| Original caption: Huge clouds of smoke rise as pole charges blast a Nazi pillbox, 1 of the German outer defenses of Cherbourg, France. On the left are 2 Americans taking cover from the explosion. On June 24, 1944, the 79th Infantry Division approached Fort du Roule. The infantrymen had to storm the concrete strongpoints: “Les Chèvres” in Tollevast and “La Mare aux Canards” in La Glacerie. 2 soldiers of the United States Army 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division, take cover behind a wall as an explosive charge detonates during efforts to reduce a German pillbox at Wiederstandnest 548, part of the Fort du Roule complex defending the port of Cherbourg. Note on the left the 165th Signal Photo Company photographer’s jeep. This SK Type Bunker was used for radiotelegraphy – sending and receiving encrypted Morse code messages – near the hamlet of Rouges Terres in La Glacerie. 1 of the Allied priorities after D-Day was the capture of a serviceable, deepwater port. Cherbourg was taken, but its facilities were badly damaged. The United States Army’s VII Corps launched a general assault on June 22. Resistance was stiff at 1st, but the Americans slowly cleared the Germans from their bunkers and concrete pillboxes. Allied naval ships bombarded fortifications near the city on June 25. On June 26, the British elite force Number 30 Commando – also known as 30 Assault Unit — launched an operation against Octeville, a suburb to the south west of Cherbourg. This was the location of the Kriegsmarine Naval Intelligence Headquarters at Villa Meurice. The Commandos captured 20 officers and 500 enlisted men. On the same day the 79th Infantry Division captured Fort du Roule, which dominated the city and its defenses. This finished any organized defense. The city capitulated on June 27. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2057.jpg |
| Image Size | 159.26 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1600 x 1139 |
| Photographer | Franklin |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 24, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Cherbourg |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | SC 190815 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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