The Forcing Of The Merderet Causeway At La Fiere, France: An Action By The Third Battalion 325th Glider Infantry [Illustrated Edition]

By Colonel S. L. A. Marshall

Contains 6 maps and illustrations.
As the tens of thousands of American troops began their approach toward the forbidding German-defended Normandy coast, their comrades in the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions had already flown over the Channel and began dropping and gliding into enemy territory. The Airborne Divisions had a role critical to the success of the entire Normandy Landings; beyond the initial beach landing areas were miles of flooded defended ditches and waterways. If the German troops managed to defend these bottlenecks the Americans on Utah Beach, at the extreme right of the operation, would be unable to move forward and might have foundered on the beach. The American airborne troops, like their British and Canadian compatriots on the left flank, were the elite of their respective armies and expected that their unique battle skills would enable them to deal with any tough mission that was bound to come their way.
One such waterway was the Meredet river and its important bridge, this objective was handed to the troops of the 325th Glider Infantry who would wing their way in flimsy and dangerous gliders. As the brave 325th rushed the bridge they knew that their trial had only just begun; cut-off from their own troops on the beaches, lightly armed and surrounded by Germans who would try and respond to their capture of the pivotal bridge.
S L A Marshall, the Official Historian for the European Theatre of Operations, interviewed the men of the 325th on their return to the U.K. and from this collected material set about recording this story of their courage, dedication and fighting skill.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucknow Books
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782893516

Colonel S. L. A. Marshall

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Text originally published in 1944 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

REGIMENTAL UNIT STUDY — NUMBER 4

THE FORCING OF THE MERDERET CAUSEWAY AT LA FIERE, FRANCE — AN ACTION BY THE THIRD BATTALION 325TH GLIDER INFANTRY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

CHARGE ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY 4

THE STRUGGLE FOR MOBILITY 11

THE CROSSING COMPLETED 20

THE HEDGEROW FIGHTING 22

TROUBLE IN THE CENTER 26

THE MOMENT OF FAILURE 28

THE EVENING ATTACK 30

MAPS 35

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 40

CHARGE ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY

(These facts were developed at a battalion critique in LEICESTER, ENGLAND, on 2-3 August, 1944, with all surviving officers and NCOs present. In the narrative, the witnesses are self-identifying.)

The Battalion was already in motion toward the Merderet and approaching the railway crossing when the order for the attack came down the column of marching men. It passed from man to man so that no one would misunderstand the nature of the assignment: They were to attack across the Causeway, and once started, they were to keep moving. Company G, being first in the column, would lead the assault, followed by Companies E and F. After that, in the formation, came the heavy machine guns, the 81 mm mortars (6 of them) and the other elements of Headquarters Company. The column came to an exposed space at the railroad crossover but the men all double-timed through there and the Battalion made it without anyone being hurt.

While the order was still being relayed to the rearward files, the preparatory barrage fire opened, and the artillery and other supporting weapons continued their pounding of the western bank as the column moved downgrade along the winding road which led to the River. It was a preparation loosely coordinated in part, yet fully satisfying in its over-all effect. Along the river bank, Capt R. D. Rae and his badly-punished group of men from the 507th Regiment had been having some hours of extra anxiety. Rae had been told early that morning that there should be an attempt to force the Causeway by storm and that either his Company (reinforced) or a battalion from 325th Regiment would draw the assignment; it was a question whether the 325th column would arrive in time from CHEF DU PONT. They sweated it out through the early hours, knowing that if the other force was not on hand by 1000, they would have to jump-off.{1} Periodically, Rae got reports of the upcoming column's progress; it began to look hopeful. At 1030, Rae heard the barrage open and he knew that the 325th's men were moving in to attack. He had already deployed his own men in firing position close to the water's edge, with the greater part of them disposed to the left of the bridge and along a small rise of ground to right of it. This was according to Gen Gavin’s instructions; Gavin had also sent word to Rae to keep heads-up when the attempt was made to force the Causeway, and if 325th's attack seemed to waver, he was to charge forward with his own group, and take over the assault.{2} Now as the Division's light guns and the 155s of the 345th [Field Artillery] Battalion, 90th Division began to speak from the ground between La Fiere and Ste Mére Eglise, the roar and rattle above the swamp of the Merderet mounted rapidly. They were joined by the artillery pieces and machine guns of Company A, 746th Tank Battalion, which after coming cautiously forward under cover of the artillery attack had put its tanks into hull defilade among the farm buildings on the rising ground just above Rae’s fire line. The action was hardly begun before the German artillery replied. Shellfire shook the ridge at La Fiere and crashed among the buildings next the river it seemed to be coming from directly across the swamp and about 1000 yards away.{3} But the precise location of the guns was unknown to the American force and there was no effective counterbattery fire; the American artillery continued to concentrate its attack against the built-up area along the opposite shore. From these same buildings cane a small arms fire of such intensity that it beat like hail against the American side of the river,{4} threatening anyone who tried to approach the bridge. Rae’s men had already joined this action; every rifle and machine gun was bearing on the likely-looking targets on the far shore. Yet there was no apparent lessening of the volume and deadliness of the enemy fire.

Company G, 325th, had kept on moving toward the bridge, hearing, yet not feeling, this blast. Until the