Battle of Saint-Lô 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the WWII Memorial

On Sunday, July 7th at 11:30 a.m., the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will hold a brief ceremony and wreath presentation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Saint-Lô, one of the most difficult and bloody phases of the Normandy Campaign ("Battle of the Hedgerows") during World War II.

The Battle of Saint-Lô took place from July 7-19, 1944.

Saint-Lô had fallen to Germany in 1940, and, after the Invasion of Normandy, the U.S. Army targeted the city, as it served as a strategic crossroads. American bombardments caused heavy damage - up to 95% of the city was destroyed - and a high number of casualties, which resulted in the city being called "The Capital of Ruins".

One of the most well-known stories from the battle is that of the "The Major of Saint-Lô".

Major Thomas Dry Howie was a United States Army Infantry Officer and Battalion Commander in the 29th Infantry Division who survived the landing on D-Day. He was killed in action on July 17, 1944 while leading his unit in an effort to capture the strategic French town of Saint-Lô. The next day, the 3d Battalion entered Saint-Lô with Major Howie's body on the hood of the lead jeep so that Major Howie would be the first American to enter the town. The flag draped body was placed in the rubble of the St. Croix Cathedral and soldiers filed past in a show of respect, and local citizens came out and placed flowers at the site.

The photo of Major Howie's flag-draped body in the rubble of the St. Croix Cathedral was widely circulated in the United States and became one of the most iconic images of the war. It came to symbolize the sacrifices of Americans in the European Theater. Because of wartime security Major Howie's name could not be revealed and it was only announced that it was a U.S. Army Major; so, it was famed New York Times correspondent Drew Middleton who dubbed Howie "The Major of St. Lo". 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney, then a reporter with the Stars and Stripes newspaper, witnessed the event and called it "one of the truly heartwarming and emotional scenes of a gruesome and frightful war".

During the July 7th ceremony at the World War II Memorial, WWII veterans and their families will present wreaths at the Atlantic Arch of the Memorial in remembrance of the more than 11,000 Americans, and more than 300 French citizens, killed or wounded during the Battle of Saint-Lô.

If you are a World War II veteran, or know of one, who would like to participate in the
Battle of Saint-Lô 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the Memorial,
please email hrotondi@wwiimemorialfriends.org!

We hope you'll join us on July 7th at the WWII Memorial!

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial's WWII 75th Anniversary Commemoration is generously sponsored by AT&T.

Generous support has also been provided by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation and Worthington Industries.