maknassy and
to send a light armored raiding party to the Mezzouna airfields to destroy enemy installations there…
On 21 March General Patton drove to … command post in order to hurry Combat Command A to a hill
mass five miles northeast of Station de Sened which appeared to the corps commander a possible place of
advantage which must be denied to Maknassy's defenders. At the same time, Combat Command C
moved northeastward, along a camel trail, and then swung south to reach the main route from Station de
Sened to Maknassy at a point about halfway between the two places. For a stretch, Combat Command B
followed, but instead of turning south, continued eastward in the valley to an area from which to guard
the northern flank of the attack on Maknassy, and assist in preparatory artillery fire on the village. The
exhausted troops of the 60th Combat Team, meanwhile, assembled just north of Sened station.
Advance elements of Combat Command C, 1st Armored Division, approached Maknassy before
midnight and subjected the place to an interdictory shelling, hoping to discourage the enemy from laying
mines and booby traps before withdrawing. Next morning reconnaissance discover that Maknassy was
free of the enemy, whom some of the inhabitants declared to have withdrawn onto the hills near the road
to Mezzouna, east of the village.
Neils letter from ENGLAND One Year Later: “So I think we will celebrate. In fact I know
we will being to-day is the 17th
. It really calls for something for a few of us lads remembering
back to last year on this day. Did it rain and were we out in it. We always think of this date
when it really rains. But to-day we have plenty sunshine and the day is just opposite from
then. But the memory lingers.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. What the folks at home were reading. Most, if not all, would not be aware the 9th
Division
and particularly Neils was part of the above described action.
25. Meanwhile the remainder of the 9th
Division (39th
& 47th
Infantry) moved to El Guettar. Here with the 1st
Inf. Div. on the left and the 9th Inf. Div. on the right, as parts of Gen. Patton's II Corps, were to attack on
the Gafsa-Gabes axis to relieve the pressure on Gen. Montgomery's British force to the south. The attack
was launched on the morning of March 28, and for the next 11 days a bitter battle was waged. By April 7
the enemy had pulled back and the 9th, after occupying forward positions, made immediate plans to
begin the long, secret trek to northern Tunisia.
After Maknassy the 60th Combat Team rejoined the 9th
Division at Bou Chebka and the 9th
Division
begun to move northward to the extreme northern flank bordering the Mediterranean (toward Bizert,
Tunisia)
The Attack Begins Chapter 32-35
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-32.html
The 9th Infantry Division was to drive against the hills, north of Garaet Ichkeul and eventually to
overcome the fortified positions which the enemy had occupied in anticipation of attack on Bizerte
Attached to the 9th
Division during the next operation were four Tabours of Goums: grim-visaged,
swarthy, turbanned, "bathrobe-wearing," silent Berber tribesmen who, as part of the Corps Franc
d'Afrique (CFA), fought and died for seven months beside their Americans.
26.
27. In the campaign which followed, the soldiers of the 9th
Division proved that they could take advantage of
the lessons they had learned the hard way. The first proof was a brilliant envelopment of the Green-Bald
Hill positions which the British had assaulted unsuccessfully for months. At Djebel Dardys and Djebel
Mrata the 60th Inf. massacred a German counter-attacking force. Djebel Cheniti was a brilliant
demonstration of infantry "leaning up against" artillery preparation.
In 1943 furious fighting during the battle of Sedjenane Valley along the Tunisia-Algeria border, it was
during the fanatical drive by the 60th Regiment that a captured German Generals' diary was to give the
regiment its nickname. In a German Generals' account of American actions against the Germans, he
wrote "Look at those devils go", and thus the 60th Infantry Regiment became the "GO DEVILS
The 9th continued to drive steadily toward Bizerte, one of the principal Allied objectives. Finally at
1515 hours May 7, 1943 the following conversation took place:
894th Tank Destroyer Battalion
CO, 894th TD Bn.: "Have covered the entire valley of the Oued Garba. No sign of enemy in the valley.
Believe way to Bizerte wide open. Request permission to proceed into Bizerte and occupy city."
G-3, 9th Div.: "CG instructs you proceed Bizerte and occupy it. Report your position every half hour."
CO, 894th TD Bn.: "Will comply with pleasure."
And then, as Maj. Dean T. Vanderhoef, Ass't. G-2, played the "William Tell Overture" on his ocarina
over the radio telephone, troops rolled into Bizerte. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbYCOiETx0
The ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. While
several variations exist, an ocarina is typified by an oval-shaped
enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouth tube
projecting out from the body. It is often ceramic, but many other
materials, such as plastic, wood, glass, and metal, may also be
used
William Tell Overture on ocarina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMfDhCBrNM
May 12, 1943 Capture Bizerte, Tunisia – Completing Tunisia Campaign
28. http://liberationtrilogy.com/books/army-at-dawn/historical-photos/slideshow/
An aerial view of Bizerte, taken on May 10, 1943. After seven months of bombing, not a
single building was habitable. Ernie Pyle reported “Bizerte was the most completely
wrecked place I had ever seen”.
American troops along the Bizerte corniche shortly after the port fell. The town had been
without running water for three months; typhus was present and cholra threatened.
“cornice”: a winding road cut into the side of a steep hill or along the face of a coastal cliff.
29. Surrender of all German and Italian forces in Tunisia (130,000 German and 120,000 Italian prisoners).
General von Arnim and 25 other axis generals are claimed captured, so ending the life of the once mighty
'Afrika Korps' and marking the end of the three-year North African campaign.
By the Stars and Stripes, a publication Hitler's Nemesis: The 9th Infantry Division
“Days of combat in North Africa were over. Tunisia had been a disillusioning land, devoid of
cinematic glamor; a land of overloaded burros and few houses for shelter. The battle had featured over-
extended fronts and equally extended lines of supply. Communications were across a country once
described by a doughboy as "miles and miles of miles and miles" — a country strewn with French,
German, and American mines whose exact location no one knew. These had been the days when cold-
numbed fingers were sliced on C ration cans, when air superiority didn't always seem a certainty, when
Yank and The Stars and Stripes were things that didn't arrive, when the only news came by way of BBC
(and nobody had a radio), when the theory became a fact that "Africa is a very cold continent where the
sun is hot."
May 26, 1943 - Move to Magenta, Algeria - AFTER the inevitable policing-up around Bizerte the 9th
Division hit the road west, over the same route traversed three months before. Magenta, Algeria, where
the division was assembled by late afternoon May 26, developed into an elaborate bivouac as days slipped
into weeks.
May 26 through June 27, 1943 - 9th Division participated in a program of training and rest.
30. SICILY
SICILY
June 29 and 30, 1943 - But movement was in the air again. On June 29 and 30, the 39th Combat Team
(with attachments) and the 9th Div. Arty. moved out for Bizerte, via Orleansville, L'Arba, Setif and
Souk-Ahras. The 39th
was then attached to 1st
Infantry Division for the initial landing in Sicily (Operation
Husky). 60th
& 47th
, the remainder of the division, stayed at Magenta pursuing its training program
July 8, 1943 orders were issued directing the remaining units to Ain el Turck. The infantry regiments,
with attachments, were to march. Orders were issued directing the remaining units, 60th
& 47th
Combat
Team, to Ain el Turck The new area was near Bou Sfer, (which is near Oran, Algeria) with all units
within walking distance of the beach. In this "staging area" preparations were immediately begun to
move to Sicily. For two weeks training was conducted in the morning but each afternoon units were
formed and moved to the beach at a walk-and-run, where the remainder of the afternoon was spent
July 9, 1943 - Operation Husky, Invasion of Sicily
31. July 29, 1943 – The 60th & 47th - On the morning of July 29, 1943 five passenger ships (the Borinquin,
Evangeline, Orizaba, Mexica, and Shawnee) with escort, moved out of Mers el Kebir (near Oran,
Algeria), preceded by freighters. The trip was uneventful and the convoy arrived off PALERMO, Sicily
harbor in the early evening of July 31. But it was impossible to unload and the ships remained anchored
during the night.
At approximately 0415 on Sunday Aug. 1, 1943 — the 3rd anniversary of the 9th
Division — the
celebration began. Enemy planes raided the harbor for an hour and 45 minutes. During the raid the 9th
lost neither personnel nor equipment, but an undetermined number of enemy planes were shot down.
That morning unloading of ships began and division units went into bivouac east of Palermo. During the
next few days concentration of the division east of Nicosia was completed.
The 1st Infantry Division (including 39th
) pushed its way eastward against stiffening German opposition,
capturing Nicosia on the 28th of July before moving on to Troina. The mountain village would prove to
be the unit's toughest battle, as well as one of the most difficult fights of the entire Sicily Campaign.
TROINA constituted one of the main anchors of the Etna Line and was defended by the 15th Panzer
Grenadier Division and elements of the Italian Aosta Division. The Axis forces were deeply entrenched in
hills that both dominated the approaches to the town and were difficult to outflank. The barren
landscape, almost devoid of cover, made advancing American soldiers easy targets for Axis gunners.
The battle for TROINA began on 31 July 1943, when the Germans repulsed an advance by the 39th
Infantry Regiment, a 9th Infantry Division outfit temporarily attached to the 1st Division. The setback
forced Bradley and Allen to orchestrate a massive assault. Over the next six days the men of the 1st
Infantry Division, together with elements of the 9th Division, a French Moroccan infantry battalion, 165
artillery pieces (divided among 9 battalions of 105-mm. howitzers, 6 battalions of 155-mm. howitzers, and
1 battalion of 155-mm. "Long Tom" guns), and numerous Allied aircraft, were locked in combat with
Troina's tenacious defenders. Control of key hilltop positions see-sawed back and forth in vicious
combat, with the Germans launching no fewer than two dozen counterattacks during the week-long
battle.
Aug. 5, 1943 - The 39th
rejoined the 9th Division (47th
& 60th
) west of TROINA. By Aug. 5 all units were in
a position for the attack that was launched on the morning of Aug. 6.
The 60th lnf. was sent on a wide flanking movement north through almost impassable terrain. Their
mission was similar to what they had accomplished (Ghost March) so brilliantly in the Bizerte campaign.
Again there were major problems of supply and evacuations were solved by the supply services, medics,
and engineers.
While the 60th Inf. went north through CAPIZZI and then east, the 47th and 39th advanced east from
TROINA. The enemy once again was maneuvered out of one position after another. By Aug. 12 the 60th
Inf. reached FLORESTA, and the 39th occupied, keypoint of the enemy's last line of defense before
Messina. Here the 9th Div. was "pinched out" by the 3rd Div. on the north and the British on the south.
The 9th Div. remained in position until Aug. 20, when it was officially announced that the island of Sicily
was free of enemy. On Aug. 23, movement began toward CEFALU on the Tyrrhenian Sea, half way
between PALERMO & FLORESTA
32. Here, for the first time the 9th
Division received some of the credit it had so richly earned the hard way.
Because of confused censorship regulations, the 9th had been neglected in press releases concerning the
North African and Sicilian campaigns. Recognition came in early Oct. 1943 in The Stars and Stripes,
which stated: “The 9th has the kind of leadership and spirit that make a fighting outfit. The men showed it
at RANDAZZO, the southern hinge of the last German defense line in Sicily. They showed it by their
brilliant envelopment of Green and Bald Hills in the Sedjenane Valley campaign which led to the fall of
Bizerte. They showed it in one of the bitterest battles of North Africa — the fight at El Guettar; and again
when they force-marched some 900 miles to help stem the Rommel thrust at Kasserine Pass. And they
showed it when their three combat teams landed at Safi, at Port Lyautey, and at Algiers last Nov. 8.”
Here also the 9th
Division had a chance to see entertainers like Jack Benny, Al Jolson, and Adolphe
Menjou. Here the Donut Girls appeared, and from Sept. 5 through Oct. 30 served more than 170,000
freshly-baked doughnuts to the 9th Div. Here on Oct. 25, 1943, 34 newly naturalized members of the
division formally became citizens of the country for which they'd been fighting for months.
These were the days of vino, marsala, and vermouth; of grapes and melons and almonds; of gaily-painted
donkey carts and swims in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea; of visits to Palermo and Monreale and the dark
catacombs; of the frequent times when the soldiers found out that the guidebooks don't tell the whole
story.
Then came Halloween and an order for the 9th to move to Mondello, near Palermo, "the muddiest patch
of ground in the world." And on the night of Monday, Nov. 8, 1943, the 9th Division was boat-and-train
bound for England and arrived in England November 25, 1943
ENGLAND
Winchester is a city and the county town of Hampshire, England.
AT Winchester, England the 9th
Division scattered through the neighborhood of Bushfield, Barton
Stacey, Alresford and Basingstoke. An information course was instituted to teach basic good manners to
a batch of GI Tarzans who'd been in the woods too long. The 9th was very fortunate in its jumping-off
place, for Winchester was Old England through and through. Even the most casual and literal-minded
visitor scarcely could help feeling the weight of centuries borne by Winchester Castle, Cathedral and
College.
Winchester, England
33. While in England Neils and some buddies were interview by news reporters and articles
prepared and sent to hometown newspapers.
But for all its quiet, ancient beauty, Winchester was nothing more than a springboard from which the
9th
Division could leap into the final European phases of the world conflict. As the mild English winter
melted into spring, the luxury of passes, furloughs and week-ends wore away to reveal more and more
clearly the grim, steel framework of ominous military preparation.
By April 2, with all leaves and furloughs cleared up, the training pace was accelerated by a field
problem on Easter Sunday. On May 27 at 0630 the division was put on a six-hour alert status. The men
knew the time was at hand. There had been GI movies, USO shows, PX supplies, the Red Cross tea
wagon, signs in English, mild-and-bitter, pubs and dances, and the not-so surprising rediscovery that the
guidebooks don't tell the whole story.
34. The division began moving to marshalling areas (Bournemouth) on Saturday afternoon, June 3. Men
found sleep difficult the night of June 5, under the ceaseless drone of unseen planes. By two-thirty, when
the first units were alerted, everybody knew... D-DAY
D-DAY NORMANDY, FRANCE
June 6, 1944 - Invasion at Normandy, France
June 10, 1944 - 9th
Division landed at Utah Beach, Normandy, France.
The 9th
Division Is Committed
When General Bradley on 9 June,1944 established the high priority for the seizure of Carentan and the
firm junction of the V and VII Corps beachheads, he also directed that the 4th
and 90th
Divisions were to
maintain pressure in the direction of Cherbourg, and that the 9th
Division and the 82d Airborne Division
were to complete the blocking of the peninsula. On 12 June, therefore, General Collins decided to commit
the 82d Airborne Division and the 9th
Division in the westward attack.
The 90th and 9th Infantry Divisions joined the battle.
(June 10, 1944) The enemy had retired west of the
Merderet River, but not without making our gains as
costly as possible. He persistently launched small
counterattacks late every evening in a series of
attempts to regain ground lost during the day, but
every one was decisively beaten off. He still held
Carentan, reventing the juncture of VII Corps with V
Corps. His defense in the fixed fortifications along the
coast was tenacious, and our advance was slow.
Interrogation of prisoners revealed that troops
arriving to reinforce the three enemy divisions
initially contacted by units of the VII Corps had had
great difficulty in transit. Attacks of U.S. Ninth Air
Force fighter-bombers had decimated whole units
moving by rail or motor, and heavy and medium bombers had heavily and repeatedly bombed key
railroad yards and road centers. French patriots added to the confusion behind the German lines by
sabotaging communications and transportation, cutting telephone lines, blowing up bridges on roads and
railways, ambushing convoys, and destroying precious fuel.
Chapter 6 to 10 & Appendix A
Sealing Off the Peninsula
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-Utah/USA-A-Utah-8.html
Look at Chapters 7 to 10 & Appendix A (Use “Find” 9th
, 60th
, 47th
& 39th
)
35. BARNEVILLE, FRANCE
To prevent the arrival of additional reinforcements for the Cherbourg defenders and to forestall any
orderly withdrawal of troops for the Cherbourg area, the VII Corps, attacked west across the base of the
peninsula. The 90th Infantry Division met stubborn resistance as it led off this attack, but the drive
gained momentum with the commitment of the 82d Airborne and 9th Infantry Divisions. On the evening
of June 17th, the troops of Major General Manton S. Eddy's 9th Division, after hard fighting across the
peninsula, reached the west coast near Barneville sur Mer, isolating the enemy forces on the Cotentin
Penninsula.
June 17, 1944 9th
Division Capture Barneville sur Mer, France – Cutting Cotentin
Peninsula http://9thinfantrydivision.net/cutting-the-peninsula/
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-Utah/USA-A-Utah-6.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-Utah/maps/USA-A-Utah-21.jpg
36.
37. Monument for the 9th Division at Barneville sur Mer, France
UTAH BEACH TO CHERBOURG
https://books.google.com/books?id=02hjDW6pfMcC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=9th+Division+at+Barneville+sur+Mer,+Fr
ance&source=bl&ots=K8BCdYWdxs&sig=eyAGXRqJRRSsHzvRKFE-
BnmqqQE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ax2KVeTuLYq8ggSKt51o&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=9th%20Division%20at%2
0Barneville%20sur%20Mer%2C%20France&f=false
38.
39. After fighting its way to Berneville, France, the 9th
was directed to move North “along the coast” toward
Cherbourg
CHERBOURG, FRANCE
On 18 June. It was decided that the drive on Cherbourg would be made by three divisions abreast--the
4th Division on the right, the 79th Division in the center, and the 9th Division on the left.
For the next eight days the effort of the entire VII Corps was to be directed toward the capture of
Cherbourg and was, in fact, the focus of attention of the whole First Army, since future operations were
greatly dependent on the seizure of this port.
The drive was expected to yield a considerable prize in prisoners, though the exact number of enemy
forces in the peninsula was not known. Estimates varied between 2,000 and 40,000 troops, including not
only the enemy units already encountered but also the Cherbourg garrison, Luftwaffe, antiaircraft,
rocket, and naval personnel, and Todt Organization workers.
When an ultimatum calling for the surrender of the German forces defending Cherbourg was ignored,
the assault on the fortifications was renewed with attacks by hundreds of medium and fighter-bombers
and the methodical reduction of the defenses by the ground troops. Naval gunfire joined field artillery
fires and air attacks in supporting the advance into the city itself, and on June 27th
1943 the last
resistance was eliminated.
Then turning its attention to the northwest, the 9th Division / 60th
Infantry pushed the only remaining
enemy forces into the Cap de la Hague area, the Northwesternmost tip of the Cotentin Peninsula is called
Cap de La Hague, where long range enemy guns were still firing. Resistance was stubborn, but it was a
hopeless battle for the isolated enemy, and on July 1st the campaign ended with their surrender.
40. THE STARS AND STRIPES
While other forces occupied Cherbourg, the 9th
Div/ (60th
Infantry) cleaned up the Cap de la Hague
by July 1. The 9th had accomplished the opening chapter of the invasion drama.
This had been Africa with hedgerows, calvados, snipers, totally destroyed villages, an occasional
pretty girl, and the familiar realization that the guidebooks don't tell the whole story.
The story of how completely the 9th had done its job is told best by some of the war correspondents who
reported the facts to the world:
WILLIAM H. STONEMAN: The hedgerow-to-hedgerow fighting of the 9th Div. across the
Cherbourg peninsula from sea to sea must rate as one of the most brilliant successes of
United States military history. For four days I accompanied these veterans who not only had
turned the tide in Tunisia with the capture of Bizerte, but also helped wind up the Sicilian
campaign with the seizure of Randazzo. They were brought to France to chop off the tip of
the strategic peninsula and isolate the Germans in Cherbourg... The renowned heroes of Port
Lyautey and Bizerte pushed along the flank to Barneville, encountered severe resistance at
the little town of St. Jacques de Nehou.
TIME: Omar Bradley has done it again. Slipping stronger units past the lines of their tiring
comrades, he once more smashed unexpectedly through the Germans to cut off Cherbourg,
just as be broke through to doom Bizerte a little over a year ago. And he used the same outfit
— the battle-tested 9th Div. — to strike the decisive blow... The blow that broke the Nazi's
back below Cherbourg was a clever one and aroused real enthusiasm here (Washington,
D.C.) Brig. Gen. Horace S. Sewell of the British branded "the 9th American Division's
exploit" as "a magnificent achievement."
Soon Cherbourg was in submission and the 9th
Division, 60th Infantry and 47th
turned its
attention to the northwest pushing the only remaining enemy forces into the Cap de la
Hague area, where long range enemy guns were still firing. Resistance was stubborn, but
it was a hopeless battle for the isolated enemy, and on July 1st the campaign ended with
their surrender.
Snap Shots of 9th
Division
http://9thinfantrydivision.net/9th-infantry-division-pictures/1939-1945/
43. Neils last letter dated July 8, 1944
Near Cherbourg, France
Saturday July 8, 1944
France
Dear Folks
Yesterday I Celebrated my third year
under Uncle Sam. I don’t know weather
it was a Celebration or not but it sure
has been that long according to my
figures and etc. So as of yesterday I
get in the big money with a five percent
raise a hash mark on the sleeve and
just 27 yrs. to retirement. By the way
I increased my allotment a couple months
ago I guess you noticed ?
I received a letter from Ruth
yesterday telling me you never re-
ceived the flowers Mom. The reason
I asked about them was because
three of us sent them the same time
and the others received theirs. We
sent them through the Red Cross so
I don’t know where they sent them
or how All we done was give them
the address. We sent them about
five or six weeks before Mothers Day
Yesterday I received about a half
a days reading matter from McCleary
and his wife all in one letter. Boy
they told me everything we ever done
all their doing now and all they
expect us to do later.
I heard the other day that Mel Brown
is around here somewhere. So more
than likely I’ll run into him one
of these first days, I hope.
Reference to his brothers & sisters
Well, everything is going O.K. by
me so how about Harry & Denny
Erv. the wife & chickens “ahem” The
Jorg’s. “South State” with the barbers
The Som’s, The Gabbots. “I know” The
Southern Ute I write to usually.
So for now take good care Mom
Dad
Love
Andy
44. 9th
Division heads south to St Lo, France
THE STARS AND STRIPES (Oct. 9, '44)
THERE came then the briefest of rest periods (July 2 to 8); Moving south on July 9 found the 9th
Division back in action again. It was the St. Lo-Perriers offensive this time. All three regiments (60th
,47th
,
39th
) were in the line, repeating again the story of hedgerow hell, slow advances from one field to the next,
murderous casualties. Although this continued throughout the month, several days before the July 25
breakthrough the 9th cut the St. Lo-Perriers road. On July 25 the 9th
Division was one of the spearhead
divisions in the offensive, and by the end of the day the division was credited with the furthest advance of
any of the divisions in the "push."
US Army soldiers and jeeps on their way to the front lines, Saint-Lô, France, Jul 1944
9th
div west of St Lo along St-Lô-Périers highway – West of 30th
Div
The Battle Of Saint Lo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQmFOX5lkg 30th
Division east of 9th
Div
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCPaGJoHT_w Before & After St Lo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmsLCFaLpys (German version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N-lYw9quI4 (German version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eilw7JBpl5o World War II Breakout from Normandy
45. The maps above are included for geographical reference. The 9th Division moves from Cherbourge
(starting around July 6-7, 1944) to a position near le Dezert (which is NNW of St Lo). They arrived near
le Dezert 9 July 1944
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Breakout/USA-E-Breakout-7.html
46. The immediate area of St-Lô had limited tactical importance; that city, with a peacetime population of
about 11,000 stands on low ground near a loop of the Vire River, ringed by hills. Its military significance
derived from being a hub of main arteries that lead in every direction.
The ground west of St-Lô could be used for jump-off on attack into country where tanks could operate
and tactical maneuver would be favored. The importance of the St-Lô area to the Germans is shown by
the desperate defense they offered in June and were to repeat in July.
The 9th arrived in the Taute sector, south of Caretan, on 9 July 1944. On 11 July the German Panzer
Lehr Division, in the Le Desert sector hit the 9th. Advancing slowly against determined resistance, the 9th
Division reached the Periers-St Lo road on 18 July, after sustaining very high casualties.
GERMANS VIEW The 11th of July was a hard day for German Seventh Army on its whole front, and its
War Diary could get little comfort from the reports of Panzer Lehr's attack, on which so much hope had
been placed. The complete failure of the attack must have been a bitter pill.
Panzer Lehr had been severely mauled by the combined onslaughts of the U. S. 9th
Division and 30th
Divisions, and was now crippled to an extent that removed the possibility of further large-scale counterattack
west of the Vire.
48. July 9 - SAMPLE OF COMBAT DIARIES (abbreviated)
Le Dezeret 9 July 1944
The 30th Div 120th Infantry was ordered to attack in a zone west of the highway and
flanked by the Terrette River; and nose of higher ground near le Desert, and protect that
flank until the arrival of the 9th Division late in the day. Enemy resistance, stiffened by
considerable artillery fire, slowed the approached this high ground.
At 1300 when 30th Div received a delegation of distinguished visitors including Lt. Gen.
George S. Patton, Jr., General Eddy (9th Division), and General Watson (3d Armored).
Enemy artillery began to register in the vicinity soon after their arrival. At 1425 the 120th
received word to the effect that 50 enemy tanks were coming up the highway from the
south. At 1500 30th Division heard that German tanks were pressing and followed by
enemy infantry
Soon, an estimated four German battalions were shelling the 120th's sector, and service
company trains were experiencing great difficulty in reaching the forward elements.
American artillery was called on for strong support and gave it. By 1830, the dangerous
area west of the highway was under control, with indications of enemy withdrawal.
Germans, unable to exploit the breakthrough, and beginning to be hard hit by the fires of
artillery, infantry, and armor, the Germans pulled out after losing five tanks
By nightfall the situation west of the highway was under control. The 120th had recovered
the ground lost, and was pushing past it. The 120th Div, under enemy pressure all
morning near le Desert, was relieved at 1600 by elements of the 9th Division ( 39th
Infantry).
By evening the 9th Division was coming into its new zone, north of the highway to le
Desert, and this promised improvement on 120th right flank.
The 9th Division had reached its battle positions by night of 9 July and was ready next
morning to launch an attack toward the west and southwest. Though the 9th was under
VII Corps, its operations were in the same tactical zone as the 30th's, and the two divisions
were to be closely associated in their work during the next ten days.
49. The Counterattack of Panzer Lehr (11 July) Pg 37-42
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-StLo/USA-A-StLo-2.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-StLo/USA-A-StLo-2.html
The Counterattack of Panzer Lehr (11 July)
50. A PAIR OF PANTHER TANKS of Panzer Lehr Division, knocked out by 9th Division
defense and left on the road near le Désert.
First Army Progress, 11-14 July
In the VII Corps zone, the 4th and 83d Divisions continued to shoulder along the Carentan-Périers
highway, more and more aided by the pressure exerted from the east by the 9th Division. On 13 July, that
unit drove nearly to the important crossroads at les Champs-de-Losque. By 15 July, as a result of the
hardest kind of fighting, the 4th and 83d were on a line just north of Raids and held the Sainteny hills
which had been their main obstacle. But ahead of them the enemy still held strong defensive positions,
and had shown no signs of making a voluntary withdrawal. The cost to VII Corps of getting some six
square miles of ground along its peninsula had been high. From 9 to 16 July, the Corps lost 4,800 men;
First Army now called a halt to the offensive west of the Taute, holding VIII and VII Corps (except for
the 9th Division) at the positions reached on 14-15 July. Definite plans for a major breakthrough
operation (COBRA) were being made, the outline plan reaching First Army on 13 July. The offensive
now under way was to continue, but would aim at more modest objectives which would give suitable
jump-off positions for COBRA. The primary goal became the ground along the St-Lô-Périers highway in
front of the 9th and 30th Divisions. At the end of 15 July, the 30th Division was to come under VII Corps
in order to coordinate the continuing offensive toward this area.
During the 12 days from 4 to 15 July, ammunition expenditure was greater than at any other period
during the first two months of First Army's campaign. This occurred during a period when control was
being exercised and unrestricted firing was not permitted, when units were limited to one unit of fire for
attack, one-half unit for each subsequent day of attack, and one-third for a "normal" day. But deeper
and wider concentrations of fire than was ordinary had to be employed in hedgerow country to
compensate for lack of observation. Stocks became low in certain types, particularly 105-mm howitzer,
and strict rationing was established to restore the stocks for the coming operations. Fortunately, the port
of Cherbourg, although thoroughly mined and demolished by the Germans, had been rapidly cleared for
use. The first supplies from it began to trickle south on 15 July. Cherbourg was to prove an essential aid,
in the next weeks, to the supply problem. But the main ports of entry were still the open beaches, Omaha
and Utah, where the 1st, 5th, and 6th Engineer Special Brigades were performing miracles in getting
tonnage ashore under all conditions of weather. A daily average of 12,000 to 14,000 tons was being
maintained.
51. GERMANS VIEW
German Seventh Army's anxiety over its new problems east of the Vire have been noted already. In spite of
the losses around St-Lô, both in ground and personnel, Seventh Army was still mainly concerned over the
situation on the right wing of LXXXIV Corps, where it believed the American forces were making their chief
effort toward the Périers-St-Lô highway. But with Panzer Lehr's failure to restore the situation by
counterattack, the German command now had no other recourse than a grim and dogged defense.
In the area covering Périers (U. S. VII Corps/ 9th division zone), LXXXIV Corps' best units were fighting
hard to hold off a breakthrough, and were steadily losing ground. This sector was Seventh Army's chief
worry, even after the battle spread east of the Vire. The battered 17th SS Panzer Grenadier and the larger
part of 2d SS Panzer and Panzer Lehr were now involved here in defensive struggles. By 12 July the German
salient along the lower Taute had been wiped out, and the pressure from le Dézert (Arrivial of U.S. 9th
Division) was threatening to reach the flank of units holding the Seves-Taute corridor. Further loss of
ground was acknowledged in the next two days.
With regard to reserves the situation was as strained as ever. Two more regiments (13th and 14th) of the 5th Parachute
Division arrived in the battle zone during this period, and Seventh army had to resist calls from both LXXXIV and II
Parachute Corps for their immediate use. Seventh Army decided to put them west of the Vire, in position to reinforce
the Périers sector. As soon as possible, the 5th Parachute Division was to replace Panzer Lehr; Seventh Army, now as
before, was striving to build up a striking force of armored reserve. But within a day, one or two battalions of the 5th
Parachute Division had already been committed to help the sorely pressed 2d SS Panzer.
54. First Army Front Movement from 8 to 15 July 1944
VIII Corps on the left, VII Corps in the middle, XIX Corps on the right
http://wwii-letters-to-wilma.blogspot.com/2011/07/15-july-1944.html
39th
with/attached to 30th
Div
By 15 June, the 9th Division had come up in hard fighting. Along a broad front the 9th Division had
cleaned out the German strongpoint’s east of the Taute and gained the crossroads at les Champs-de-
Losque. But just south of that village, the 9th Division struck the enemy's new MLR (Major Line of
Resistance), defending the higher ground rising toward the Périers-St-Lô highway. For the next two days
of very severe effort, net gains were negligible.
16 July1944, the 9th Division had advanced as far as Esglandes, (about 10 miles north of Périers-St-Lô
highway) but there was a job of cleaning out along the Terrette to be done by the 9th
Division.
57. Finally, on 17-18 July, the 9th
Division broke through; during these two days the 9th Division pushed to
within a few hundred yards of the St-Lô highway, and crossed it with patrols.
The above map illustrates position of the 9th Division between 15 July and 20 July 1944.
During this time the 9th
Division was engaged in fierce fighting with the German Panzer
Lear Division and possibly some of the 5th
Parachute Division (west of the 60th
).
Disposition of 9th
Division 60th
, 47th
& 39th
Infantry Regiments is not shown on the official
map and was inserted for reference.
Securing the Périers to St Lo road (shown in front of 9th
Div 20 July line) was the primary
object of the 9th
Div. & the whole U.S. command for the kickoff of the “Breakout” called
Operation COBRA.
In moving eight miles from the Vire et Taute Canal to the Périers-St. Lô highway the 9th
Division between 10 and 20 July sustained about 2,500 casualties.
58. Chapter 5 Last Phase of the Battle (15-20 July)
Fighting from hedge to hedge, the Americans had advanced 500 yards on the left and 300 yards on the
right by early afternoon. Supporting American armor had knocked out three of the enemy's dug-in
tanks, while bazooka fire knocked out two more. Division Artillery support was especially …, the shells
"coming in just over their heads, and taking them from one hedgerow to another."
Late in the day, (July 15) the Germans made vigorous efforts to counter the … drive. At 1600 and again
at 2000, the enemy launched counterattacks to the northeast along the ridge highway, in strength of an
infantry battalion and a platoon of tanks, supported by the heaviest artillery fire the enemy had delivered
all day. With … Artillery firing at the enemy thrusts, the assault battalions … were knocked out; with the
enemy armor destroyed.
In spite of stubborn enemy resistance … Infantry was still making good headway.
July 16 On the right flank (west side) the 9th Division had advanced as far as Esglandes, but there was a
job of cleaning out along the Terrette to be done by both the 9th and 30th Divisions in order to safeguard
that flank, particularly at two small bridges near la Huberderie. As the Terrette River was not any
serious barrier to enemy movement or maneuver. During its fighting in the sector west of the Vire the
combat command had received 131 casualties and lost 24 tanks to enemy fire, mainly by bazookas.
16 July 1944 Neils friend, Lark Allen was wounded and evacuated to England.
He returned to the 9th Division Sept. and was killed in Germany 9 Oct 1944 in Hurtgen
Forest.
From 17 to 19 July, the 9th Division had come up abreast in hard fighting along a broad front. By 15
June, the 9th Division had cleaned out the German strong points east of the Taute and gained the
crossroads at les Champs-de-Losque. But just south of that village, the 9th Division struck the enemy's
new MLR (Major Line of Resistance), defending the higher ground rising toward the Périers-St-Lô
highway. For the next two days of very severe effort, net gains were negligible. Finally, on 17-18 July, the
9th Division broke through; during these two days the 9th Division pushed to within a few hundred yards
of the St-Lô highway, and crossed it with patrols. The 9th Division and the 30th together had gained the
ground which First Army proposed to use for its jump-off in the breakthrough operation, COBRA.
17 July 1944 Neils R. Anderson was killed during this action.
18 July 1944 Mel Brown was wounded and evacuated to England (this occurred elsewhere
in France). Neils & Mel are neighborhood friends who joined the Army at the same time.
Neils & Lark Allen Neils & Mel Brown
59. GERMANS VIEW
The German Seventh Army found it necessary on 15 July to commit a battalion of the
recently arrived 14th Parachute Regiment (5th Parachute Division) to help Panzer Lehr
check the American advance crest of Pont-Hébert. Panzer Lehr reported its resources were
not able to "stem the enemy onslaught," and still another battalion of the 5th Parachute
Division had to be committed. Seventh Army registered its disappointment over the necessity
of throwing in new units, immediately on their arrival, thus using up reinforcements planned
for building reserves. Army also complained of its losses in materiel, caused by American air
and artillery action. "The battle of supply, unprecedented in severity, had to be waged
without noticeable support from our own air force."
On 16 July, the American advance south to le Mesnil-Durand caused fresh alarm, and was
attributed to the poor performance of newly committed units of the 14th Parachute Regiment.
Their failure "confirms our experience that newly committed troops which have not yet
developed teamwork and are thrown into heavy battle without having been broken in, suffer
disproportionately heavy losses." The Pont-Hébert bridge position was finally given up as
lost, and Seventh Army notified Army Group that, as a result of American progress west of
the Vire (9th
Div. area of operation), the flank of the 352d (east of the river) was in danger,
and that the MLR of the 352d might have to be pulled back close to St-Lô. The 275th Infantry
Division, erroneously reported to have arrived already in the battle zone, was now delayed in
arrival until 18 July, too late to help.
A counterattack ordered for 17 July, by Panzer Lehr, had been viewed by Army as its last
hope for restoring the situation along the Vire. This attack failed completely, and the day saw
further advance of the Americans on the ridge west of the Vire. Seventh Army regarded this
set-back as decisive for the problem of whether or not to withdraw 11 Parachute Corps' left
wing units.23
A further blow overtook Panzer Lehr when its left flank (west side) was deeply
penetrated (INSERT: by U. S. 9th Division 60th
& 47th
) and American spearheads
reportedly reached the Périers-St-Lô highway. Personnel of headquarters staffs were
employed in an effort to mend this break in time, and allow cut off troops to get back. The
general situation was so grave that Army Group now decided to detach another armored
division from the British front to reinforce Seventh Army.
To judge by the tone of the War Diary, this was [German] Seventh Army's blackest day in
the battle that had started two weeks earlier.
Neils R. Anderson was killed (17 July 1944).
July 18-19, 1944 U.S. Troops enter St. Lo, France
====================================================================================
Some information wrongly assumed this was when and how Neils died. Included here for reference only.
July 24-25, 1944 U.S. Aerial bombardment west of St. Lo precedes the Normandy “Breakout”
Some bombs fall short resulting in 400-600 U.S. casualties, mainly 30th
Division. The dead included
General Bradley's friend and fellow West Pointer Lieutenant General Lesley McNair—the highest-
ranking U.S. soldier to be killed in action in the European Theater of Operations
60. 9th
Division St Lo, France July 24-25, 1944 & Breakout
THE STARS AND STRIPES (Oct. 9, '44)
THERE came then the briefest of rest periods (July 2 to 8); Moving south on July 9 found the 9th
Division back in action again. It was the St. Lo-Perriers offensive this time. All three regiments (60th
,47th
,
39th
) were in the line, repeating again the story of hedgerow hell, slow advances from one field to the next,
murderous casualties. Although this continued throughout the month, several days before the July 25
breakthrough the 9th cut the St. Lo-Perriers road. On July 25 the 9th
Division was one of the spearhead
divisions in the offensive, and by the end of the day the division was credited with the furthest advance of
any of the divisions in the "push."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLyCtKzAQr0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cobra
Operation Cobra
Since D Day this is what U.S. planners were anxious to achieve. Getting beyond the Bobcage areas of
France into the more maneuverable area where tanks and heavy equipment could more efficiently
operate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLyCtKzAQr0
61. Casualty Summary – 30th
Division July 24-25, 1944
Significant Dates in the 30th's History
July 24, 1944 Bombed by the 8th Airforce, in error, killing 25 men and wounding
131 men. Delayed jump-off for one day.
July 25, 1944 Bombed again, in error, by 8th Airforce, killing 111 men, including
Lt. Gen. Leslie Mc Nair, and wounding 490 men. Operation Cobra
took off despite these two tragic errors and losses.
July 25-29, 1944
62. "Breakout". Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breakout.jpg#/media/File:Breakout.jpg
August 1-13, 1944
Operation Cobra 25-30 Jul
By July, it was apparent that despite a generally successful campaign in Normandy thus far, Allied
progress had been excruciatingly slow. By mid-Jul the front lines were what the Allied high command
planned to be five days after a successful landing. The first attempt at a breakout, Operation Goodwood,
was a failure; the predominantly British attempt utilized a large armor formation to, unsuccessfully,
create a gap.
On 25 Jul Omar Bradley launched Operation Cobra, using VII Corps' infantry divisions to create and
hold a gap in the German lines while sending three divisions of men through the gap, bring the war
beyond the hedgerow country that had frustrated the Allied troops so much. Preceding this massive
breakout operation was an even larger air bombardment. American artillery officer Donald Bennett
recalled the morning of 25 Jul when the bombing by 1,500 aircraft started:
Across three hours nearly every combat-capable plane in western Europe came in, starting with
medium B-25s and B-26s, followed by the lumbering B-17s and B-24s, while a thousand or more
fighters circled around the edge of the action, pouncing on any target of opportunity. The ground
rolled from the concussion, smacking through the soles of our feet, pillars of smoke and dirt rising
thousands of feet into the air.
A total of 600 tons of bombs was released. The earlier waves of bombs were dropped on top of Germans
as planned, but as the smoke and fire blurred boundaries, bombardiers of the final few waves had a
tough time figuring out where the Germans were. As a result, some of the bombs landed on top of
American units. US Army Lieutenant Charles Scheffel and his unit was among those bracketed by
friendly fire. (Company C, 39th Infantry Reg., 9th Div and adjacent to 30th
Div) Though they had front
row seats, most of the 9th Division was west of the area where friendly fire bombs landed.
On my left, a crashing boom slammed me against the side of my foxhole and bounced me off the
quaking ground. Pain knifed into my ears and squeezed air out of my lungs. I sucked in dirt and
choked trying to breathe. Spitting, I opened my mouth against the deafening roar. Mother of God,
they were going to kill us all.... I prayed somebody somewhere was on the horn telling these guys what
they were doing to us down here.
63. 150 Americans were killed by accident by these bombs. The highest ranking fatality of this massive
friendly fire incident was a three-star general of the US Army, "blown out of his slit trench some two
miles behind where I had been hole up", recalled Scheffel.
Immediately after the bombings, the American 4th, 9th, and 30th Infantry Divisions charged into
German lines even as smaller bombers and fighters continued to attack German positions further beyond
the line. "[T]he few Germans who were encountered were out of their heads with shock", recalled
Bennett as his M-7 artillery pieces went in. Indeed, the elite Panzer Lehr Division lost much effectiveness
with some of their tanks overturned and two thirds of personnel becoming casualties of the bombing. The
advancing infantry divisions gained 12,000 yards on 25 and 26 Jul, supplying the mobile breakthrough to
occur on 27 Jul. The American 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Armored Divisions, supported by the 1st Infantry
Division, charged through the gap created. The German forces, already ill-equipped due to the Allied air
superiority and now struck in daze by the bombardment, fell back 12 miles by the end of 28 Jul.
The German troops were now on a general retreat in attempt to regroup. The defeat of the German
forces during Operation Cobra cost Germany over 400,000 men and 1,500 tanks and self-propelled guns,
while key positions such as Avranches and openings to Brittany were now in Allied hands.
BACK TO Neils Robert Anderson
64.
65.
66.
67.
68. From correspondence during 2013 – After this report was first issued.
My name is Neal Haberman and my dad, Harry Haberman, served alongside Neils in the
60th Regiment of the 9th Division in No. Africa, Sicily and France. My dad and "Andy"
were good buddies, both sergeants. My dad took Andy's death in Normandy very hard. I was
born in December 1951 and was named in honor of Neils.
My dad's full name is Harry Haberman. He was born in NYC in November of 1917, the
youngest of 5 sons. He enlisted in the army in January of 1941 so he was somewhat seasoned
by the time the US entered the war. He was stationed in Fort Bragg where he first met Andy.
He was wounded 3 times during the war. The first time he was wounded he was shot in his
side when he and others were ordered to pick up rifles and other arms from a battlefield in
Morocco. As the arms were being stored in some sort of building, another soldier dropped
one of the weapons which then discharged when it hit the ground. The bullet entered my
dad's lower torso and exited his back without hitting any organs. Very lucky.
I'm not sure about the second wound he sustained, but I know the last wound came during
fighting in the Huertgen Forest. The Germans would intentionally fire into trees in the forest
where the Americans were and the resulting "tree bursts" sent splintered pieces of wood
everywhere. After being wounded he was removed to England to recuperate but wound up
being shipped back to the states by New Year's Eve of 1945.
My dad told me that Andy was one of a group from his outfit sent out on a patrol mission.
From everything I've read about St. Lo and the 9th Division's role in the battle I believe the
American and German lines were not far apart. Andy was shot and killed while on this
patrol.
Lastly, it is the tradition among Eastern European Jews to name their children after deceased
relatives. The fact that I was not named after a deceased relative and was in fact named after
a non-Jew speaks volumes about the impact Andy (Neils) had upon my dad and the high
regard he held your uncle in.
69.
70. Nov. 22, 1944 – From Headquarters Sixtieth Infantry A.P.O #9 U.S. ARMY
“Neils was laid to rest in an American Cemetery in Normandy, France”
71. The Normandy American Cemetery Colleville-sur-Mer, France,, established by the U.S.
First Army on June 8, 1944 and the first American cemetery on European soil in World
War II. Not sure this is actually the cemetery in which Neils was buried.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary cemetery, the first
American cemetery on European soil in World War II. After the war, the present-day
cemetery was established a short distance to the east of this original site.
Normandy American Cemetery sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English
Channel at Colleville-sur-Mer, France http://www.questmasters.us/Philip_P_Judd.html
http://www.xixcorps.nl/wwii_cemeteries.htm
Grave markers Normandy American Cemetery Colleville-sur-Mer, France, above photo.
Temporary graves were marked with a simple wooden cross with an identification plate
attached to the center. This photo was taken behind Omaha Beach in 1951 by Life
Magazine, 6 years after World War Two at what is now known as the Normandy
American Cemetery Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Permanent stone markers were added
several years later.
72. During July 1948 Neils Robert Anderson was returned from Normandy, France
to his home and buried at Murray City Cemetery, Murray, Utah.
74. Your tombstone stands neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out on polished, marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care. It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist. You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you in flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our heart contracts and beats a pulse entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled so many years ago.
Spreads out among the ones you left who would have loved you so.
I wonder as you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot and come to visit you.
Author Unknown
75. Find A Grave
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=44237
Sgt Neils Robert Anderson
Birth: Dec. 13, 1918, Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA
Death: Jul. 17, 1944, France
Burial: Murray City Cemetery , Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA
Plot: 08 094 3
Source- The Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday Morning, August 13, 1944
Murray Rites Today, Honor Soldier Hero
MURRAY — Memorial services for S/Sgt. Neils R. Anderson, infantryman killed July 17, 1944 in
France, will be conducted Sunday at 6:30 p. m. in Murray Second L D S ward chapel, with Webb Snarr,
bishop, officiating.
The Murray American Legion post will conduct military rites. Raymond Rasmussen and Samuel
Bringhurst will be speakers. Sgt. Anderson was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Anderson, 4612 2nd West,
Murray.
3Fold
http://www.fold3.com/page/640249626_neils_robert_anderson/
