1st Battalion, 22d Infantry

The leaders of Combat Team 22 pictured in the marshalling area just before loading for the assault on D. Day.

Seated on right : Lt Colonel S.W. Brumby, Commanding Officer 1 st BN 22nd Infantry

Photo du commandement du 22d Intanfry la veille de l'embarquement pour la Normandie

1st Battalion, 22d Infantry

Preparations for the landing

Les préparatifs au Débarquement

Landing on Utah Beach and mouving for Crisbecq from June , 1944

Road map of the Landing on June 6

Carte de l'itinéraire emprunté par le 1er bataillon le Jour J

The 1st battalion facing Crisbecq from June 7, 1944

Road map of the 22nd regiment for the capture of Cherbourg

Crisbecq will in fact be the only strong point of the Atlantic Wall for Utah Beach stopping the American troops for 6 days

Carte de l'itinéraire emprunté par le 22ème régiment de la 4ème ID pour la prise de Cherbourg

1st Battalion, 22d Infantry

Capt. Thomas Shields of Company A

(Distinguished Service Cross)

On June 7, 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry began its first attack against the Crisbecq battery, seizing the village of Saint-Marcouf.

Moving out of the village, the Battalion was stopped by fire from the 75mm guns of Crisbecq.

A German counterattack forced 1st Battalion to pull back. It was during this engagement that Captain Tom Shields was killed.

Shields had assumed command of the "1st Battalion" to replace Lt colonel S.W. Brumby (himself   seriously wounded during the first battles against Crisbecq).

Ordering the Battalion to withdraw from the battlefield, he called in artillery fire upon his own position to cover the withdrawl, then was grievously wounded. .

He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross

Le 7 juin, le 1er bataillon du 22e d'infanterie entame sa première attaque contre la batterie de Crisbecq en s'emparant du village de Saint-Marcouf.

A la sortie du village, le bataillon a été arrêté par le feu des canons de 75 mm de Crisbecq. Une contre-attaque allemande oblige le 1er bataillon à se retirer. C'est au cours de cet engagement que le capitaine Tom Shields a été tué.

Shields venait de prendre le commandement du "1st Battalion" en remplacement du Lt colonel S.W. Brumby (lui même blessé face à Crisbecq).

Il fût mortellement blessé durant ces combats du 7 juin, ordonnant au bataillon de se retirer du champ de bataille, il fit appel à l'artillerie sur sa propre position pour couvrir le retrait.

Il a reçu à titre posthume la " Distinguished Service Cross "

Capture of the Casemate

This photo was taken when American troops arrived on June 12, 1944

The casemate is still intact and the cannon is still in place

Cette photo a été prise à l'arrivée des troupes américaines, le 12 juin 1944

La casemate est encore intacte et le canon est toujours en place

Destruction of the Casemate

According to the historian Ph. Tanne, the destruction of the battery of Crisbecq would have been made by the soldiers of the American engineers in August

D'après l'historien Ph. Tanne, la destruction des batteries de Crisbecq aurait été faite par les soldats du génie américain en aout 1944