Pictured Above: A Map Detailing the Path of the 137th Regiment Through France
From July 7th to 9th, 1944, Charles with the 137th Regiment landed at Omaha Beach near the commune of Colleville-sur-Mere, where they witnessed the aftermath of the D-Day invasion. They immediately pushed into the hedgerow country of Normandy, with the ultimate goal then of capturing the key city of St. Lo.
Total Destruction in the Aftermath of the Battle of St. Lo
Normandy After initially being in reserve, the 3rd Battalion was first put into regimental control for the first time on July 11th, 1944. By then, the 137th had moved southwest to the area north and west of St. Lo. By the 18th, after blocking vital roads out of the city, the 3rd Battalion was with the rest of the regiment in its ultimate position for the city’s taking. Specifically, it would stay entrenched in the north bank of the Vire River – flowing directly west of St. Lo – overlooking the city while a task force comprised of elements of the 35th and 29th Division seized the city a day later.
The overall role of the 137th in capturing the city was vital: the regiment destroyed the German main line of defense protecting St. Lo. In addition to that, it was the first section of the 35th Division to be on its objective and kept watch over the city from there as the proper invasion commenced.
Charles and the 137th would continue fighting as they eventually left the St. Lo area and travelled south to the Mortain – St. Hilare area, east of Mont St. Michel, arriving on August 7th, 1944. There, near Mortain, the regiment would encounter German resistance to their continued advance. After a few days, Charles’s regiment would come out on top and they would advance east to Orleans, passing through the liberated Le Mans on August 14th, 1944.
Snapshot of the Cathedrale Sainte-Croix d'Orleans After the Liberation of Orleans
Orleans In the morning of August 16th, the 3rd Battalion was closing in on Orleans. It was descending from the north, the regiment having stopped in nearby Coulmiers the night before. In the forest between Coulmiers and Ormes, German opposition presented itself. However, by about 1500, the battalion had infiltrated the northwest portion of Orleans. Just less than two hours later, at 1645, city hall was taken. The liberation of Orleans would be Charles’s first offensive in which he would explicitly enter a major city to be a part of its recapture. The 3rd Battalion itself would remain in Orleans until August 23rd while the 1st and 2nd Battalion were sent on a mission east to Sens.
The regiment was back together by August 27th, south of Montargis, east of Orleans. As September rolled around, it suffered a gasoline shortage, limiting its ability to send out patrols. On September 3rd, 1944, the regiment began to make its way toward Nancy, passing through Sens and Troyes in an east-northeast direction on that day.
German Tanks in the Aftermath of the 137th Infantry Regiment's Crossing of the Moselle River
Nancy The recapture of Nancy was the last major-city liberation Charles would be part of in France. Davis' regiment’s role ended up being to close in on the city from the south, crossing both the Moselle and Meurthe Rivers in the process. Firstly, the 137th left the area of Briene le Chateau to go northeast, then proceeded south and east, circumventing Nancy in the countryside. They headed out on September 9th, 1944, arriving at the Moselle River west bank near Neuviller sur Moselle by 1700 on September 10th.
In the next two days, the regiment would commit to a struggle against Germans entrenched in the east bank while it tried to cross the river; all battalions eventually fully crossed by September 12th. From September 13th to the 15th, the 3rd Battalion rushed north through the farmland between the Moselle and Meurthe, making preparations to cross the Meurthe at Laneuville on September 15th. On this day, Task Force S would infiltrate Nancy. The regiment finished crossing the river morning next day and continued northeast from Nancy.
Glimpse into the Gremecey Forest
Alsace-Lorraine Heading northeast, the 137th would confront consistent German resistance in forests and communes for the next several weeks as it made its way to the Saar River through the historical region of Alsace-Lorraine. Most notably, the regiment would suffer heavy casualties in the forests surrounding Champenoux and Gremecey. However, in the struggle to cross into the woods near Champenoux, Company I distinguished itself for knocking out a machine gun nest in the German fortifications on September 20th, 1944. In addition to this, a specific platoon from Company I was for a period of time the only platoon to have invaded the same woods without being knocked back by the Germans. Although, the platoon had become incommunicado and presumed lost.
On September 27th, 1944, in the area around Gremecey, Company I would be attacked by German tanks and infantry, but by the October 8th, it would alone take the commune of Fossieux. Early next month, it would occupy Malaucourt, and it with Company L would clear Fonteny on November 12th, 1944. By November 19th, 1944, the 3rd Battalion would be in Bistroff, about 30 kilometers from Sarreguemines.