Saving the Breakout: The 30th Division's Heroic Stand at Mortain, August 7-12, 1944

by Alwyn Featherston

From its very first page, the American infantryman is the hero of this magnificent account of men at war. Specifically, the heroes are a handful of National Guardsmen of the Carolinas' 30th Infantry Division who, for five days in August, 1944, withstood the full fury of a massive Nazi counterattack that threatened to cut-off and defeat the Allies' breakout from the Normandy beaches.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Alwyn Featherston was a native of North Carolina. A Duke graduate, in 1974 he joined the Durham Sun, an afternoon paper, then moved to the Durham Herald-Sun and served as a beat writer covering UNC, Duke and N.C. State. Among his three published books was “Tobacco Road,” a 2006 “History of the Most Intense Backyard Rivalries in Sports.”

He left the Durham Herald-Sun in 2005.

In addition to his work as a sports reporter Mr. Featherston was a military historian.

Mr. Featherston passed away on November 5, 2018 due to complications from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and heart surgery.

Reviews

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched and ably written. After D-Day, the allied invasion in Normandy stalled for a month, unable to breakout from the hedgerow country which aided the German defenders. Eventually they did breakout using air force carpet bombing (which may have killed almost as many Americans as Germans.) Hitler's response was to order a bold strike (typical of the Blitzkrieg philosophy: a fast moving armored spearhead breaks through the enemy lines and this gap is exploited by follow-on infantry.) Had this attack succeeded, it might have stabilized the front and prolonged the war for a year or more. It failed because of the heroic defense of the 30th infantry division in and around Mortain, France. From improvised defensive positions and local counterattacks the 30th held SS Panzer units at bay for a week. This plus constant attacks from the air by Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter-bombers halted the attack and bought time for General Bradley to move other units to a near-encirclement at Falaise, France. The resulting damage to the German army in the west led to the liberation of all of France in the next months. The next and last Blitzkrieg, know on our side as the Battle of the Bulge, was intentionally launched during a snowy week that kept allied planes grounded.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book. Great account of the battle from top to bottom, start to finish, with very detailed maps.
I will read again. Hopefully I can visit Mortain someday

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written military history (World War II) account of the 30th Infantry Division (United States) five day stand against a large German attack centered around the village of Mortain in France. Mr. Featherston's writing is easy to follow. In addition to a very readable text the book has numerous maps detailing the individual units and in ,one case, even showing the location of minefields and anti-tank guns. In addition to a generous amount of maps there are numerous photos which are always appreciated as well. Mr. Featherston does an excellent job showing that the 30th Infantry's stand in the those five August days in 1944 was a crucial battle that really did make a difference. All in all a solid piece of history and worth a look if one is a military history buff.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read about a pivotable battle in the Normandy Campaign. Featherston does a good job weaving the 'big picture' with strategic and operational context. The reader gets a sense of the confusion on the ground but understands the success of those soldiers even though the soldiers have no idea of what is going on around them.

The individual battles is what really hooked me. There were two and the obvious one is 2/120 Infantry on Hill 314. What a resolute fight. One Private threw his arm out throwing six bags of hand grenades in a day! With their headquarters out-of-contact, the three rifle companies reorganized putting the senior captain in command of the battalion. The result? Hill 314 became the breaker that broke the German wave. The second individual battle was sighted only a few miles away at the St. Barthelmy cross-roads. An anti-tank Lieutenant who starts with only four AT guns and an infantry squad stymies the German assault against his position and Hill 314. In total, the position destroys 40 tanks and other vehicles. Inspiring resilience considering the chaos around them. They had little idea what was going on around them but stood regardless.

The narrative is gripping and the maps help move the story. Overall, a must read for those interested in WWII.

[Jim Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. Had an uncle who served in the 30th Infantry Division.

[Arcticvet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched, well written book about a major battle shortly after the Normandy invasion of June 1944. The book really opened my eyes to the ferocity of the battle that was waged to move the allied army from the beaches in Normandy to other parts of France. Earlier this year, it was my good fortune to visit to the 30th division monument at the Madeline Chapel, on the commanding hill above Mortain, the strategic focus of the German assault in the area and the site of a heroic stand by men of the 30th division. On my visit, the tremendous importance of this geographic feature became very apparent to me, as the hill commands a view across the French countryside for miles.