2 Infantry Division (USA) attacked to seize Saint-Jean-des- Baisants

The 2nd Infantry Division attacked to seize the ridge and town of Saint-Jean-des- Baisants.
Tanks equipped with hedge cutters and supported by time-fuzed artillery tore holes in one hedgerow after another, opening breaches through which tanks and infantry poured behind curtains of artillery fire.
Progress was difficult initially, but a coordinated attack in the late afternoon gained 1700 yards by nightfall.
The 2nd Infantry Division forced its way into Saint-Jean-des-Baisants on 28 July.
German resistance was crumbling, although the terrain itself in the division’s sector continued to be an impediment to rapid advance.
Small irregular hills, winding roads and a patchwork of hedge-rowed fields forced a battle at every turn even if the enemy defense was losing cohesion.
By 31 July the 2nd Infantry Division had advanced yet another eight miles south of Saint-Jean-des-Baisants, forcing back the enemy lines even as armored columns raced through more open terrain into their rear areas.