support of Operation COBRA. The two battalions of the 117th attacked with the units to which they were attached on 25 July 1944 to drive beyond Saint-Lô during Operation COBRA. On 26 July 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment took the high ground overlooking Saint-Lô. The Armor and Infantry Forces passed through the hole in the German defenses and advanced south. The 30th Infantry Division had made a spectacular attack, and opened the way for Patton's newly arrived Third Army to drive into Brittany and onward to Brest, France. The division took well-defended Troisgots on 31 July 1944 and relieved the 1st Infantry Division near Mortain, France, on 6 August 1944. The 30th Infantry Division and the 117th Infantry Regiment was subjected to a strong German counterattack, which ruptured its lines in the area on the following day during the battle for Avranches. In the morning of 6 August 1944, the regiment moved southwest to the vicinity of Bracy, France near Mortain to relieve the 26th Infantry and to take up defensive positions. At dusk, it was apparent the Germans were in the 1st Battalion's area in strength. About 01:30 am, on 7 August 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment was attacked by crack troops of the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division. Between midnight and 04:00 the regiment was blanketed by intense and devastating mortar and artillery fire. Enemy aircraft strafed supporting Artillery units as they tried to register their fire on Germany tanks and infantry. The situation became critical at dawn when the main body of the Germans attacked in a thick fog and overran two company roadblocks. C Company of the 117th Infantry held their position, which caused the Germans to pause in their attack. Colonel Walter M. Johnson, the regimental commander issued orders to hold at all costs because there was nothing behind the 117th Infantry Regiment to stop the Germans from reaching the sea. A new defensive line was established on a sunken road bisected by the highway from Juvigny to Saint Barthelemy and situated on a hill overlooking Saint Barthelemy. Cooks, clerks, messengers, and administrative personnel from the battalions and the regimental headquarters became riflemen. The Tennessee Infantrymen held their positions against intense attacks by German infantry and armor. Late in the afternoon of 8 August 1944, the Germans launched a fresh large-scale attack employing numerous tanks and fresh Infantry. Despite the terrible odds, the 117th Infantry