H&L Graignes, fourth Scenario of Carentan

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H&L Graignes, fourth Scenario of Carentan.

This is the capture of the town of Graignes, fought between June 10–12. During the engagement, American paratroopers of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division held the town for two days against the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen. This action delayed the 17th Panzergrenadier's counterattack on Carentan, which was repulsed at the Battle of Bloody Gulch on June 13. After retaking Graignes, the German troops massacred 44 civilians, a number of prisoners of war taken in the capture of an American aid station, and set fire to the town.

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Shortly after 02:00 hours on D-Day, Tuesday, 6 June 1944, twelve planeloads of American paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, were scattered throughout the marshes south of Carentan. They were supposed to have been dropped eighteen miles to the northwest at drop zone “T” near Amfreville, but instead ended-up in the vicinity of the French village of Graignes. Theirs was the worst misdrop of any U.S. airborne unit on D-Day.
By 1000 hours, twenty-five paratroopers under the command of 507th Captain Leroy D. Brummitt had gathered in the village. Two hours later, more 3rd Battalion/507th men arrived led by Major Charles D. Johnston. Because the troopers were deep behind enemy lines and far from their drop zone, the decision was made to remain where they had landed and defend Graignes.

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As the Americans went to work preparing defensive positions, the mortar platoon dug in around the cemetery and sent a detachment to occupy the church belfry as an observation post. From that vantage point, the observer enjoyed an unobstructed view of the network of roads and trails leading to the village from the west and southwest. While these defenses were being prepared, Major Johnston established his command post at the boys’ school. Throughout this digging-in process, more American paratroopers continued to arrive in Graignes, and by the end of the following day (D+1), the group had grown in size to 182 (12 officers and 170 enlisted men).
In the afternoon on Saturday, 10 June, a mechanized patrol approached a defensive position that was manned by some of First Lieutenant Murn’s B Company/501st men. They let the patrol get close, then opened fire killing four. When the troopers searched a dead German’s pockets, they discovered some documents that revealed him to be assigned to a reconnaissance battalion of an armored division.

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On Sunday, there was no sign of the enemy and all was quiet that morning, so Major Johnston gave permission for some of the men to attend mass. However, half way through the service, a woman burst into the church yelling, “The Germans are coming! Save yourselves!". The first assault, which lasted only ten minutes, had been an uncoordinated, piecemeal effort.
At about 1400 hours, the Germans commenced a punishing mortar bombardment of Graignes. This preparatory fire was swiftly followed by a second infantry assault against the flanks of the defensive line around the village. This time the attackers moved so swiftly that the perimeter was almost breached at one point. However, Captain Brummitt quickly shifted forces to meet the threat, and the line held. Once again, the paratroopers’ supporting fires were decisive in holding off defeat as mortar fire inflicted heavy losses and scores of enemy infantry were caught in the crossfire of the multiple machine guns defending the village center.

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In the evening, the guard posts could hear heavy vehicles move about. Since the observed evidence indicated that Graignes was about to be the target of a major attack, Major Johnston sent all of the civilians away. At about 1900 hours, two German 88mm guns opened fire on Graignes from the heights of nearby Thieuville a few kilometers away. This quickly disorganized the Americans and killed Major Johnston. With the observation post in the belfry destroyed, it was no longer possible for the troopers to employ their mortars against the approaching enemy with any degree of effective accuracy.
By the time the Germans made the final thrust into Graignes that night, the defenders had been reduced to a few isolated pockets of resistance spread out around the village. In many cases, men were beginning to run out of ammunition. As that happened, the enemy was quick to exploit the situation by overrunning the outer perimeter and moving into the streets of the center of the village. With Major Johnston dead, command of the force at Graignes devolved to Captain Brummitt – who ordered the men to pair off and try to make it to either Carentan or Ste.-Mère-Église.

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Elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen had conducted the final assault on Graignes. When the 17th attacked, it was with a regimental sized force of approximately 2,000. The odds were ten-to-one in the Germans’ favor. Despite those odds, the 182 paratroopers defending Graignes inflicted an estimated one hundred killed and two hundred wounded on the Germans during the course of the fighting on 10 and 11 June.
At the end of the 11 June battle, the 17th SS entered the church and found Captain Abraham ‘Bud’ Sophian’s aid station. Sophian (battalion surgeon and paratrooper) had surrendered the building to them by waving a white flag at the door. After retaking Graignes, the German troops massacred 44 civilians, a number of prisoners of war taken in the capture of an American aid station, and set fire to the town.
Had the mis-dropped paratroopers of the 507th not stopped dead the advance of the 17th SS Panzer Grenadiers this division could have made it to Carentan before the 101st Airborne Division. Also, this action delayed the 17th Panzergrenadier's counterattack on Carentan, which was repulsed at the Battle of Bloody Gulch on June 13.

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“Graignes”, the fourth scenario for the historical module Carentan of Heroes and Leaders mod, is already available in the post:

tm.asp?m=4374224#

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Expansion Carentan Graignes is coming

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Carentan Graignes expansion coming soon

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Carentan Graignes expansion is American Eagles Sante Mere Eglise