At the th Infantry left the St. Lo - Vire area. Their destination was the vicinity of Louvigne, lying southwest of Avranches, where the latest German thrust was threatening to cut off the entire Brest Peninsula. Proceeding to Pontfarcy, the motor convoy turned southwest, swung around Villendieu, then continued southwest to Ponts, within sight of Avranches on the Mont Saint Michel Bay.
Turning east at Ponts to Brecey, then south, the convoy reached the devastated city of St. Hilare at midnight. In St. Hilare there was great congestion and confusion. This was the 35th Division's first long move in combat. Countermanding orders drained the Division of guides and now, with inadequate guides, the entire Division convoy was on roads and had bottlenecked in St.
Just as the th was creeping through the ghostly village, driving blackout in the pitch-black night, there came the well known throbbing roar of German bombers above the sound of the idling motors of the convoy. The hideous warning flares were dropped and the screech of falling bombs filled the air.
The crunch of the detonating bombs sounded like footfalls of a mythical giant crushing everything beneath his feet. Anyone who went through this bombing will remember the mad scramble for cover - the extreme fright of the troops - the woeful bleating coming out of the weird night, "Where's OUR airplanes? However, four men were killed and three wounded by the bombing, with one missing. Shortly after the th Infantry moved west to the area near St. Symphorien and at received the Division order to begin movement by motor to secure the high ground in the Mortain - St.
Cyre area. With the enemy threatening from the northwest and already reported in the th Infantry area, the plan called for an attack at - only one and one-half hours' notice.
