20 June 1944 Part 2

20 June 1944 Part 2 Situation briefing sent to the island garrison

Date note: 20 June 1944.

Top Secret Command Matter. Teletype. 20 June. Seventh Army Headquarters, Ia, to 319th Infantry Division. Situation briefing since 15 June.

1. The sector east of the Orne to the Seine estuary has been under LXXXVI Army Corps, Seventh Army, since 19 June. Enemy east of the Orne pushed back; Bois de Bavent clear of enemy.

2. I SS Panzer Corps. Several enemy thrusts with tanks on both sides of Tilly-sur-Seulles, intended to envelop Caen, repulsed with heavy enemy losses.

3. XXXXVII Panzer Corps. Our attack northeast of Caumont progressing slowly.

4. LXXXIV Army Corps. Stronger enemy attack towards Saint-Lô thrown back to the Bérigny–La Meauffe line. Since 19 June II Parachute Corps, in the Vire–Drôme sector, has been directly subordinated to Army Headquarters.

Penetration from the Carentan area as far as the Prairies Marécageuses–Le Motiers line. After capturing Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte on 16 June, the enemy broke through to the west coast on 18 June. Our security line runs west of Prétot to Saint-Lô-d’Ourville.

General Hellmich killed; Major General Stegmann missing. Elements of 77th Infantry Division have fought their way south.

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Group von Schlieben, comprising 709th Infantry Division and elements of 77th, 91st and 243rd Infantry Divisions, is fighting its way back to Cherbourg. Lieutenant General von Schlieben commands both inside and outside the fortress.

Seventh Army Headquarters, Ia No. 3752/44 Top Secret Command Matter. [Signature indistinct.]

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1565. Roll 1565 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 50. Scan extracts: img098_03_3879_5808.jpg, img098_04_5808_7736.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.