06-18-2008, 06:09 AM
The attack was set shortly after midnight on June 10. Unfortunately fire from a 88mm gun in Carentan prevented the 326th Airborne Engineer Battailon from building a span over the bridge. Bridge 2 was blown out by the retreating Germans. Before crossing it had to be repaired. fed up and unwilling to wait any longer, Cole grabbed a rope and, with help of his G company commander an 2 other men, built a rickety footbridge. So finally Cole's battailon began crossing the Douve river followed by I Company, than G and H with the battailons HQ group. The Americans were under intermittend German fire, mostly from 88s or mortars but it was not until they approched the 4th bridge that the fire grew most intense.
