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This month's Forgotten Battle is...
The Battle of Graignes
Intro
The battle of Graignes was fought from June 10 to June 12, 1944. The battle was fought in Northern France during Operation Overlord between American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and the German 17th SS Panzer-Grenadier Division. It was a small yet very important battle during the last great invasion of the last great war.
Part I
When the Invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) began on June 6, it was spearheaded by thousands of Allied paratroopers. Their mission during Overlord was to seize and hold the bridges and causeways connecting the beaches to mainland France. This would cut off the German garrisons there and enable the Allies to advance further inland.
For the most part, Operation Overlord went surprisingly well. However, during the dropping of the paratroopers, many of them were blown off course and found themselves scattered across the French countryside. Among them, were twelve planeloads of paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. These men mostly ended up in the marshes south of the city of Carentan. This was the worst mis-drop of paratroopers during Operation Overlord. With few options, most of them made their way to the nearest French village. It was a small commune called, Graignes.
Upon their arrival, the local residents of Graignes welcomed the Americans with open arms. By nightfall of June 6, 182 paratroopers had gathered at the village (12 officers and 170 enlisted men). In command of this small force was, Major Charles Johnston. Instead of trying to get to Carentan (which was 20 miles away) Major Johnston ordered his men to begin setting up a perimeter around Graignes. He had hoped to wait there for American reinforcements from Utah and Omaha Beaches. With aid from the locals, they began digging trenches and foxholes. They positioned five machine-guns and two mortars in and around the town and made the local church (the tallest structure) their command center.
Part II
For the next four days, the paratroopers waited for signs of the enemy or friendly reinforcements. On June 8, lookouts on the church's steeple noticed a small horse-drawn convoy of German soldiers crossing a wooden bridge towards the town. American scouts successfully ambushed the Germans and forced them to retreat. Major Johnston then had them destroy the bridge and pulled back to the perimeter.
The next day, paratroopers from the American 501st Paratrooper Regiment (who had also arrived at Graignes) ambushed a German side-car and killed the two men in it. After searching them, the paratroopers discovered they from the German 17th SS Panzer-Grenadier Division, and that the latter was preparing for an attack on the city of Carentan. To get there, the Germans needed to pass through Graignes. On June 10, they began their advance on the village.
At 10 AM on June 11, many of the Americans and locals were attending Sunday Mass at the church. 10 minutes into the mass, they began to hear gunfire. A German recon unit had probed the village's defensive perimeter causing a gunfight. The paratroopers quickly left the church and returned fire. The recon unit was forced to fall back. The Germans responded with a light artillery bombardment on the village. They then launched a direct infantry attack. From that point, the battle was on.
Part III
At 2 PM, the German infantry slammed into the flanks of the American perimeter. Using their mortars and machine-guns (with observers in the church's steeple), the paratroopers successfully began hitting the attackers with deadly accuracy. After suffering heavy casualties, the Germans temporarily withdrew. After bombarding the town a second time, the Germans attacked again. And once again, the paratroopers successfully stopped the attack and inflicted heavy losses.
Unfortunately, the Americans were also taking casualties. They were also expending ammunition at a rapid rate. To make matters worse, they began hearing the unmistakable sound of tanks rolling towards their positions. The German tanks quickly turned their guns on the church and fired. The shots killed many of the Americans and French inside the building (among them was Major Johnston). The blast also took out the two American mortars.
With Major Johnston dead, command then fell to Captain Leroy Brummitt. He made the decision for the remaining paratroopers to begin pulling out of Graignes. They would retreat through the swamps (where the tanks couldn't follow) back to Carentan and regroup with the rest of the American paratroopers stationed there. When the Germans began entering the town, the Americans began their withdrawal. By 6 PM, nearly all of them (along with some of the villagers) had evacuated. The next morning, they reached the safety of Carentan and the battle of Graignes was over.
Epilogue
The battle of Graignes had ended in a German victory. However, it had come at a bitter cost. It is believed that between 400 to 500 German soldiers had been killed or wounded while trying to capture the town. By contrast, 150 of the 182 American paratroopers had successfully withdrawn back to Carentan (only 15 had been KIA inside Graignes). Incensed by their heavy casualties, the SS soldiers took their anger out on the 17 American wounded who were unable to retreat. After being discovered in the church, they were all murdered. When the two priests inside the church attempted to intervene, they were also murdered along with 26 other villagers.
However, their victory at Graignes had cost the Germans more than just casualties. More importantly, they had also lost precious time. When they began their assault on Carentan, the American paratroopers were heavily entrenched and reinforced by the 2nd Armored Division. The Germans were defeated and forced to retreat.
The American stand at the battle of Graignes was credited with playing a major role in defeating the Germans at Carentan. The 507th Regiment went on to see heavy combat during Operation Varsity and the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, the village of Graignes was rebuilt and a monument was established for those who were killed in the battle and the ensuing massacre.
On June 6, 1986, Secretary of the Army John Marsh visited Graignes and presented 11 of the villagers with the Distinguished Civilian Service Award for their aid to American soldiers. Since the end of World War II every year on June 6, the townspeople commemorate the battle and remember the brave Americans and Frenchmen who stood together against overwhelming odds. Although it is not as widely remembered as the beach landings, the battle of Graignes encompassed the great heroism and sacrifice made by American soldiers and the civilians who aided them during World War II. It was a small battle that made a big difference in the eventual victory of Operation Overlord.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/battle-of-graignes-an-hq-companys-heroic-last-stand-in-normandy/
https://www.military.com/army-birthday/army-history-spotlight-battle-graignes.html
https://www.normandyamericanheroes.com/blog/graignes-bloody-sunday
https://www.d-daytoursnormandy.com/the-battle-of-graignes-10th-12th-june-1944/
