William C. Sylvan - Normandy to Victory The War Diary of General Courtney H

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Normandy to Victory

American Warriors

Throughout the nations history, numerous men and women of all ranks and branches of the United States military have served their country with honor and distinction. During times of war and peace, there are individuals whose exemplary achievements embody the highest standards of the U.S. armed forces. The aim of the American Warriors series is to examine the unique historical contributions of these individuals, whose legacies serve as enduring examples for soldiers and citizens alike. The series will promote a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the U.S. armed forces.

Series editor: Roger Cirillo

An AUSA Book

NORMANDY
TO
VICTORY

The War Diary of
General Courtney H. Hodges
and the First U.S. Army

Major William C. Sylvan
and
Captain Francis G. Smith Jr.

EDITED BY JOHN T. GREENWOOD

Copyright 2008 by The Association of the United States Army

The University Press of Kentucky

Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.

Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 405084008
www.kentuckypress.com

12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1

Maps courtesy U.S. Army Center of Military History

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sylvan, William C.

Normandy to victory : the war diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army / William C. Sylvan and Francis G. Smith, Jr. ; edited by John T. Greenwood.

p. cm. (American warriors)

Reproduces in edited form the First Armys daily war diary, maintained for Hodges by his aides.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8131-2525-1 (hbk. : alk. paper)

1. United States. Army. Army, 1st. 2. World War, 19391945Regimental historiesUnited States. 3. World War, 19391945CampaignsFranceNormandy. 4. World War, 19391945CampaignsWestern Front. 5. Hodges, Courtney H., 18871966. I. Smith, Francis G., Jr. II. Hodges, Courtney H., 18871966. III. Greenwood, John T. IV. Title.

D769.261st .S95 2008

940.541273092dc22

[B] 2008028010

This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

Member of the Association of American University Presses

Contents

1. The Invasion of France and the Lodgment in Normandy,
2 June24 July 1944

2. Operation Cobra and the Breakthrough at St. L,
2531 July 1944

3. Exploitation of the St. L Breakthrough,
1 August12 September 1944

5. The German Counteroffensive and the Drive to the Roer River, 16
December 194422 February 1945

Appendix: Locations of First U.S. Army Command Posts,
9 June 194414 May 1945

Preface

Normandy to Victory is a unique contribution to the existing primary literature on the command and conduct of American military operations in Europe during World War II. This book reproduces in edited form for the first time the daily war diary maintained for Gen. Courtney Hicks Hodges, commanding general, First United States Army, by his aides, Maj. William C. Sylvan and Capt. (later Maj.) Francis G. Smith Jr. Hodgess third aide during the war, Capt. William E. Smith, also assisted at times. Unfortunately, little is known about any of these three men and their lives following World War II.

Often referred to as the Sylvan diary after its principal author, Maj. William Sylvan, the First U.S. Army war diary has been cited frequently in many official and unofficial histories of the war in Western Europe. Until now, however, the diary has been available only to researchers able to use the original copy in the Gen. Courtney Hicks Hodges Papers at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library at Abilene, Kansas, or photocopies at the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

The diary covers the entire period of First Armys active operations on the European continent. It begins on 2 June 1944, when Hodges, then deputy commanding general, First Army, under Gen. Omar N. Bradley, and members of the staff departed for Plymouth, England, their assigned port of embarkation for Operation Overlord. The diary then proceeds through the invasion, fighting in Normandy, Hodgess assumption of command on 1 August 1944, and on to the end of First Armys combat activities on 7 May 1945. According to Maj. Gen. William A. Carter, who was Hodgess chief engineer during this entire time, either Sylvan or Smith prepared the daily entries each evening and Hodges then personally reviewed and approved them. They were then entered into the continuing diary by clerk-typists. Thus, although Hodges did not personally write the diary, he controlled its contents so that it does reflect his viewpoints and concerns.

The diarys daily entries normally contain two types of information: an account of General Hodges, normally referred to as the General, and his activities, and then an operational recapitulation that covers the operations of First Army as well as those of the other American and Allied armies. The Hodges entries provide some of the most interesting and informative material and perspectives. They are also the best available account of the day-to-day activities of an American army commander and his headquarters throughout the campaign in Western Europe. The commanders incessant travels among his subordinate units; the strategic, operational, and tactical problems of the corps and divisions; frontline actions; the innumerable conferences and meetings; operational concepts; living conditions; and misconceptions of both German and Allied operations are described in the diary, which relates important and little-known aspects of a field army at war.

Although the reader is frequently left wishing for more details and fuller explanations, it must be remembered that the diarists were not privy to all of the high-level discussions being conducted among Hodges, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George Patton, William Simpson, Bernard Law Montgomery, and others. Moreover, the diarists knew nothing of the supersecret Ultra intelligence that flowed to Hodges and only a very few of his senior officers. The snippets of information, along with conversations and comments overheard and then recorded, provide an intriguing glimpse into the personalities, activities, and ideas of the American and Allied military leaders.

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