The Battle of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer was fought on 7 June 1944 as the American 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions captured the town of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer from the Germans during Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and its beach were protected by six German strongpoints, which had fought off the British commando raid Operation Aquatint in September 1942. On 6 June 1944, D-Day, American forces landed at Omaha Beach near Saint-Laurent and pushed inland. The Germans installed machine-guns on the plateau to protect access to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. The Americans mounted an unsuccessful attack on Saint-Laurent on the evening of 6 June, with the US 115th Infantry Regiment losing 100 men and 6 officers. On the following day, the 3rd Battalion of the 115th Infantry Regiment seized Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and repelled the last German defenders to the west, supported by naval artillery.
Gallery[]
