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On the first day of July, the Corps consisted of the 79th Infantry division, the 82nd Airborne
Division, and the 90th Infantry Division. The disposition of these divisions is shown on Map "C". The
83rd Division, which had been attached to the VIII Corps a few days before, was transferred at 012400
to the VII Corps on the east, and the left boundary of the Corps was adjusted accordingly. The 8th
Infantry Division, which was due to complete its landing on 3 July, was to go into Corps Reserve in the
vicinity of Montebourg.
The attack by the Corps, which was part of a piecemeal attack by First Army with four Corps
abreast, was not launched until 3 July. On that day, the attack jumped off at 0530 in a downpour of rain.
The jump-off was preceded by a 15-minute artillery preparation, but this was unobserved generally, as
the cub planes could not leave the ground. The foul weather also prevented any air support, and no
advantage could be taken of the large amount of aircraft made available by the Theater Commander for
this operation.
The general scheme of the operation was to attack south with three divisions abreast. The 79th
and the 90th Divisions were to pinch out the 82nd Airborne after the latter had obtained its objective.
The flank divisions were then to join forces in the vicinity of La Haye du Puits and to proceed south and
capture Coutances.
The Germans, with their masterful technique of Hedgerow defensive tactics, stubbornly
resisted the advance of the infantry divisions, and the forward movement was measured by the number
of fields or orchards taken. The only division to attain its first day's objective was the 82nd Airborne.
This unit, led by Major Gen. Matthew Ridgway, attacked with its characteristic vigor and outstanding
courage. Even though their ranks were badly depleted by casualties from the landings and the
subsequent fighting on the peninsula, they were on their initial objectives on Hill 131 by 0920, and took
the Hill itself by 1445. The courage and fighting ability of these troops may well stand as a
distinguished example to all soldiers.
The 79th Division advanced against Hill 121 from the West and took it with the 2nd Battalion,
314th Infantry, at 040830, the second day of the attack. The 82nd Division captured Hill 95 during the
evening of the second day, thus completing the occupation of the three dominant Hill features on the
immediate front of the Corps. To the east, the 90th Division reached St. Jores by 030845, and the 358th
Infantry was advancing against heavy resistance some 2000 yards west of St. Jores by the close of the
second day.
On 3 July, the 82nd Airborne captured a marked map, which indicated a German MLR
generally along the line: Le Plesis (2782) -- Foret de Mont Castre (2383) -- just south of La Haye du
Puits (1882) -- St. Germain-Sur-Aye (1478). Subsequent operations of the Corps confirmed the
authenticity of this city of this map. At the beginning of the offensive on 3 July, on the Corps front: the
77th, 91st, 243rd, 253rd and 265th, plus a number of OST battalions. On 7 July, prisoners from the 2nd
SS Panzer Division (Das Reich) were captured, as well as from the 15th Paratroop Regiment on the left
of the Corps.
On 5 July, the 79th Infantry progressed to the south of Bolleville and the 3rd Battalion, 314th
Infantry captured the railroad station north of the town of La Haye du Puits at 051000. Efforts on the
part of this division to secure the town of La Haye du Puits were thwarted by strong German resistance
and the town itself did not fall until the 9th. The 90th Division, on the 5th July, succeeded in placing the
3rd Battalion, 359th Infantry, on the forward slope of the Foret de Mont Castre, a portion of the German
MLR, while the 357th Infantry drove south along the road leading from St. Jores to Les Plesis. The
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