35 Infantry Division (USA) forced their way over the lip of Hill 122
The 35th Infantry Division embarked from England and debarked across Omaha Beach during the period 5-7 July.
It entered combat on 11 July in the tough hedgerow country just north of Saint-Lô.
The division’s objective was to close to the Vire River west of Saint-Lô, and it had to seize the dominant terrain feature of Hill 122 to do so.
The enemy resisted fiercely from concealed and well-positioned strong points in the heavily vegetated terrain.
American artillery proved particularly crucial, pounding one strong point after another and hammering the enemy’s artillery with devastating effect.
By noon on 15 July infantrymen had forced their way over the lip of Hill 122, and brought up tanks to support them.
Kicking off with a combined arms attack at dusk, they swept the Germans off the rest of the hill by midnight.
In the course of the fighting the 35th Infantry Division beat back a dozen German counterattacks.
The capture of Hill 122 proved to be the key to capturing Saint-Lô, which fell shortly thereafter.