n the first days of June 1944, Carentan was a key position between the two American landing beaches of Utah and Omaha. The Germans launched only local attacks, or they entrenched in their strong points. On 9 June, the Americans made little progress in front of Carentan, which was naturally protected by the river Douve in the west and the river Vire in the east. They encountered difficulty against a crack unit, the paratroops of the 6th Para Regiment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel von der Heydte, and an eastern volunteers unit. On 11 June, the Americans launched several attacks both from the north and the south. On 12 June, after heavy shelling of the town, the parachutists of the 101st Airborne Division renewed the assault simultaneously on three axes. They drived back the Germans out of Carentan, and ended up clearing the city in the evening.