The Battle of Ramelle occurred on 13 June 1944 when a detachment of German troops and panzers from the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich attempted to cross the Merderet River at the town of Ramelle, Normandy. The Germans were resisted by a mixed unit of American paratroopers under Captain John H. Miller, and the Americans held off the Germans until US Army reinforcements arrived and relieved the few remaining defenders. The battle was a fine display of heroism on the part of the US troops, as they nearly fought to the last man to defend the town from a German takeover.
Background[]
The defenders of Ramelle
The town of Ramelle was located along the Merderet River in Normandy, France, and the town had a stone bridge that forded the river. When the Allied Powers invaded France in June 1944, they needed a deep water port to supply their troops for the drive on Paris, so they decided to focus on capturing the vital port of Cherbourg. The German commander Erwin Rommel correctly predicted that Cherbourg would be the target, so he decided to send his armored forces across the Merderet River and flank the American invasion forces when they turned to invade Cherbourg. The US Air Force responded by blowing up all of the bridges across the river except for the one at Ramelle, as the Americans also needed to cross the Merderet. This made Ramelle a very important town, as it was the only area that Rommel could ford his panzers.
The town was defended by a small mixed unit of paratroopers from several parachute regiments, almost all of them from the US 101st Airborne Division. The paratroopers were under the command of Corporal Henderson, who stocked up on the limited resources that the paratroopers could pool together to defend the town. They were reinforced by some members of the US 2nd Ranger Battalion under Captain John H. Miller, and the Rangers and paratroopers devised a plan to defend the town. They rigged the bridge to blow in case of a German takeover of the town, and they also positioned a sniper in a church tower, a machine-gun nest in a house, several troops at sandbag positions, and a man with a detonator for several mines that would be used to destroy the German vehicles. The Americans also used "sticky bombs", putting TNT in their socks and dipping them in fluid chemicals. 2 Tiger tanks, 2 panzers, and 100 German troops under Major Hoess]] advanced on the town from the east, facing 20 paratroopers and rangers.
Battle[]
The US troops preparing to fight the Germans
The German tanks and infantry were surprised by the explosions of sticky bombs and mines set by the Americans, and American machine-guns opened fire on the German infantry. The Germans were taken by surprise, and the Americans took out a half-track's crew with a single Molotov cocktail. However, the Germans began to overrun several buildings and push the Americans back, with some Germans even engaging in melee combat with knives and rifle butts. The German troops shot or beat down wounded or surrendering American troops, and the Americans were slowly pushed back towards the Merderet bridge in the center of town. The Germans came close to overwhelming the Americans, and Captain Miller was mortally wounded while attempting to blow the bridge. However, American airplanes flew over the town and bombed the panzers to scrap metal, pushing the Germans back. The Germans were forced to retreat as American reinforcements arrived, and the town was successfully held. The American victory allowed for Cherbourg to be taken later in June, and the Allies would be able to break out from Normandy.