James T. Lingg - WWII
Page 13 - Operation Cobra

On July 19, we were moved from our little Norman village to behind the 9^th Division in an assembly area with the idea of being able to spring loose from there to start Operation Cobra, which was a penetration planned for the Americans to try to trap a great deal of the German Army on the line in the area they were in.

We drew replacements to replace the people who had been wounded in Caumont and built ourselves up to a full unit again. We were quite fortunate; our Platoon had only lost one or two at that point to wounds.

We remained there until July 25 when the bombers came streaking through and bombed a very narrow strip for us to break out through. Later this was known as the St. Lo Breakthrough, which was kind of incorrect because it wasn't right at St. Lo. The breakthrough area was about 2,500 yards deep and about 6,000 yards wide.

We climbed on the 3^rd Armored Division tanks and rode through the hole, then we went to take the high ground while the Armored stayed on the low ground and shot it out with the enemy down below.

While on the high ground, shortly after leaving St. Lo, a couple of my friends were shot and taken back. This is when Jack Clark got shot in the arm and Willie J. became Platoon Sergeant.

What happened is that we were walking up this road; I was scouting for the Platoon when I was fired upon, I immediately hit the ditch and the guys behind me hit the ditch. Nobody was hit up to this point. Then the Lieutenant decided, "All is quiet, we'll get up and attack again." I told him "Hey, I'm not ready to go back on the attack quite yet". So Jack Clark gave me a break and sent the BAR team up to give me covering fire when he started me again.

Jack Clark was standing in the road, telling the BAR team where to go and all of a sudden a machine gun opened up again. They got Jack Clark in the arm. PFC Waltz was hit in the arm at the same time. His fingers were clinched around his rifle. Apparently something had happened to make his hand contract. He couldn't get rid of the rifle so he's running around shaking that rifle.

At the same time, our BAR man was killed, shot thorough the head and body and he lay, actually sitting up, in the ditch. I was on the same side of the road. I went into a small house for cover. The Lieutenant yelled at me to check the BAR man out to make sure he was okay and get him out if I could. I crawled over, felt of his neck and arms, moved him a little. His eyes were staring straight at me with no movement so I knew he was dead. He hadn't been an especially close friend but he was a friend. Anytime you go to war with a man, you become friends really quick.

Pvt. H. got hit at the same time. He had been shot and was unable to move on his own, so we tore a ladder off an old house, laid it down on the ground, moved him onto it and packed him out. We were fired on at this time but we got him back and turned him over to the Platoon so they could take him back to the rear.

It was during this engagement I was awarded a Bronze Star for heroic achievement. My citation reads as follows:

This engagement occurred near La Hays, France and adjacent fields about 1400 hours (2:00p.m.) 30 July 1944. The weather was warm and dry, with good visibility. The estimated enemy at this time was three machine guns, one machine pistol and twenty rifles.

Joe B.'s squad made a flanking movement on one of the machine guns that was firing on us. By the time the flanking movement was completed, the enemy had managed to withdraw and get out of the area. At this time, another Company came up to take over our job on the high ground and we got to go back down below and ride on the tanks.