4 Infantry Division (USA) attacked to seize Saint-Pois

The 4th Infantry Division attacked to seize Saint-Pois, a town strongly held by the Germans on the north flank of General George S.
Patton’s Third Army breakout.
The division’s attached armor encircled the town from the south, after which its three infantry regiments attacked abreast to secure the dominating terrain to its north.
Hastily evacuating Germans were pulverized by the division’s direct and indirect fires.

On 7 August the Germans attempted a desperate counterattack through Mortain with an armored reserve they had accumulated for that purpose.
They hoped to reach the sea at Avranches, cutting off Patton’s Third Army.
The weight of the attack hit the 30th Infantry Division.
The 4th Infantry Division moved quickly to secure the 30th Infantry Division’s northern shoulder, pummeling the Germans with artillery fire as it did so.
The Mortain offensive, handled locally, turned into a disaster for the Germans while Patton’s offensive continued unchecked.