Battle: The 80th Infantry Division at Argentan

Baptism of Fire at Argentan:

The first engagement of
After having described and explained the fighting waged by the Americans, which led to the liberation of Argentan,
th
this third and final part of our study is an opportunity to approach the baptism of fire of the 80 Infantry Division from
new angles: the political slant of the liberation, the outcome of the battle, the shock of the first combat experience, the
lessons drawn from combat and the various reminiscences. All of these historical and historiographical aspects too
often eclipsed by the simple recounting of military facts.

In the background: It would have been difficult to write our study without publishing this photograph, so celebrated and so fitting an
illustration of the American victory in Argentan. Taken from the perspective of Aristide and Briand Streets from the Poterie (that is,
“pottery workshop”), we see about fifteen boys with jubilant faces, posing in front of the former office for recruitment of the
Obligatory Work Serviceα. [Translator’s note: Refer to page 13 for explanations of items with Greek-letter tags.] Above is the
apartment of the mayor at that time, Y. Silvestre. Paradoxically, despite its popularity, no exact caption with correct identifications
has ever been proposed. The soldiers belong to the 3rd Battalion, 318th Infantry, one of the three American infantry battalions who
liberate Argentan on August 20th, the date when this image was captured. It is possible that the soldier in the middle, with the
accordion (picked up from the ruins?) is H. C. Medley and the man at far right is Jackson R. Thomas of I Company. Beyond these few
considerations, this photograph perfectly illustrates the concept of the primary group. (NARA.)
 by Tristan Rondeau

The
Another liberation
As we had established in our previous article (cf.
Normandie 44 Magazine, No. 7) Argentine was finally
liberated from all German presence on the afternoon of
August 20, 1944, after the soldiers of the 318th Infantry
Regiment had entered the town during the morning.
Without a doubt, the principal role of the American
troops was materially to assure the lasting capture and
security of the town, but they also had to guarantee the
transition and the dissemination of power with the local
authorities in response to the most pressing needs of
the liberated populations, especially provisions.

Colonel Ralph E. Pearson, Civil Affairs Officer of the 318th

During the August 20th ceremony on the town square, close-
up of the cameraman on Colonel Harry D. McHugh,
Infantry left a detailed and enlightening eyewitness
commander of the 318th Infantry and first in his division to account of his own role in the relations between the
receive the Silver Star. (NARA/Tyler Alberts.) military and civilian authorities during the liberation of
Argentan:

“Friday, August 18: At 9:50 a.m., I realized that I had

met the mayor of Argentan in his temporary office in
Aunou (Since the bombardments of June 6, 1944, town
hall as well as numerous public services – post office,
court, etc. – took refuge in Aunou-le-Faucon; the 318th
Infantry had its command post in the same village,
Author’s note.) Mr. Yves Silvestre (1) was mayor for
around 20 years. He told me that on the previous August
14, the Germans had ordered ‘all civilians must leave
Argentan,’ arguing that those who stayed behind would

A view of the state in

which the Americans
surrounding Argentan
found it. Here on Town
Hall Street, the houses
are partially
demolished and
enveloped in flames. At
right, the childhood
home of the Cubist
painter Fernand Léger
remains intact.
(NARA/Tyler Alberts.)

The same place today.

(Author’s
photo.)
Opposite: General view
of the town 18th square
as the American flag is
being hung on the façade,
on August 20th. The
mayor, in civilian dress,
and a cameraman are
recognizable among
soldiers of the 318th
Infantry – including two
medics strolling in the
square or resting along
the building. Most of the
destruction has been
caused from August 13th-
20th. (NARA.)

Below: The same square

in our days. The old town
hall was razed and
rebuilt. (Author.)

be considered the same as terrorists and shot. In fact, most of the

inhabitants had taken refuge in the farms and villages surrounding
the town (for example, 450 refugees were found in Aunou during
the battle. Author’s note.). Supplies and food did not pose a
problem. At 10:20 a.m., I introduced Captain McMillen, Commander
The same place today. in Chief, to Mr. Silvestre.. Then, at 3:00 p.m., the Colonel in his turn
(Author’s met the mayor and brought him with him to see the new prefect in
photo.) Alençon. As for me, I met the new sub-prefect of Argentan at 5:45
p.m. He gave me two postcards from the region and asked me for a
pass. (…).

“Saturday, August 19: I introduced the sub-prefect, Mr.Foulquis,

Below: The flag presentation ceremony filmed from two different angles. Yves
Silvestre, in civilian dress, shakes Colonel McHugh’s hand, then addresses the
assembly in English. Colonel Pearson is visible between them. INARA/Tyler
Alberts.)
As well as a friend who, by my account, could furnish some
important tactical information, to the Commander in Chief and the the flag to the mayor, who received it and delivered a short
Military Intelligence Interpreter. […] These officers had anticipated address in English, which he had composed and learned for
seeing the mayors of Argentan and Aunou [Mr. Marais. Author’s the occasion: a speech in which he thanked the Americans for
note.] later. […] I also expected take the mayor of Argentan into all they had done. The flag was hung on the ruins of the town
town to organize an official flag presentation the opportune hall. Photographers and cameramen immortalized the
moment.” […] moment. […] Later in the day, the American and British
detachments assigned to civilian affairs moved into 15 Pierre-
At Aunou-le-Faucom, Colonel Pearson interrogates with the rest of
the CIC Detachment, the S2 of the 318th Regiment and the divisional Ozenne Street. We had received the order to leave control of
G2, the captured German prisoners to get information that would the town to the British: consequently, our troops pulled out
clarify the situation of the enemy forces in Argentan. But the G2 gradually. As for me, I headed for Crennes. […] After the war, I
th
service also interrogates the civilian authorities: on August 19 , he continued to correspond with the mayor of Aunou-le-Faucon
conducts an interrogation of the mayors of Argentan and Urou as
well as the sub-prefect. These officials point out precisely on a map
the German positions that they can find and the strategic points
inside the town.

Pearson continues his account: “Sunday, August 20: At 10:20 a.m., I

provided a pass (…) to Major Ball for the sub-prefect of Argentan
and introduced Mr. Charles Néron, inspector of
telecommunications, to Lt. Delaney. At 11:15 a.m., Major Ball
discussed bread distribution with the sub-prefect and mayor of
Aunou. I also issued a pass to Doctor Picot [a physician from
Argentan. Author’s note.] . [ ...] Later, I received a call from
Colonel Harry McHugh, regiment commander, all excited,
telling me to bring the mayor into town. We left in a jeep,
driven by Eddie, the mayor seated on our equipment in the
rear of the vehicle. There were still some elite German
marksmen in town, fires had begun to burn out, and at any
moment people could step on a landmine or be hit by a shell.
The Colonel’s orders were to get to town with the mayor and,
above all, that the flag presentation ceremony be held ‘before
the English arrived: that’s just what we did. We found the
Colonel there and left Eddie and the jeep in order to go ahead
on foot to the ruined town hall. The mayor took my hand and
followed me. He assured me that he was a courageous man, a The American and French flags
veteran of another war …but I cannot fault him for having been are hoisted by two GIs on the
a little prudent when we were trying to find an open passage façade of the town hall.
(NARA/Tyler Alberts.)
in the debris of the town. […] The Colonel officially presented
Opposite: S/Sgt. A. L.
Mozell of 166th Signal
Corps Company, films
the destroyed buildings
in front of town hall on
August 20th. In the
foreground, some trees
have been shattered by
shells. (NARA/Tyler
Alberts.)

as well as with Yves Silvestre. He had written a theatrical play

inspired by the period of Occupation in Argentan.” (2)

Above: The celebrated Flag presentation ceremony

Panzer of the 9. Pz.-Div.
lies in ruins in The testimony of Colonel Pearson informs us of the context in
downtown Argentan. which the well-known films and photographs of liberated
Fires are still visible as
Argentan were made: it is a matter of pride, honor and almost
the Allies have just
forced their way into politics for these men who were anxious that their first feat in
the city. (IWM.) battle should be immortalized and recognized. In fact, on the
same day, the BBC broadcast this announcement: “Today
British troops entered Argentan.” An assertion that raised the
ire of many soldiers and officers of the 80th Infantry (“Our
soldiers were happy that this difficult battle was over, but the
BBC news bulletin had angered them quite a bit,” declared
Colonel Pearson) and which made the obligation to organize
the presentation before the British troops came all the more
urgent. Indeed, as we showed In the previous article, the
British of the 11th Armored Division really did enter Argentan
on that date of August 20th, but they came to bring about the
relief of the Americans, and not to liberate the town.

It is a tradition of the American army for a division to offer a

“Star Spangled Banner” (nickname for the American flag) to
the first town that it liberates. The 80th Division does not
violate the rule. We should note that it is not the division
commander, McBride, but McHugh, 318th Infantry (the
regiment paid the heaviest price to take Argentan) and the
first recipient of the Silver Star in the division, who presides
over the ceremony, in the company of other officers (including
Pearson) and soldiers of his regiment. If Yves Silvestre was the
only French representative, it is because virtually all the
townspeople of Argentan remained as refugees in nearby
villages, Nevertheless, a French flag was immediately hung at
the town hall next to the American colors. In light of this
particular context and this combination of circumstances, we
understand better how this event is the best illustrated in
what concerns the battle of Argentan, because a team from
the 166th Signal Corps (made up of two photographers and three
 The same Panzer tank, after
removal to the town square.
(Author’s collection.)

cameramen, Lt. Hoorn, Sgt. C. B. Smith and Sgt. A. L.

Mozell) was sent specifically to cover this celebration.
After all, this was really a question of a ceremony less of
improvisation than communication.

In an extraordinary session of the Argentan town council

on September 25th, 1944, the mayor “recalle(d) as
proudly as ever that on Sunday, August 20th the Town
was finally liberated by the 1st U.S. Army and that the
American and French flags were raised on the ruins of the
town hall by American hands in the presence of their
comrades in arms, the Mayor and the American colonel
in command of the troops lending a hand in front of the
Army photographers and film cameramen for screening
in London and New York.” (3)

Right after liberation, the Allied officers assigned to

civilian affairs (Americans of the 80th Division, followed
by the British after August 25th) who have moved into
their offices on Pierre-Ozenne Street, worked together
with the town government on a daily basis on the various
kinds of problems facing the ruined towns, particularly in
matters of provisions and lodging. One of the top Above: A segment of the Argentan-Trun Road closed on August 20th, in the rain. Part of the
concerns was to clear the ruins by all means in order to debris of the different German columns destroyed o this road in the August 20th ambush are
visible on the shoulders. (IWM.)
make the streets and roads passable and to secure
houses. Below: Hatch cover of a Panzer tank found alongside the Argentan-Trun Road. This piece comes
from one of the German tanks destroyed in the morning ambush of August 20 th: this is the
Therefore, beginning on August 20th, the Allies began to hatch cover of the Panzer whose turret was blown away (belonging either to the 9. SS Pz.-Div.
clear the streets and roads with bulldozers and or the I/24 of the 116. Pz.-Div.) of which we provided photograph in our previous article.
excavators to allow the passage of their convoys. From [Triangle Normand Association.]
the 23rd on, it is the civilians themselves who begin the
clearing with the means at their disposal: many
rummage through what remains of their houses to
rescue keepsakes or last possessions. Clearing also
entails the removal of human and animal cadavers that
had been buried in the ruins, as well as securing and
neutralizing explosive vehicles and devices (landmines,
shells, etc.) still unexploded and posing a present danger
to the population. A clear example, attested by extensive
photographic proof, is the German Panzer tank of the
II./Pz.-Rgt. 33, 9. Pz/-Div., abandoned up Poterie Street,
which was quickly removed to the town hall square.
Farther away, on the market square, a German
reconnaissance automobile was pushed into a bomb
crater. A number of live munitions are unearthed rubble
before they were neutralized. Notwithstanding all these
difficulties, Argentan comes steadily back to life. At the
time, a French journalist wrote in his article:
 Battle: The 80th Infantry Division at Argentan

Above: This photograph, also issued in the series taken by the Signal Corps team on August 20th,
shows a soldier of the 318th Infantry advancing circumspectly (surely for the needs of the
photographer) along Saint-Germain Church, Town Hall Street. It seems that no German “In vain, within the ashes would you
marksman was found by the American patrols. (NARA.) seek despair … Argentan is reborn from a common
fervor.” (4)
Opposite: View of the entrance to Victor-Hugo Nursery School, situated on the boulevard of the
same name, on the town limits of Argentan. It stands on the side of one of the routes taken by
the men of the 80th Division to capture the town. The body of a German soldier lies in front of
the door (note the camouflaged helmet cover). (NARA.)

Below: Three foot soldiers of the 80th Infantry have improvised a lunch on Town Hall Street in
front of a heap of debris. The divisional insignia is clearly visible on the M41 blouse sleeve of the
kneeling soldier. Taking time to savor a meal worthy of the name while reusing real furniture to
boot (here a table) is a way for these soldiers to celebrate and consecrate a victory so dearly
won. (NARA/Tyler Alberts.)
Human and material consequences of the battle
th
Precisely establishing the list of losses sustained by the 80
Infantry Division at Argentan is a difficult task, since the sums
obtained in compiling the data of the Morning Reports (reports
on the company or battalion level)., the After Action Reports
(reports on the battalion or regiment level) and the data of the
official reports of the divisional headquarters all disagree. These
differing sums are derived from different, mutually-
contradictory sources, for they are based on a temporality that
varies according to the type of report (daily, weekly, by “combat
period”, etc.). This works well for the combat units. However,
according to the report of the 305th Medical Battalion, based in
Marcei, 432 men passed through its aid station during the
battle of Argentan. But this report does not account the killed,
prisoners and missing,

So, in reconciling the various available sources, comparing them

and discussing them, we can affirm that between 500 and 650
American soldiers were killed, wounded or captured from
August 18th to 21st in Argentan. (5) It is not surprising that the
318th Infantry Regiment paid the heaviest price, with around
300 losses to that unit alone. Around six Sherman tanks, if not
seven (6), from the 702nd Tank Battalion, as well as several
American antitank cannons were also destroyed during the
fighting. Losses were particularly heavy among the officers: for
example, on August 18th, Captain Robert S. Hall, S2 officer of the
313th Field Artillery Battalion, and his chauffeur were killed by a
88mm volley while riding from Aunou to Sai: on the same day,
another 88mm shell mortally wounded Lt. Col. Gustof Lindell,
commander of the 1st Battalion, 318th, KIA, as well as Major
Norris, S2 officer of the 318th, while both were taking shelter
behind a haystack near Urou.

In Argentan, the Americans took 1,141 German prisoners. Most

were handed over to PWI (interrogation (Prisoner of War
Interrogation) teams: the captives belonged primarily to the
116.9 and 2. Pz.-Divisionen, the 10. SS Pz.-Div. “Frundsberg”, the
353. Inf. Div. and various Luftwaffe units. The daily
(situated between Crennes and “Le Tellier”) as well as
interrogations are rich in information for the Americans: on A lone American crosses the
August 19th, for example, a German soldier of the 98. Leichte numerous German headquarter maps and fairgrounds. This viewpoint
documents, particularly in Aunou-le-Faucon. (8) In permits us to see the damage
Flak-Abteilung is interrogated and tells that his unit,
consideration of the great heterogeneity and disparity that the Allied artillery fire
commanded by Hauptmann Schueler, has been positioned in
of the German units, it is relatively difficult to caused to the southwest façade
Argentan since August 13th. He gives the count and the of the town hall as well as the
allocation of 20mm and 37mm cannons, as well as their establish a precise inventory of their losses around
Argentan. former theater. (NARA/Tyler
positions: three cannons and two tanks are found in the vicinity Alberts.) The same place
of Trois-Croix: another section is found east of Argentan. He photographed from an identical
Finally, the residents of Argentan were not spared by angle today. (Photo of the
also details the placement of the German forces inside the town
the battle: around one hundred civilians and refugees author.)
and the location of the minefields, especially on the edges of
were killed between June 6th and August 20th, 1944:
Argentan.
the town is damaged by up to 90% (the count was 796
total destructions, 564 partial and only 21 houses
Once captured and interrogated, the 180th Divison’s German
remained intact).
prisoners were evacuated to a collection point situated close to
the cemetery in Almenêches. (7) Furthermore, the American
division claimed the destruction of about fifteen tanks (a Panzer
Lessons for the future
was even captured intact near “Chiffreville” on August 21st) and
The Americans quickly came to understand the
the same number of various armored vehicles (an outcome
necessity of analyzing what happened in Argentan to
important to qualify, since the destruction of a single tank or
draw some lessons: from August 21st on, the divisional
armored vehicle is often claimed several times), Thanks to
artillery, after having established their command post
reports produced by the divisional artillery recently discovered
in an old farm of “La Grand’Cour” in Aunou. Initiate
in American archives, we can at last give a more precise account
the writing of a special report citing the eyewitness
of the vehicle destroyed along the Argentan-Trun Road during
accounts and clues about the progress of the battle.
the morning ambush staged by 2nd Battalion, 317th Infantry
in the early hours of August 20t: three tanks destroyed and Ultimately, this baptism of fire for the 80th Division
one captured (principally Panzers) and twenty or so was particularly terrible. A totally inexperienced
armored and light vehicles (including several Sd. Kfz. 251). The division had to face a war-seasoned, veteran and
division also seized a depot of 27,000 tons of munitions
 recommendations of the subordinate officers concerning the
strategy to adopt. Finally, he singles out certain divisional
officers who are in his opinion the cause of numerous
incidents that hindered combat at Argentan, due to their
incompetence (hesitation in identifying a vehicle as Allied or
enemy), their lack of training (certain cannons were brought
too slowly or poorly placed into firing position) and their
blind and overly rigorous application of military techniques
that sometimes need to be adapted to the reality of the
battlefield.

Let us add that the American artillery played a more than

salutary role in Argentan, since apart from some “friendly
fire” which seem at any rate inherent to the U.S. Army in the
field, it lent decisive support in crushing enemy positions and
permit the GIs to advance and win the day.

Soldiers of the 318th Consequences of the baptism of fire

Infantry as well as an
determined enemy. Although diminished and partially
officer, probably from The considerations of Captain W. Koob call for reflection on
disorganized. The American officers and soldiers, too accustomed
the CIC Detachment,
to large-scale maneuvers on vast, flat spaces, had not carefully the immediate consequences of the baptism of fire on the
talk with Argentan
scrutinized the specificity of the Norman battlefield, moreover theretofore inexperienced young officers and soldiers: the
residents in order to
obtain possible disadvantageous from a topographical viewpoint, for as we shock of the combat experience. In Argentan, the majority of
information about the showed in our first article (cf. Normandie Magazine no. 6), the GIs the men of the 80th Division were confronted for the first
situation of the German rushed from Urou to Crennes out in the open, over a space time with warfare at its cruelest and most terrible. It is
troops in retreat to the offering little shelter, while the Germans occupied dominant and difficult to know the horizon of expectations of the American
northeast of Argentan. well-camouflaged positions along the edge of Gouffern Forest. soldiers (i.e., according to history professor Reinhart
(NARA/Tyler Alberts.) This explains the fact that the soldiers retreated numerous times, Koselleck, the way by which, in the present, we maintain a
running ad hoc et ab hac to cover in order to regroup before connection with the future and the possible. But thrust into
heading back into combat. Especially as it seems that the enemy the anonymity of the battlefield, they had to face a
force was underestimated by the division information services. bewildering eschatological situation, marked by violence
The German forces’ defense plan and strategy, pragmatic and (inflicted or received), the loss of comrades and by
efficient, posed manifold difficulties to the Americans. sentiments, perplexing, morbid impressions. This first
experience was for many a terrible event, often with grave
The calculations of the Americans in the preparation of their consequences (as in the case of L Company, 318th Infantry,
assaults (difficulty in finding a ford, the systematic bogging down whose men, petrified with fear from German fire in the
th
of many vehicles and cannons on the Ure, too little assault of August 19 , were finally surrounded and
reconnaissance of the enemy positions being led, etc.) are so captured).
many complicating factors in the problems encountered by the
80th Infantry Division. It is nevertheless necessary to add to that Major James B. Hayes, S2 officer of the 317th Infantry,
an evident lack of rigor and coordination among the infantry, described in these words the effects of combat unleashed on
armor and the infantry, as well as the tactical errors and the men: “In Argentan, we immediately realized that the flux
negligence, if not the incompetence, of certain officers in their of adrenaline provoked by combat transformed the body in a
role of commander (like the fact that armored vehicles were sent strange way. Some men were euphoric (I was), while others
without infantry cover or preparatory reconnaissance, as was the simply collapsed with fear. Some were victims of “shell
case on August 18th in Urou.). shock” β more euphemistically called “traumatic psychosis.”
Whatever the reactions, things did not work out as well as
At the end of his report on the deployment of his antitank during maneuvers. Some officers had to be relieved because
company in Argentan, Captain William Koob is emphatic in his they could not cope. Communications could not be
remarks and critiques regarding the way in which the operations established, since artillery fire and tank movements destroyed
were carried out: he decries for example the fact that he alone the lines.” (9) It is evident that the stress of combat as well as
had to command 38 antitank weapons (the eighteen 57mm the warning symptoms of post-traumatic stress began to
cannons of his company, the twelve heavy cannons of the 610 th show up in the soldiers who had survived the fighting in
TD Battalion and the eight M-10s of the 893rd TD Battalion), at the Argentan. A phenomenon difficult to quantify in the very
same time comporting himself “diplomatically” with the officers short term, even if the reports indicate the evacuation of
of each antitank unit, when he had been charged with pursuing several soldiers suffering from “battle fatigue,” a form of
the orders he had received from his own hierarchy. The combat stress. These psychic and psychiatric wounds
substantial size and the dividing out of this antitank force are all sometimes took years to heal, if they could.
the more cumbersome for the almost nonexistent and inefficient
communications between the different components because of Moreover, it is interesting to note that, among the
the lack of appropriate facilities and materiel. Koob also insists on eyewitness accounts, reports and veteran’s written accounts
the fact that he had never encountered or manipulated heavy that we have consulted during the drafting of this study
antitank cannons or M-10s, except in military manuals or (about forty) the place conferred to violence is reduced. Int is
publications: nor was he up to speed on the specific techniques even disembodied, in the sense that the enemy in Argentan
for these weapons. Therefore, he had to rely on the is often reduced to “a tank” or “a machine gun position.”
Never is the enemy perceived in his individuality.
This photographic quadriptych permits us to focus on the different actors and witnesses of the battle of Argentan:

1. This image taken shortly after the end of fighting around Argentan shows a German prisoner, face despondent and exhausted at the time of his
capture. The guerre stopped for him in Normandy. (IWM.)
2, Close-up of a sniper of 318th Infantry while he rests smoking a cigarette in Argentan. His features visibly drawn and weary, the soldier could savor
some days of rest before heading off farther east with the rest of his division. (NARA/Tyler Alberts.)
3. This portrait, captured by a British reporter, makes for a terrible image. The little Norman girl’s family had taken refuge at a farm outside Argentan.
Her face reflects the anguish and distress of a child caught up in the torment of war, (IWM.)
4. Mgr. Rattier, with Melle Florence, gives his account of the battle to English journalists. The cleric stayed in Argentan throughout the battle, comforting
his flock and visiting Saint-Gernain Church daily in order to limit the damages. He was wounded by falling rocks in his church on August 14 th, which
explains the bandage, (Private collection.)

I began, ‘just now I was in combat for a bit and

Likewise, the stamp of death is ldiminished: the
veterans evoke death as they endured it, when their participated in an important battle. You will probably
learn about it in the newspapers. I got out without a
comrades are killed, rather than when they
scratch. I got my “baptism” of fire, and from now on I
themselves inflict it. So the enemy most often meets
know all the tricks. That means that there is absolutely
death after “an artillery barrage” or “a round of tank
no reason to worry, I am a good soldier who loves and
fire.” The temporality of the writing has no effect on
believes in God and my family; so I will back home
the observations. Accordingly, the eyewitness account
before long. All that you need to do is pray for me and
of B. Alvarado – published in our pervious article – is
all will be well.’ What I did not tell them is that I had
one of the rare examples to describe how he takes an
killed my first German. Although I am certain that the
enemy life during the ambush on the road from Trun
on the morning of August 20th. mortar shells I launched had hit enemy troops multiple
times, killing and wounding a certain number among
From this point of view, the personal account of 2nd them, this was the first time I took a life with my rifle.
Lieutenant Andy Adkins Jr., who led a mortar section Thinking back on this, it hardly mattered, When had
in H Company, 2nd Battalion, 317th Infantry, is equally been trained to think of the German soldiers as “the
interesting: “This first combat experience had deeply enemy” who killed men, women and innocent children
shaken me, but I came out of it intact. As soon as I while going from conquest to conquest. To tell the
could, I wrote a letter to my mother and father. This truth, they told us lots of horrible stories to
I did on August 24th, 1944: ‘Dear Mom and Dad,’ dehumanize the enemy. Likewise, the Germans did not
balk at killing American soldiers, I was in the process of
going across the woods with a squad of foot soldiers
 th
But coming out of the battle of Argentan, the men of the 80
Division are finally war-hardened and have acquired
experience: an experience of probity that will be useful to
them in the upcoming engagements, in Moselle, a month later.
Also, they have developed an “esprit de corps” among
themselves. An esprit de corps that can be clarified by the
formation of what American psychologists have called the
“primary group,” namely a restricted group (at the level of a
company and even more often within a section), composed of
about ten or fifteen men, inside of which the close bonds of
solidarity and camaraderie are forged. The photographs taken
in Argentan showing the men of the 80th Division who are
celebrating their victory together, singing and eating, perfectly
illustrate what these primary groups were.

Before concluding, let us give the floor to 1 st Lieutenant Ruyan

th
of the 314 F. A. who, nearly 40 years after the battle of
Argentan, summed up his first engagement in these terms:
“Argentan, how can we forget, was truly our first baptism of
Above: Unpublished from F Company to find an emplacement in which fire. Experience confronting ignorance. Fighting a war-
photograph of the to position my mortars. Suddenly, the lead scout hardened enemy, experiencing fire for the very first time,
southeastern façade of
kneeled and signaled that he had spotted seeing our comrades being killed and wounded. And in my
Saint-Martin Church.
Although less damaged
movement on our right flank. We all came to a stop case, I confronted as well my ipseity for the first time. My
than Saint-Germain, this and then kneeled, and we strained to detect any struggle between emotion and fear came to a head and my
building’s roof was kind of movement across the trees. We spotted a ability to cope with this was one of the most gratifying
pierced in multiple places small group of Germans moving out silently from experiences of my life.” (11)
and its stained-glass our right towards our left, about thirty meters
windows blown out by ahead of us. The foot soldiers kept still until they So, in the light of these various considerations, we find
Allied cannons. (Author’s our three articles in an approach alternating between
had the enemy in their gun sights, then the scout
collection.) micro-history and local history: micro-history because it is
shouted ‘Halt!’ The Germans turned about face and a matter of describing and analyzing the case of a unit in
opened fire on us. We all returned fire. I carefully particular confronting its first combat experience, in order
took aim on one of them and then slowly pulled the to draw general conclusions by induction: local history
trigger of my M1 carbine. It was almost like slow because it is a question of recounting and clarifying the
Below: Soldiers chat and motion. In the little sights, I saw his head blow fighting in the Argentan region.
smile at a smoking break,
open when the bullet struck his left cheek. It was an
in front of the From one memory, another one
photographer’s subject,
intolerable sight, but seeing that I was under the
right after securing the gunfire of battle, my only reaction was to save my To conclude our study, a reflection on the memory of is
town. The man sitting life. Nobody in the squad was wounded. We necessary: memory can be defined as the way by which
cross-legged at left is the exterminated all the Boche patrol, which was societies, groups and individuals interpret the past. To study
same as the one visible in composed of eight men sent out on reconnaissance. this phenomenon best, it is necessary to seek inspiration from
the photograph on the We went to inspect them to see if any were still cultural creations and memorial practices, from the ways by
previous page. (NARA.)
alive and to check their bodies for their which the past in its totality or a person, or a specific event are
Soldbücher.” γ (10) conceived or imagined. At no point do we intend to pass
judgment on conduct and practices, but instead to endeavor to
understand and analyze them.

Throughout Normandy, plaques, memorial stones and

monuments have flourished in the course of the years,
sometimes to honor the military, at others the civilians, all
actors and victims of the fighting for Liberation. Oddly, the
The same place today. battle for Argentan occupies a place of only small importance
(Author’s in the collective memory of the 80th Division: although we are
photo.) dealing with their baptism of fire, their first combat victory and
even though their losses were relatively heavy, it seems that
no official delegation of veterans has ever gathered at
Argentan since the end of the war (to be sure, certain veterans
have come back as private individuals, with their families, but
their exact number is unknown). Argentan is not completely
concealed in memory of the 80th Division: in conducting our
research, we found that numerous veterans and historians
remember and know of the fighting in Argentan, which have
been studied in detail in a number of works published in the
United States (the absence of any serious historiographical
work in French on this specific battle is deplorable, with the
possible exception of the rigorous and cursory works of Xavier
Rousseau, an erudite local, and Eddy Florentin, author of the
compendium Stalingrad in Normandy). The feeble memorial
importance from the American point of view comes from
several factors: let us recall first of all that only two tiers of the
division were engaged; next, the fighting in the area developed
relatively fast (four days, stricto sensu) and so the losses were
much less important than those that the division suffered the
following month in the east of France. Therefore, after the
war, the veterans and their families concentrated on the
sectors where the soldiers had fought the most and they often
came to France in autumn time, when the commemorations
take place in this other part of France, without participating
therefore in the ceremonies in Normandy. Furthermore,
visiting Argentan amounted to a sort of detour in their
memorial itinerary to the former European battlefields, since it (5) This figure takes into account the organized units of Above: On August 20th, other
was a question of their only engagement in the west of France. the division as well as the units attached to it for the foot soldiers of the 318th broke
duration of fighting. into Argentan, taking present-
The insignificant place assigned to the liberation of Argentan in (6) The fate of a Sherman tank engaged during the day 104th RI Street. To their
the memory of the 80th Division begs comparison with that in fighting remains uncertain. Likewise, certain reports right, the fairgrounds. The
the collective memory of the Argentan townspeople show that an American tank was destroyed near the destruction to the crossroads
themselves. In effect, there does not exist in Argentan any Trois-Croix crossroads by a German 88mm on the in the background are
morning of August 18th, but we have found no trace of particularly impressive.
monument commemorating the capture and the liberation of
the loss of this armored vehicle. (NARA/Tyler Alberts.)
the town by the Americans. The only places of remembrance in
town are dedicated to the memory of the 2nd French Armored (7) 80th I.D. G-1 Reports, August 1944.
Below: A group of Argentan
Division (General Leclerc Square, Avenue of the 2nd D. B., (8) 80th I.D. G-1 Reports, August 1944. townsfolk have “requisitioned”
plaque on Victor Hugo Avenue, etc.) and the Resistance (9) James B. Hayes. The Valiant Die Once, private a Kettenkrad tracked vehicle
fighters (an imposing monument in Leclerc Square, a number publication (manuscript.).(10) A.S. Adkins and Andrew Z, abandoned by German
of plaques placed downtown, streets christened after those Adkins, III, You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This, soldiers to get wood in
who were shot or deported, etc.). It is evident that after the Casemate, 2005, pp. 18-19 (258 pp.). Gouffern Forest during the
war the memorial importance of the Resistance movement (11) Various, The 314th FA Battalion in the ETO, 1988, p. winter of 1944-1945.
eclipsed and displaced. So the 20th of August, date of the actual 10.(12) Pierre Nora (ed.), Les Lieux de Mémoires (Places
(Collection of G. Geslain.)
liberation of the town, was celebrated for several years after of Memory), Volume. I, Gallimard, 2008, 1642 pp.
1945 before ceasing progressively to be observed. This can be Bottom: Still today, the
explained not only by the particular prestige enjoyed by ecchymoses of the battle
δ
We invite the reader to refer to the notes and remain visible on the age-old
Leclerc’s men in the eyes of the Norman population, but bibliographical citations furnished in the previous stones of Saint-Germain
also by the fact that a number of civilians were convinced that articles if he wishes to have a more complete idea of the Church. (Author.)
Argentan could have been liberated as early as August 13th had different sources and works consulted.
the American officers given the 2nd D,B, the means to do so: for
many residents of Argentan, the town needlessly suffered a
week of destruction and back-up bombardment that
contributed somewhat more to its annihilation. Let us add to
this that scarcely a hundred or so civilians actually met the
American liberators in Argentan and that the 80h Division was
already on the move when the majority of the population
came back to town. Therefore it is difficult, if not impossible, to
consider Argentan and its surroundings as a true lieu de
mémoire (“place of memory”) of the Battle of Normandy,
according to the famous definition formulated by the historian photo.)
Pierre Nora. (12).

Acknowledgements: Madame Geslain, Andy Adkins, Jeff

Wignall, Steve Dike, Terry James, Triangle Normand
Association, Frédéric Deprun and Tyler Alberts
(www.combatreels.com).

Notes:

(1) Yves Silvestre was elected mayor of Agentan in 1925.

ε
Member of the S.F.I.O. ., professor of philosophy at the
Collège Mézeray, he was a man of letters and a pacifist.
Although his town council voted a motion of confidence for the
ζ
Vichy government and infiltrated the RNP in 1941m he was
η
exonerated by the chambre civique of the Orne on account
of his attitude under the Occupation. He resigned from his
position on September 29k 1944, visibly exhausted and
discouraged by the situation in which his town found itself at
the close of the war.
(2) Ralph E. Pearson. En route to the Redoubt. Volume I, Adams
Printing Service, 1957, pp. 37-41 (88 pp.).
(3) Official report of the town council, Argentan Municipal
Archives.
(4) Cited by X. Rousseau in “Le dernier siege d’Argentan” (“The
last siege of Argentan”), in La Bataille de Normandie au Pays
d’Argentan (The Battle of Normandy in the Argentan Region).
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES:

α
Service de Travail Obligatoire (S.T.O.): During the Nazi Occupation, the Obligatory Work Service sent hundreds of
thousands of French citizens into Germany for forced labor in munitions plants and other production facilities, frequently under
Gestapo supervision. By conservative estimate, from 25,000 to 25,000 S.T.O. workers died in Germany.
β
“Obusite” – the word used for English “shell shock” in the original French text – means literally “shell-itis.”
γ
Soldbücher: Paybooks.
δ
Jacques-Philippe Leclerc (1902-1947): The French general in command of the division that liberated Paris in 1944.
ε
S. F. L. O. (La Section Française de l’Internationale Ouvrière ): The French Branch of the Workers’ International) was a socialist
political party, existing under this name in France from 1905 to1969. In 1969, it became simply the Parti Socialiste.
ζ
R.N.P. (Rassemblement National Populaire) : The National Popular Assembly was a French fascist political party during World
War II. It was one of the three major collaborationist groups in France, with the Parti Populaire Français (P.P.F.) and the Parti
Franciste.
η
Chambres civiques: Justice tribunals created in 1944 after Liberation, for the purging of collaborators, without possibility of
appeal. dja