Dead Man's "Corner" is 3 kms north of Carentan, on N13, at the intersection of D913 (to Ste. Marie du Mont). The name comes from an incident on June 7th when an American tank was destroyed and its crew incinerated at this intersection. It remained there for days with the dead commander sitting up in the turret. The GI's refered to it as " the corner where the dead man's in the tank." The Corner's name is still a local identification.
The elevated Route Nationale 13 southward to Carentan is lush grazing pasture land. By control of the Barquette Lock ( 2 kms east, but out of sight behind the new Liberte Expressway ) the Germans controlled the flow of the Douve River valley and the intake of the twice a day tides. By June 1944 the Douve River valley had become a marsh causing north - south traffic to funnel along N13 ( or walk the elevated railroad line visible 1 km to the west ). The four small bridges ( large culverts ) stabilized the water level on both sides of the two-lane causeway.
Units of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division paratroopers were to land into their specified Drop Zone, 2 kms northeast of Dead Man's "Corner", then via D913 and N13 move south and destroy the four causeway bridges thereby stopping German reinforcements entering the UTAH Beach lodgment area during the American Buildup period. Misdropping and scattering of the airborne troops upset their timetable so the bridges were not destroyed. On D-Day the American forces only came to within 1 km of the northern bridge located on the southern edge of the hamlet, Pont du Douve, that straddles the causeway road.
Although the French Resistance had cut many German communication telephone lines the evening of June 5th and the dark morning hours of June 6th, German Major Fredrick von der Heydte receives orders at his Periers ( 18 kms southwest of Carentan ) headquarters at 6 am to move his 6th Parachute Regiment northward rapidly, to meet the invasion. Major van der Heydte crossed the causeway around noon ( June 6th ), passed through the N13/D913 intersection, setting up his headquarters in Ste. Come du Mont ( 1 km north of N13 ). From the church steeple he was awe struck by the magnitude of the invasion fleet visible off UTAH Beach ( 12 kms northeast ). The Major deployed his 2nd Battalion ( 300 men ) northward 6 kms on N13 to Fauville and his 1st Battalion northeast 6 kms to Ste. Marie du Mont. This Battalion was quickly cut off by advances of the U.S. 8th Regiment coming from UTAH Beach. The German Battalion fled southward and surrendered the following day to Colonel Howard Johnson's ( 501st Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division ) small force at la Barquette Lock. |
 |
 |
| Dead Man's Corner August 2006 |
Dead Man's Corner June 1944 |
Major van der Heydte deployed the 3rd Battalion, 1058 Regiment into the fields and hedgerows east of N13 from Dead Man's "Corner" to Ste. Come du Mont. Recognizing the sizable American forces he wanted to keep the N13 causeway open for possible withdrawal. The "Corner" became a focal point for the American advance and German further reinforcements or withdrawal.
On D-Day, Colonel Johnson's men captured la Barquette Lock and several foot bridges across the Douve River east of the Lock. American patrols moving along the north edge of the flooded valley towards the northern most bridge at the Pont du Douve hamlet were stopped by German 88 mm artillery fire from Ste. Come du Mont and Carentan. The Germans in Pont du Douve were well entrenched with two heavy machine guns and an anti-tank gun. Against these defenses and artillery support fire the Americans made little progress.
On D+1 ( June 7th ) , late afternoon, Dog Company of the 2nd Battalion ( 506th Regiment ) entered the junction from D913. ( Eleven months later Colonel Robert Sink's 506th Regiment occupied Hitler's Bavarian Berghof in Berchtesgarden ) The column was lead by a platoon of medium tanks. The lead General Grant tank as it pivoted southbound onto N13, received a direct hit from a German anti-tank gun in Pont du Douve. ( Some veterans believe it was a panzerfaust rocket fired from a west-side hedgerow ). The crew was incinerated and the dead commander remained sitting grotesquely upright in the burned tank for several days.
A little later, an American eight truck quartermaster supply convoy arrived at the "Corner" from the direction of Ste. Come du Mont. Having disembarked on UTAH beach, the convoy proceeded west joining N13 at les Forges ( 6 kms north ). The convoy turned south passed through German held Ste. Come du Mont, arriving at the "Corner" oblivious of what they had done.
Dog Company and the eight trucks, being exposed and over extended under Colonel Robert Sink's orders withdrew at 11 pm eastward along D913 2 kms to the Beaumont hamlet.
On D+2 ( June 8th ) 4:45 am an American four battalion attack was launched from the northeast against Ste. Come du Mont and the "Corner". At 8 am, Colonel Julian Ewell's 3rd Battalion, 501st Regiment reoccupied the intersection. He saw the German Paratroopers withdrawing westward from Ste. Come du Mont towards La Croix ( 1 km west of the "Corner" ) from where they could retreat south to Carentan along the elevated railroad. Colonel Ewell decided to move his force down N13 towards Carentan. As his force approached the roadside hamlet, Pont du Douve, small arms fire, the two machine guns, the anti-tank gun, and an 88 mm gun in Carentan laid down a curtain of death between the hamlet and the "Corner" Colonel Ewell's men pulled back to the "Corner" where they were attacked by German paratroopers coming from Ste. Come du Mont attempting to retreat along N13 to their line at Pont du Douve. The Germans came through the fields and hedgerows on both sides of the highway. To the west, two hedgerows ( 150 meters ) they occupied the hill and fired into the Americans holding the "Corner". The present buildings are damage repaired. The dominant home was used as a German casualty dressing station. The American paratroopers attacked and cleared the hill, then spread out behind the east-west hedgerow, crowing the hill, anchoring their line in the apple orchard storage barns. |
 |
Between 9:30 am and 4 pm six concerted attacks were made against their line. At 2:30 pm the strongest attack, in the field immediately east of the highway and house was nearly successful. The timely arrival of three tanks coming westward along D913 strengthened the weakened positions and saved the day.
A short time later the 1st Battalion of the 401st Glider Infantry Regiment entered the battle scene.The Germans had given up the southward N13 withdrawal plan and were retreating west through La Croix to the railroad line and then south to Carentan.Two battalions pursued the Germans. Although contact was broken the Germans were quite visible scurrying along the sloping west side of the protective railroad embankment.
|
|
|
|
|
Bordering the second field north and west of the "Corner" is a narrow hedged track leading to La Croix. The ditches of this east-west road were the German start positions for their attack on the Americans holding the hill. Able Company ( 506th Regiment ) pursuing the retreating Germans captured forty supply wagons under the canopy of trees. The wagons contained guns, ammo and a sizable German cash payroll.
Link - Dead Man's Corner Museum
|
|
Home Page