From the Potato Letters--70 years ago: The 4th Armored Division lands in France. Daddys unit, the 126th Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion has arrived in France, crossing Omaha Beach and moving to Barneville, France. This was territory already liberated since D-Day, giving the 4th Armored Division a chance to get organized into the three columns it would employ throughout the campaign-Combat Command A, Combat Command B, and Combat Command R (for reserve). For centuries armies had be formed from units of four. Based on the ancient Roman and Greek battle technique of forming squares in battle. The American army was transitioning to a triangular battle formation. With either two units forward and one back or one unit forward and two back. American officers felt the three unit formation was better adapted to modern battlefields. Further, General Wood, who led the 4th attached elements of maintenance, supply, artillery, transportation, and even the medical battalion were tasked to follow close behind each Combat Command in the so called vacuum behind the attacking front lines. Previously such units would have been part of a Headquarters unit kept in the rear. Daddys unit would be a part of Combat Command A or CCA. The 4th Armored went into the Allied line to relieve the 4th Infantry Division which had advanced about twenty miles across the Normandy peninsula to the Coastal town of Barneville. They were temporarily attached to the U. S. First Army--Pattons Third Army was still a secret.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 13:03:38 +0000