The cotentin peninsula, also known as the cherbourg peninsula, is a peninsula in normandy. I hadnt realized when i began editing arnold blumbergs article on the capture of cherbourg that dads division had been in the thick of the fighting there. In august the 9th landed at palermo, sicily, and took part in the capture of randazzo and messina. To its west are the channel islands and to the southwest is the brittany peninsula. The peninsula s main economic resource is agriculture. The capture of a major port was seen as an essential part of the post dday buildup in france, and the seaborne assault had been extended west to utah beach to allow for an early advance towards cherbourg.
The battle for normandys cotentin peninsula and brittany randolph bradham on. Jul 07, 2010 the cotentin peninsula in normandy is seaside france at its most unspoilt and welcoming, says joanna symons. Article continues section of the bayeux tapestry and the normans crossing the english channel with horses and equipment in their dragon ships late september 1066 ad. Accurate, colorful, and authentic, this portrayal of the attack is a personal, moving account of one of the most importantyet heartbreakingdays in history. British troops, who had landed near bayeux on three beaches called gold, juno, and sword, advanced quickly but were stopped before caen. This work focuses on the set of battles that had to be fought for the allies to secure their foothold on normandy. Accounting for the origins of ketil poses several problems. The americans on the cotentin peninsula like the british during the last seven days, the american first army had also feared a major counterattack from the south. Apr 19, 2018 this is an interesting, but flawed look at the american operations to cut across the cotentin peninsula shortly after landing in normandy in june 1944. As well as authentic eyewitness testimony, the book also acts as a field guide, including maps and both comtemporary and modern photographs. While the focus of this survey of modern dna targets the period of viking settlement in normandy, and in the cotentin peninsula more precisely, the programme has the additional potential to address a whole range of other historical questions pertinent to the specific region and the wider history of early medieval europe including the. This book provides a detailed overview of the battles that make up the cotentin peninsula campaign, an important part of the invasion of normandy.
An attack against the cotentin peninsula, on the other hand, has a reasonable chance of success, and would ensure the early capture of the port of cherbourg. By early 1942, allied operational planning was in progress, assessing three different operations. The cotentin peninsula also known as the cherbourg peninsula, is a peninsula in normandy. As well as authentic eyewitness testimony, the book also acts as a field guide, including maps and both contemporary and modern photographs. Its coast, with among others the ecalgrain bay, the jobourg headland, the carteret cape, the barfleur headland and the veys bay, enchants walkers. Following five weeks of almost nonstop combat, the 82nd airborne division was withdrawn to england. History the peninsula formed part of the roman geographical area of armorica. The study was focused on the population of the cotentin peninsula because the density of places and people whose names are of scandinavian origin is particularly strong. The view that germany was the more dangerous of the axis powers was a foundation of allied strategic planning assumptions at the arcadia conference, held in washington, dc, in late december 1941.
Cotentin peninsula article about cotentin peninsula by the. Situated in the north of the manche departement, the cotentin peninsula offers a charming group of landscapes alternating between marshes, meadows, hedged farmland, moors, cliffs and wild coasts. Gordon harrison of the historical section, european theater of operations, and in the historical division, war department special staff. No page 1 enemy forces in cotentin peninsula as estimated prior to d day. The manuscript was edited under the supervision of lt.
Apr 26, 2019 accounting for the origins of ketil poses several problems. It is one of the strongest dialects of the language on the mainland. That means hes telling the normandy story, including an introduction on the larger strategic context of the european theater and planning for the invasion, airborne operations, amphibious landings, the german defense and subsequent stalemate on the cotentin peninsula through the breakout, in about 12,000 words, the length of a couple of. The cotentin peninsula in normandy is a land of wilderness, lulled by the wind and the sea, a land of hidden treasures. The genetic history of the modern inhabitants of cotentin peninsula is being studied by the university of leicester to determine the extent of scandinavian ancestry in normandy. Get books, articles, media and internet resources on dday.
The invasion was the largest amphibious landing in history. The cotentin peninsula in normandy is seaside france at its most unspoilt and welcoming, says joanna symons. While historians often cite specific examples of the fighting that took place on the peninsula, most treat the battles as individual events or singular parts of the overall normandy campaign. Dec 30, 2014 i hadnt realized when i began editing arnold blumbergs article on the capture of cherbourg that dads division had been in the thick of the fighting there. Bradham vividly presents the battle for normandys cotentin peninsula. Through thoughtfully constructed research, bradham vividly presents the battle for normandys cotentin peninsula one of the most important and yet understudied operations of the world war ii. Oct 10, 2002 corps operations in the cotentin map no. Dday was the code word designating june 6, 1944, the day for the invasion of the cotentin peninsula in nazioccupied normandy by allied forces during the second world war. The 90th had landed at utah beach right behind the initial assault elements. The historical genetics of the cotentin peninsula manche, normandy. Most literature was published in the large number of competing newspapers, which also circulated in the neighbouring cotentin, sparking a literary renaissance on the norman mainland.
Although as published this book contains no documentation, the. The genetic history of the modern inhabitants of cotentin peninsula is being studied by the university of leicester to. Reference to the hedgerows on the cotentin peninsula recalled another of dads sparing comments about the war. This is an interesting, but flawed look at the american operations to cut across the cotentin peninsula shortly after landing in normandy in june 1944. The translation of the original from french is very poor and on more than one occasion leaves the reader going back to untangle run on sentences or look for a map.
The battle of cotentin, 919 june 1944 by georges bernage. After returning to england for further training, the division hit utah beach on 10 june 1944 d plus 4, cut off the cotentin peninsula, drove on to cherbourg and penetrated the ports heavy defenses. When one views the joint seaborne and airborne invasion of the cotentin peninsula on june 6, 1944, in its entirety and sums up the personnel losses noted by afteraction reports of the participating units, a total of about 3,450 american soldiers, sailors, and airmen became casualties during that invasions execution. British troops, who had landed near bayeux on three beaches called gold, juno.
Dairy and vegetable farming are prominent activities. The historical genetics of the cotentin peninsula vikings dna project hi everyone, the study has now been publicly released in france, however, i cant find any paper yet on the web, some articles have been published in french. The peninsulas main economic resource is agriculture. Cotentin peninsula, bayeux, bassenormandie, france. Cherbourg, at the end of the cotentin peninsula, was the largest, accessible port from the landings. Cotentinais is the dialect of the norman language spoken in the cotentin peninsula.
The allied planners decided at first not to land directly on the cotentin peninsula, since this sector would be separated from the main allied landings by the douve river valley, which had been flooded by the germans to deter airborne landings. Allied intelligence had not appreciated the success of its air forces and the resistance in slowing the arrival of german reinforcements. Their advance was slowed following the failure of the 90th infantry division, but they were able to. Utah beach to cherbourg center of military history. By july 22, elements of the german regiments 2nd and 3rd battalions were entrenched in defensive positions opposite the 90th infantry division on the cotentin peninsula. A detailed casestudy academic partners this project is being carried out by dr richard jones and dr turi king, in partnership with prof pierre bauduin. Other formats available buy the hardback and get the ebook for. In fact, the 79th was the first american unit to enter the city. A history of the 90th division in world war ii, 6 june 1944 to 9 may 1945. The drop zones for the 101st division were labeled a, c, and d and were. The campaign in the cotentin peninsula 630 june 1944 was the first major allied advance after the dday landings, and ended with the capture of the port of cherbourg, seen by the allies as one of the most important objectives of operation overlord. Put simply, this book provides a detailed overview of the battles that make up the cotentin peninsula campaign, an important part of the invasion of normandy. Normandy most convincing viking markers present in 59% of.
Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Cotentin peninsula simple english wikipedia, the free. Dday was the code word designating june 6, 1944, the day for the invasion of the cotentin peninsula in nazioccupied normandy by allied. The capture of a major port was seen as an essential part of the post dday buildup in france. To its west lie the channel islands and to the southwest lies the brittany peninsula. The cotentin peninsula is principally composed of sandstone, granite, and shale. Two days later they cut the cotentin peninsula at barneville, before heading north towards cherbourg. It extends in a northwest direction into the english channel.
Thus, an eventual largescale angloamerican landing in northwestern europe was seen as inevitable. The author, who was a young boy living in a village near the site of the dday landing, includes his perspective, adding to the others tales to offer a complete recreation. The cotentin peninsula in normandy is a land of wilderness, lulled by the wind. History books on the battle of normandy in 1944 page 2. The battle for the cotentin peninsula kindle pen and sword books. History books dedicated to the battle of normandy from 6 june 1944 to 29 august 1944, explaining tactics and strategis of the envolved armies. The cotentin peninsula, also known as the cherbourg peninsula, is a peninsula in normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of france. List of books and articles about dday online research library. The town known today as coutances, capital of the unelli, a gaulish tribe, acquired the name of constantia in 298 during the reign of roman emperor constantius chlorus. It would entail dividing our limited forces by the lowlying marshy ground and intricate river system at the neck of the cotentin peninsula. Appendix a united states army center of military history. Cotentin peninsula news newspapers books scholar jstor september 2010 learn. List of books and articles about dday online research.
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