Anyone have any info regarding the French city of Troyes in August 1944? Anything in After The Battle? I've found this about an SS unit fighting there in August 1944. SS-Panzergrenadier-Brigade 51 Anyone have any ino on the US units involved there? Part of XII Corps ??
There's 9 ref's to Troyes in the Ruckmarsch index. I'm just about to go to bed and I'll look tomorrow if that's ok unless someone beats me to it Andy Edit: Just because it's you Owen It says the following: Page 142: 12th Army Group was to move South of Paris and advance to the sector of Troyes-Reims-Amiens. That is on or around the 20th August from what I can make out. Page 220 and 221: Are pictures and on page 221 is a picture showing 4th Armoured Div taking Troyes on morning of August 26th with casualties being evacuated in field ambulances Page 275 and 276: Refer to German units ordered Troyes to cover the left flank of a mobile assault group. Page 325: Says XII Corps covered 80km from Troyes to Vitry-le-Francois on August 28. Page 353: Is a pic of a dead German general and goes on to say about some high ranking German officers captured and taken to a F.F.I. HQ near Troyes and goes onto describe how they were nearly shot but they changed their minds. Page 358: Is more info about captured German officers. Page 324: Is about a Allied Bridgehead and a rather nice pic of a Sherman with the commander hanging off a .50 cal. The caption includes XII Corps speeding 80km from Troyes bridgehead on August 28th. Cheers Andy
Cheers Andy, I knew I should've bought that Ruckmarsch book. I had a look in ATB #119 Breakout Across the Seine & page 15 says regarding 4th Armored Division, ..From Sens , CCA resumed its drive eastwards on the morning of August 25 and reached Troyes . The combat command launched a frontal attack in 'desert spread' formation , charging across the five kilometres of open ground sloping down towards the city with its tanks 100 yards apart firing their weapons continuously . Colonel Bruce C.Clarke , the CCA commander , and Major Arthur L.West who lead the armoured charge were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Nevertheless , strong German resistance was encountered in the city and street fighting continued through the night . Meanwhile , a task force had successfully crossed the Seine north of the town that evening to attack the rear of the German garrison the following morning . This effectively put an end to resistance in Troyes, resulting in the capture of some 500 prisoners.
