Chapter XXI
St. Malo and the North ShoreFootnotes
1. The sources for this section are the VIII Corps G-3 Journal and File and the Task Force A After Action Report and Journal, August. Unless otherwise noted, documents referred to in this chapter are in the VIII Corps G-3 Journal and File.
2. TF A AAR, Aug, and FO 1, 2 Aug; VIII Corps FO 9, 1 Aug, and Spec Map.
3. Ltr, Earnest to OCMH, 6 May 54, OCMH Files; Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 1030, 3 Aug.
4. Msgs, Earnest to Middleton and Grow, 1600, 3 Aug; Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 1930, 3 Aug; TF A Jnl, entry 1255, 3 Aug.
5. VIII Corps G-3 Sec Memo, 0630, 3 Aug; 330th Inf AAR, Aug, Telecon, Col Conrad R. Boyle and Col Evans. 0945, 4 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl.
6. TF A G-3 Sitrep 4, 1330, 4 Aug.
7. 12th AGp Ltrs of Instr 1 and 2, 29 Jul and 3 Aug; see above, Ch. XVII. Middleton may have discussed this with Bradley when the army group commander visited the corps command post on 2 August. See Bradley, Soldier's Story, pp. 362-63.
8. Msg, Middleton to Macon, 4 Aug; 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entries 1110 and 1130, 4 Aug.
10. Msg, Middleton to Earnest,. 5 Aug; VIII Corps Msg, 2400, 5 Aug, and AAR, Aug; TF A FO 3, 1159, 5 Aug.
11. Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 1330, 6 Aug.
12. Verbal Msg, TUSA Spec Force Detachment in contact with FFI to VIII Corps, 1625, 6 Aug; Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 2205, 6 Aug; Journal des Marches; VIII Corps AAR, Aug.
13. Verbal Rpt of TF A Liaison Officer to VIII Corps, 7 Aug, TF A Jnl, entry 1200, 7 Aug; Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 0030, 8 Aug; TF A FO 4, 6 Aug.
14. ETOUSA Engr Hist Rpt 10, Combat Engineering (1945).
15. Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 2153, 6 Aug, received VIII Corps CP 0100, 7 Aug; Msg, Middleton to Earnest, 0400, 7 Aug.
16. VIII Corps G-3 Jnl, 8 Aug; Msg, Earnest to Middleton, 2200, 8 Aug; VIII Corps AAR, Aug. One hundred and fifty special troops had been parachuted from England into Brittany during the night of 4 August to help the FFI protect the railroad bridges at Morlaix. TUSA AAR, I, 20.
17. Msgs, Earnest to Middleton, 1352 and 1615, 9 Aug.
18. TF A FO 6, 2400, 8 Aug, and Jnl, entry 2100, 9 Aug; Msg, Middleton to Earnest, 1710, 9 Aug; Msg, Middleton to Earnest, 1810, 10 Aug, TF A Jnl; see 21 AGp, Dir M-515, 27 Jul.
19. App. A to PS SHAEF (44) 29 (First Draft), 16 Jul, SHAEF G-3 File 24533/Opns, Future Opns; Memo, Evans to Earnest, 12 Aug; Roland G. Ruppenthal, Logistical Support of the Armies, Vol. II, UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR II (Washington, 1959), Ch. II; TF A Opns 1 Aug-22 Sep, a preliminary MS, OCMH Files; ETOUSA Engr Hist Rpt 10.
20. Msg, Middleton to Earnest, 1530, 14 Aug; Journal des Marches; see Memo, "JTR" [Col John R. Jeter. to Evans, 15 Aug.
21. VIII Corps AAR, Aug, and G-2 Per Rpts 48, 49, and 51, dated 1, 3, and 5 Aug.
22. VIII Corps FO's 9 and 10, 1 and 2 Aug, G-3 Memo, 0630, 3 Aug, and G-2 Rpt, Beaches South of Vannes, n.d.; Min of Mtg. 0900, 30 Jul, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl.
23. Ltr, Eisenhower to Montgomery, 10 Jul, SGS SHAEF File 381, Overlord, I (a).
24. TF A FO 2, 1159, 4 Aug; 83d Div FO's 21 and 22, 1800, 4 Aug, and 0100, 6 Aug, and Annex 1 to G-2 Per Rpt 44, 16 Aug; G-3 Per Rpt 33, 1600, 5 Aug; VIII Corps G-2 Weekly Per Rpt 8, 12 Aug.
25. 83d Div G-2 Per Rpts 32 and 33, 1800, 4 Aug, and 1600, 5 Aug.
26. 83d Div FO 21, G-2 Per Rpt 32, 1800, 4 Aug, and AAR, Aug.
27. Msg, Macon (signed [Lt Col Robert W. Hartman) to Middleton, 6 Aug; 83d Div G-3 Per Rpt 5, 1200, 7 Aug.
28. Msgs, Macon to Middleton, 2120, 9 Aug, and 1830, 11 Aug. R. Fouque, La CM, Bastion de la Forteresse de Saint-Malo (n.p., 1945) (hereafter cited as Fouque, La Cite), contains the best description of the St. Malo fortress, the best account of the activities of the relatively few French who remained there during the battle, and the clearest narrative of German conduct. See also Dr. Paul Aubry, L'Agonie de Saint-Malo (Rennes, 1945) and La Ruee sur Saint-Malo (Rennes, 1947) f or the events that occurred within the fortress.
29. OB WEST, a Study in Command, II, 9.
30. Fouque, La Cite, pp. 33-34; see also pp. 25, 44-45, and Plate 7.
31. As it turned out, the few vessels were quite unimportant in the military action that developed. Fighter-bombers soon drove them from the St. Malo waters.
32. Aubrey, L'Agonie de Saint-Malo, pp. 49-50; 83d Div G-2, G—3 Jnl, entry 0945, 8 Jul.
33. See 83d Div G-2 Per Rpt, 1600, 6 Aug.
34. Msg, Middleton to Stroh, 5 Aug; Msg, Middle-ton to Jeter, 1260, 6 Aug; Msg, Macon to Middleton, 0035, 6 Aug; VIII Corps Msg, 6 Aug.
35. 330th Inf G-3 Rpt, 1130, 9 Aug.
36]Msg, Macon to Middleton, 1535, 9 Aug.
37. The following account is largely from the 121st Inf AAR, Aug.
38. VIII Corps G-2 Per Rpt 56, 2400, 10 Aug, and G-2 Weekly Rpt 8, 12 Aug; 83d Div FO 23, 2240, 6 Aug.
39. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entries 1110, 1440, and 1800, 9 Aug, and FO 24, 0200, 10 Aug. The 330th Infantry, which had detached a battalion for duty with Task Force A, took control of a battalion and an additional rifle company of the 331st; the 331st took a battalion of the 330th under its control.
40. Msg, Macon to Evans, 1400, 11 Aug.
41. 83d Div G-2 Per Rpt 40, 1600, 12 Aug.
42. Two members of the 121st Infantry, T. Sgt. Milford W. Wilson, who boldly diverted enemy fire to himself to cover his squad's withdrawal, and Capt. Arthur W. Kaiser, who led his company through mine fields, barbed wire, tank barriers, and artillery and machine gun fire to assault enemy positions with bayonet and grenade, were posthumously awarded the DSC.
43. Annex 1 to 121st Inf AAR, Aug, Summary of Action of 3d Bn 121st Inf from 7 Aug to 12 Aug 44, 4 Sep.
44. Telecon, Gen Middleton and Col Samuel V. Krauthoff, 1440, 13 Aug.
45. 330th Inf Rpt, 1220, 12 Aug.
46. 330th Inf S-3 Rpt, 1800, 14 Aug; 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entry 1815, 14 Aug.
47. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entry 1555, 16 Aug; 329th Inf Msg and Sitrep, 16 Aug.
48. Telecon, Middleton to Krauthoff, 1440, 13 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl and File; VIII Corps G-2 Per Rpt 60, 2400, 13 Aug, and G-3 Per Rpt 61, 14 Aug.
49. The best description of the Citadel is found in Fouque, La Cite, pp. 7-25. See also VIII Corps G-2 Per Rpt 56, 2400, 10 Aug, and G-2 Weekly Per Rpt 8, 12 Aug; ETOUSA Engr Hist Rpt 10, Combat Engineering (Aug, 45); [George], Ninth Air Force, pp. 203, 219.
50. 83d Div G-2 Per Rpt 35, 1600, 7 Aug.
51. 83d Div G-2 Per Rpt 33, 1600, 5 Aug; Telecon, Evans and Boyle, 2318, 6 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl and File.
52. Memo, Evans for Maddox, 7 Aug.
53. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entries 0015, 9 Aug, 0935 and 1510, 10 Aug; Msg, Macon to Evans, 1400, 11 Aug.
54. 83d Div AAR, Aug, and Msg, 1100, 6 Aug; TUSA Info Memos, 5 and 7 Aug; VIII Corps Arty (Air OP) Msg, 1350, 5 Aug.
55. VIII Corps G-3 Jnl, entries 1030 and 1500, 10 Aug.
56. Rpt of Maj Marcus, MC, on Mission Behind German Lines, St. Malo, n.d., 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl File, Aug; 83d Div AAR (7 Aug); 329th Inf AAR (10 Aug); ETOUSA Engr Hist Rpt 10; Fouque, La Cite, p. 58.
57. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entry 1415, 11 Aug, Annex 1 to G-2 Per Rpt 41, 13 Aug, and G-2 Per Rpt 38, 1600, 10 Aug; Fouque, La Cite, p. 50.
58. Telecon, Lt Col Jules Deshotels and Lt Col Herbert H. Hauge, 1018, 11 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl and File; 329th Inf and VIII Corps G-2 Per Rpt 58, 2400, 12 Aug; Fouque, La Cite, pp. 58-62.
60. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entry 1413, 13 Aug; 329th Inf AAR, Aug.
61. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entry 1203, 14 Aug.
62. Telecon, Evans and Krauthoff, 1945, 16 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl and File; 329th Inf AAR (17 Aug).
63. 329th Inf AAR (17 Aug) Fouque, La Cite, plate 24.
64. 83d Div Annexes 1 and 2 to G-2 Per Rpt 44, 16 Aug.
65. Memo, Evans for Cross, 11 Aug; Memo, Middleton for Macon, 14 Aug, 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl File; VIII Corps G-3 Per Rpt 61, 14 Aug, and Msg, 2300, 15 Aug; 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entries 2253, 15 Aug, 0955, 16 Aug, 1132, 16 Aug, and 2050, 17 Aug; Notes by General Ferenbaugh on Middleton-Macon conversation at St. Servan, 16 Aug, dated 17 Aug; Additional Notes from Middleton, 1000, 18 Aug.
66. 83d Div G-2, G-3 Jnl, entries 1841 and 2035, 6 Aug, and 0930, 9 Aug; [George], Ninth Air Force, p. 220.
67. 83d Div G-3 Per Rpt 45, 1600, 17 Aug; [George], Ninth Air Force, p. 174.
68. Ltr, Alexander to Macon, Rpt of Parley on Isle de Cezembre, 18 Aug.
69. See 330th Inf AAR (2 Sep) .
70. Memo, Lt Col Frederick G. Cain for Col Evans, 31 Aug.
71. 330th Inf AAR's Aug and Sep, 44; [George], Ninth Air Force, p. 174; Msg, ANCXF to SHAEF, 2215, 28 Aug, SGS SHAEF File 381, Post-OVERLORD Plng; 12th AGp Memos for Gen Kibler, 29 Aug, 12th AGp File 371.3, Mil Objectives, I.
72. 330th Inf AAR, Sep; [George], Ninth Air Force, p. 221; 12th AGp Immed Rpt 49, Organization and Effect of Heavy Arty, 9 Sep.
74. VIII Corps G-2 Est 6, 1800, 15 Aug.