Chef Du Pont

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CHEF-DU-PONT Manche - 12 km north of Carentan
General Gavin led his paratroops in the assault
General Bradley had obtained the commitment of airborne troops on D-Day in Normandy, according to him, the drop of parachutists in the Cotentin is a condition of the landing success on Utah Beach. Indeed, behind the beaches, rare roads crossed marshy zones and they were easy to block. In the night of 6 June 1944, a group of around 150 parachutists of the 507th and the 508th Regiments, under Lieutenant-colonel Ostberg, progressed toward Chef-du-Pont. General Gavin, who commanded in second the 82nd American Airborne Division, had assigned the division to seize the town, and to control a bridge over the river Merderet. The Americans pushed back German troops from Chef-du-Pont, but the bridge at the western exit of the town was under enemy fire. The German artillery caused heavy losses in Americans ranks; moreover two third of the group were sent as reinforcement in La Fière. The situation turned critical. New droppings of heavy equipment and troops reinforcement enabled the Americans to secure the position around the bridge.