The story
The following day, August 6th, Le Mans was designated as the new objective. Now two task forces were dispatched to seize the city which lay almost one hundred miles south-east.
One task force, under Brigadier General William G. Weaver, was to take the northern route; the other, commanded by Colonel William B. Barth, traveled the southern route. The mission of the remainder of the Division was to follow the forward elements, mopping up pockets of resistance. Resistance in the shape of road blocks was encountered along the route. Here and there pitched battles took place. Prisoners were taken in unprecedented numbers.
And on the third day, Le Mans had fallen to American troops. In ten days the Division had advanced 140 miles, taken more than 1,500 prisoners and had suffered less than 300 casualties.
No longer a Division of unknown quality, no longer merely an anonymous unit with a numbered designation, the 90th had emerged from its baptism of battle as a force to be reckoned with, a force which the enemy had learned too well to respect, to avoid and to fear.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.