Cobra to Lüttich: an Event by the 2nd Armored In Europe

Cobra to Lüttich: an Event by the 2nd Armored In Europe
(The following was captured by the personal cameras of nearly 300 WWII Reenactors in Normandy for the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Normandy)
On July 26th, 1944 the full might if the U.S. 1st Army broke out of the thick Norman Bocage in one of the most key operations of the campaign, Operation Cobra. Beginning on the 28th, the U.S. 4th Armored Division as part of VIII Corps take part in the operation and would move to take Coutances and move south to take the city of Avranches on July 31st. The Following day forces of the division would move to secure a crossing over the Selune River at Pontaubault against hard enemy opposition but would take intact the old stone bridge which would allow for they and the entirety of the newly created 3rd Army to move out of Normandy and begin cutting off the vital Atlantic ports in Brittany.
At the same time, the U.S. 3rd Armored Division as part of VII Corps was moving down from Marigny to support the advance of the 1st Infantry Division towards Barenton. On August 3rd, they would seize the town of Mortain. They Germans whose lines were in complete disarray with pressure from their Furher decided to stage a major counter attack to take back all the ground lost as a result of Operation Cobra and retake Avranches. This attack would be Operation Lüttich.
On August 7th, 3 major Panzer Divisions would attack the U.S. lines around Mortain, surrounding a battalion of infantry from the 30th Infantry Division on Hill 314. The 3rd Armored would be dispatched to stop the main thrust of the 2nd Panzer Division at the villages of Le-Mesnil-Tove, Le Mesnil-Adelee and later St. Barthelemy which would help by the 8th in stopping the enemy advance any further west.
The American Succuss of Operation Cobra and the German Failure of Operation Lüttich would without question lead to the encirclement of the German 7th Army in the following week.
Thank you to all the reenactors who attended this lovely event and I hope to see you all soon in the future.
Deeds Not Words!