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clinging to the idea of mailltamtllg an outpost
lille of resistance Ilorth of St-L6, but had to face
the fact that reillforcements could Ilot be given
to the II Parachute Corps. T he 275th Divisioll
tVas IlOW, at last, available, but Sevellth Army was
ullwilling to commit it east of the Vireo T he
army commallder ordered the 352d Division Ilot
to give up the city, and to repulse with its OWll
resources "tile weak hostile units" penetrating the
city. Army did loall Olle battalion of the 275th
to help the 352d Divisi01I .
This order brought no results Oil the 18th, though
Germall forces were still reported as being north
and northwest of the city, holding on by virtue of
outstalldillg artillery support. H ouse-to-house
fighting was still going Oil ill St-L 6.
The hopes of holding St-L6 were fillally aband07led
on 19 July, Seventh Army trying to gain
comfort from the fact that the town had been defended
si7lpe 9 June against heavy attacks. German
units north of St-L6 got back to the west bank
THE SHELL OF A NORMAN CITY was what victorious troops
0/ XIX Corps found when they entered 5t-U. This aerial shows
the main square just before the occupation. No trace is left of
paving or sidctVolks. The shadow of the ruined cathedral lies
over a blasted stretch 0/ dust-covered rubble, crossed by a path.
123
of the Vire, or to the hills south of the city. A /lew
M LR was formed Oil the east-west ridges, alld 07l
the hills to the west comma7lding the Vire loop.
II Parachute Corps IlO 10llger had sufficient
strellgth to mailltaill both an M LR and advance
combat posts. The 352d Divisioll, holding positiolls
Oil both sides of the Vire, was reported to be
badly shattered, a high proportion of its men sufferillg
from battle fatigue as a restllt of their long
fight. Corps warned that the unit could IlOt be
counted 011 to stem allY major attack. Army found
it necessary to make another regimellt of the 275th
Division available to bolster the Vire sector; once
agaill its plans for hoarding a reserve were being
frustrated even before the reserve units had been
organized ill the battle zone. This left o1lly three
battalions of the 275th as army reserve. But
neither the 275th's units nor the yh Parachute
Division (committed earlier) were rated highly as
reserves; neither had had field trainilll!, and their
regimental officers lacked experience.