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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Near Sainte-Mère-Église in Manche Départment, Basse-Normandie, France — Lower Normandy (Atlantic Coast) |
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General Gavin’s Foxhole
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By Roger W. Sinnott, August 18, 2012 | |
| | | 1. General Gavin’s Foxhole Marker | | |
Inscription. Ici combattit
Le Général
James-M-Gavin
le 6 juin 1944
Translation:
Here fought
General
James M. Gavin
June 6, 1944
Location. 49° 24.041′ N, 1° 21.717′ W. Marker is near Sainte-Mère-Église, Basse-Normandie, in Manche Départment. Marker is on Route D15, on the left when traveling west. Click for map. Marker is about 3.5 km (2.2 miles) west of Sainte-Mère-Église. Marker is in this post office area: Sainte-Mère-Église, Basse-Normandie 50480, France.
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 5 kilometers of this marker, as the crow flies. 82nd and 101st Airborne on D-Day (approx. 3.4 kilometers away); Clifford A. Maughan P.F.C. (approx. 3.4 kilometers away); House on Fire at Sainte-Mère-Église (approx. 3.5 kilometers away).
Regarding General Gavin’s Foxhole. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, paratroopers of the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions landed between midnight and 2 a.m. near the small town of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy, France. Their mission was to cut off resupply or escape routes that might be needed by German units defending the coastal beaches, and where, toward dawn that day, Allied forces would arrive in great strength.
Brigadier General James M. Gavin commanded the 82nd Airborne’s Task Force A, consisting of the 505th, 507th, and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments. They were brought to France in 378 C-47 aircraft (the military version of the DC-3), to be followed later by additional troops in gliders. The 505th was to take Sainte-Mère-Église itself, while Gavin was the first to jump from the lead plane of the 508th. He landed near the Merderet River about 2 miles north of La Fière bridge.
Seizing this bridge was a major objective, and it was the scene of fierce fighting for days before it was securely in Allied hands. (Some of these details are from Gavin’s 1978 book, On To Berlin: Battles of an Airborne Commander 1943–1946.)| | | | 
By Roger W. Sinnott, August 18, 2012 | |
| | | 2. View Showing the Foxhole | | |
Also see . . . Military history site. An overview of Gavin’s military career. (Submitted on September 24, 2012, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts.)
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By Donald W. Olson, August 18, 2012 | |
| | | 3. Looking West from Foxhole Site | | About 175 yards ahead lies La Fière bridge (near where the car is). | | |
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By Roger W. Sinnott, August 18, 2012 | |
| | | 4. View Closer to the Bridge | | Taking and holding this bridge was a primary D-Day objective of Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin’s Task Force A, comprising three parachute infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division. | | |
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By Donald W. Olson, August 18, 2012 | |
| | | 5. Panorama of La Fière Bridge | | Today’s picturesque scene looked much different on June 6, 1944. The Merderet River had been flooded by the Germans to impede any advance of Allied troops; the river became 500 yards wide, and General Gavin described the road as looking more like a causeway. Click to enlarge. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on September 24, 2012, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 111 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 24, 2012, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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