Cherbourg, France
Cherbourg, France
The harsh weather, which destroyed Mulberry A, reminded the Allies that Cherbourg, France, must be quickly taken for a proper logistic point for supplies, materiel, and troops. To achieve this mission would not be an easy task. Located in the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula, the Germans were not so willing to give up the harbor. U.S. Army troops, advancing from their successful landing at Utah Beach, began an assault on June 18. The slow clearing of the Germans was assisted by successful and powerful U.S. Navy ship gunfire support on June 25. Led by Rear Admiral Morton L Deyo, USN, the success also disputed the theory that shore batteries would always have the upper hand against large naval ship guns. Along with aerial bombardments, the Cotentin Peninsula would be cleared on July 1st, thereby ending Operation Neptune. Despite this success, Cherbourg was left in ruins by the retreating Germans who demolished, destroyed, and booby-trapped the port under orders from Adolph Hitler.
Image: 80-G-255916: Cherbourg, France. French civilians pass over damaged bridge to return to their homes. Photo received October 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
