Has anyone got a better map than the one below showing the Divsional boundaries between the US 28th & 29th Divs for 14th & 15th August 1944 ? I have found this map from the Official history. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Breakout/maps/USA-E-Breakout-XI.jpg I know 28th Div went from Sourdeval to Ger . 28th Division Infantry - The Keystone - BOCAGE NORMANDE 14th August The Germans abandon Chaulieu and Frense Poret, liberated by the 29th coming from Vire. In the triangle between Vire, St Pois and Mortain. There were 60000 victims,counting both sides. From Sourdeval the 28th DIV went through GER then on to Verneuill This link about 29th Div backs that up. 29th INFANTRY DIVISION 15 Aug 44 Le Fresne Poret What I would like to know is the place with co-ords 48.698779 -0.842042 and can be found on Google maps as 327 Le Gué Angeray 50150 Sourdeval, France. Whose area was it in 28th Divs area or the 29th Divs area ? Are there any more detailed descriptions of that advance in that area ? Cheers. Co-ords also can be read as 48°41'55.49"N 0°50'31.43"W
Hi Owen, From what you provided and this map, it seems clear that Sourdeval was in the 28th ID zone. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Breakout/maps/USA-E-Breakout-16.jpg My only doubt as to who 'liberated' Sourdeval would come from the map I linked to above. It shows CCA, 2d AD with the 28th ID as of 12 Aug outside Sourdeval. There's a chance elements of CCA entered town first. Maybe Slipdigit will find more.
Great find, all I found was this Czech site that looks well written and researched. Also has info on Czech Armoured Brigade. City of Pilsen: From D-Day to V-Day Boy, I look like a prophet with the guess that 2 AD could have reached Sourdeval first. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=50939&stc=1&d=1305725316
I would also observe the maps (really sketches) found in the official histories are extremely well done. Unlike anything found in a military history book published today, they were carefully prepared from the operational documents, perhaps by veterans who had previously done military map making during the war. I notice a number of small 'jogs' in the division and corps zones which probably follow roads or streams not shown on the sketch. To get further resolution of the zone it might be just a matter of transferring these zone lines from the sketch to a detailed map. From these sketches it might be possible to re-construct the staff work that went into assigning zones and changes thereof. This particular phase of the breakout is quite interesting, on one hand units need to be able to exploit any advantage in or near their zone, but at the same time higher headquarters need to control the zones so that units are not colliding head-on, or trampling across another units interior line of supply and/or supporting artillery.
Owen I was interested in your post in relation to Le Gue Angeray on 5 May. I recognised your name as the vsistor to my hose at Le gue Angeray later that month. I clearly share the same interests in 2nd WW history and have undertaken a little research on the US advance from Sourdeval to Ger. It was almost certainly the 28th Division who made this advance along what is now known as the D82 road. My present research is directed at whether the house was damaged during that advance. I will keep you posted.
Hello Gordon. Welcome to the forum. Look forward to seeing what else you can discover. It's a very nice house too.
