View source for Bombardment of Cherbourg

{{Short description|1944 naval operation off Normandy}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict = Bombardment of Cherbourg
|partof = World War II, [[Operation Neptune]]–[[Operation Overlord]]
|image = USS Texas-11.jpg
|caption = A heavy German coast artillery shell falls between USS ''Texas'' (background) and USS ''Arkansas'' while they duel with Battery Hamburg
|date = June 25, 1944
|place = [[Cherbourg]], France
|coordinates = {{Coord|49.65|N|01.63|W|type:event_region:FR|display=inline,title}}
|map_type = France
|map_size = 200
|map_caption = Cherbourg-Octeville, a [[Communes of France|commune]] on the [[Cotentin peninsula]] in the [[Manche]] [[Departments of France|department]] of [[Lower Normandy]], in north-western [[France]].
|result = Allied victory
|status = 
|combatant1 = {{flag|United States|1912}}<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}
|combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|commander1 = {{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Morton Deyo]]
|commander2 = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben]]
|units1 = 
|units2 = 
|strength1 = 3 [[battleship]]s<br />2 [[heavy cruiser]]s<br />2 [[light cruiser]]s<br />11 [[destroyer]]s<br /> 3 [[Minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]] squadrons
|strength2 = 20 [[casemate]]d batteries<br />Battery Hamburg<br />German "fortress" status<br />elements of 4 divisions
|casualties1 = 
|casualties2 = 
|notes = 
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Normandy}}
}}

The '''bombardment of Cherbourg''' took place on June 25, 1944, during [[World War II]], when ships from the [[United States Navy]] and the British [[Royal Navy]] attacked German fortifications in and near the city, firing in support of [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] units that were engaged in the [[Battle of Cherbourg]]. In doing so, the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] naval forces engaged in a series of duels with coastal batteries and provided close support to infantry as they fought to gain control of the city. The bombardment was initially scheduled to last just two hours but it was later extended by an hour to support army units attempting to break into Cherbourg's city streets. After the bombardment, German resistance lasted until June 29, when the port was captured by the Allies. Afterwards, the task of clearing the port for use lasted several weeks.

When the Allies secured a bridgehead in the [[Normandy landings]], the Germans adopted a strategy to bottle up the Allied forces in Normandy and deny them the nearest major port at Cherbourg to starve them of supplies. By mid-June U.S. infantry had sealed off the [[Cotentin Peninsula]], but their advance had stalled and the Germans began to demolish the port's facilities. In response, the Allies renewed their efforts to capture the city, and by June 20 three infantry divisions under General "Lightning Joe" Collins had advanced within a mile of German lines defending Cherbourg. Two days later, the general assault began and on June 25, a large naval task force began a concentrated bombardment of the town to help neutralize the threat of German coastal artillery and to provide support to the assaulting infantry.

The task force was divided into two groups, each consisting of a variety of warships including [[battleship]]s, [[cruiser]]s, [[destroyer]]s and [[minesweeper]]s. Each ship was assigned a series of land-based targets. German shells were accurate out to {{cvt|15,000|yd}}, and in some cases they were able to bracket the radically maneuvering ships. Several Allied ships were holed, but faulty ammunition hampered German efforts. In several encounters, after being hit the heavy ships were able to withdraw after Allied destroyers obscured them with smoke.

After the action, Allied reports agreed that the most effective aspect of the bombardment was the fire that was provided by the small ships. Under the direction of army spotters, these ships were able to engage point targets up to {{cvt|2000|yd}} inland, which proved invaluable in providing close support to the assaulting Allied infantry. In contrast, while the force's heavy guns disabled 22 of 24 assigned navy targets, they were unable to destroy any of them and, consequently, infantry assaults were required to ensure that the guns could not be reactivated. When the city fell, the neutralized [[casemate]]d guns, which the Germans could have turned inland towards advancing Allied troops, were still aimed out to sea.

==Background==
Once German commanders assessed the Allied [[Invasion of Normandy|assault at Normandy]] as the primary invasion, they sought to limit the lodgment while they prepared a counter-offensive. To preserve naval assets, the Cherbourg-based German [[E-boats]] were transferred to [[Saint-Malo]]. Four destroyers from [[Brest, France|Brest]] made for Cherbourg to follow the E-boats, but they were sunk or disabled. By June 14, the Germans were attempting to deny the Allies use of Cherbourg's major port facility by blocking, mining and demolishing its harbor. The violent [[English Channel]] storm that thrashed apart the artificial port [[Mulberry harbour|Mulberry A]] raged until June 22. Logistic movement ashore was temporarily crippled, and the Allies desperately needed Cherbourg's port in their possession.<ref>Morison (2002), pp. 175, 195–198</ref>

{{multiple image
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| image1 = Morton Lyndholm Deyo 1.jpg
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| caption1 = Adm. Morton Deyo<br />Bombardment Force
| image2 = Pete Quesada.jpg
| width2 = 123
| alt2 =
| caption2 = Gen. "Pete" Quesada<br />IX Army Air Force
| image3 = Gen. Collins and Gen. Bradley.jpg
| width3 = 235
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| caption3 = Gen. Omar Bradley, First Army (left)<br />Gen. "Lightning Joe" Collins, VII Corps
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}}

From June 18 the [[Cotentin Peninsula]] was sealed off by Allied infantry, but the German line was stabilized and the American advance stalled. Cherbourg held a garrison of 40,000 with a new commander (as of June 23), ''[[Generalleutnant]]''<ref>Rankin (2001), p. 315.</ref> [[Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben]]. Hitler believed that the Allied invasion would fail without Cherbourg, and ordered it be made impregnable, awarding it "fortress" status. The American ground forces would lose over 2,800 dead and 13,500 wounded conquering it.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.195-198">Morison (2002), pp. 195–198</ref>

The Germans had emplaced coastal guns in and around Cherbourg in twenty [[casemate]]d batteries—fifteen were {{cvt|150|mm|in|0}} or greater, and three were {{cvt|280|mm|in|0}}. There were many {{cvt|75|and|88|mm|in}} guns, some of which could be trained inland towards advancing infantry. To support the ground assault, [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Morton Deyo]] began putting together a naval bombardment plan on June 15. While planning went forward, a late June storm raged in the English Channel, scattering Deyo's task force out to open sea and into British ports; they reassembled in [[Portland Harbour]], Dorset. On the Cotentin Peninsula, the U.S. Army [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]] advance, after some progress, was stalled by entrenched German resistance.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.195-198"/> The proposed naval bombardment was complicated, because the advance of the [[9th Infantry Division (United States)|9th]], [[79th Infantry Division (United States)|79th]] and [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th divisions]] had brought them to within a mile of the city. An army liaison officer aboard {{USS|Tuscaloosa|CA-37|6}} representing [[General (United States)|General]] [[J. Lawton Collins|"Lightning Joe" Collins]] (VII Corps) expedited communications between different services and commands. The navy-only operation with a three-hour bombardment was shortened to ninety minutes. The targets were limited to those chosen by the army.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.195-198"/>

==Combined Task Force==
To support the Allied advance over the Cotentin Peninsula and their planned assault on the German fortifications, on June 25, 1944, a bombarding force (CTF 129, [[Twelfth Fleet (United States Navy)|Twelfth Fleet]]) was organized under the command of Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, USN. It was to suppress coastal batteries that the Germans might turn on advancing infantry, and support infantry calls for fire. The navy was additionally tasked to coordinate with the army air force bombers to interdict ammunition resupply and, as infantry closed, follow direction from spotter planes.{{efn|Combined Task Force, CTF 122 was dissolved and command of U.S.N. OVERLORD Forces reverted to Commander, 12th Fleet as of 0001, 10 July 1944.}}<ref>COMNAVEU (2006), chronology: p. 224; ships assigned to task force: p. 444.</ref>

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| image1 = Portcherbourg.jpg
| width1 = 280
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| caption1 = Cherbourg port from land
| image2 = Rade de Cherbourg-fr.svg
| width2 = 360
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| caption2 = Map of Cherbourg, port and forts
| image3 = Cherbourgair.jpg
| width3 = 280
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| caption3 = Aerial view of Cherbourg port
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}}

===Battle groups 1 and 2===
The task force was divided into two divisions: Battle Group 1 and Battle Group 2. Battle Group 1, under Deyo's command, was assigned to bombard Cherbourg, the inner harbor forts, and the area west towards the Atlantic. Group 1 consisted of the battleship {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}}, the cruisers {{USS|Tuscaloosa|CA-37|6}}, {{USS|Quincy|CA-71|6}}, {{HMS|Glasgow|C21|6}}, and {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|6}}, and six destroyers: {{USS|Ellyson}} (flag), {{USS|Hambleton}}, {{USS|Rodman}}, {{USS|Emmons}}, {{USS|Murphy|DD-603|6}}, and {{USS|Gherardi}}.<ref>Rosco (1953), pp. 361–362.</ref> Rear Admiral Carleton Fanton Bryant's smaller Battle Group 2 was assigned "Target 2", the Battery Hamburg, which was located near [[Fermanville]], inland from Cape Levi, {{cvt|6|mi}} east of Cherbourg. ''Nevada'' in Group 1 was to use its main battery to silence what was described as "the most powerful German strongpoint on the [[Cotentin Peninsula]]".{{efn|The German Battery Hamburg, located six miles inland, had four {{cvt|11|in|mm|order=flip|0}} guns, well separated, protected by steel shields similar to naval gun turrets, and reinforced concrete [[casemate]]s. It was manned by naval gunners. Supporting them nearby were six {{cvt|88|mm|in|0}}, six heavy and six light antiaircraft guns. The battery was distinguished by long range, {{cvt|40,000|yd|m}}, and the arc of train. The guns were sited to cover the westerly sea approaches to Cherbourg. They had an easterly limit of fire.<ref name="Morison 2002, p. 206">Morison (2002), p. 206</ref>)}} Battle Group 2 would then complete the destruction, and pass westward to join Deyo's group. Bryant's Group 2 consisted of the battleships {{USS|Texas|BB-35|6}}, {{USS|Arkansas|BB-33|6}}, and five destroyers.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.198-200">Morison (2002), pp. 198–200</ref> These were {{USS|Barton|DD-722|6}} (flag), {{USS|O'Brien|DD-725|6}}, {{USS|Laffey|DD-724|6}}, {{USS|Hobson}} (pennant), and {{USS|Plunkett}}.<ref>Rosco (1953), p. 361</ref>

{{multiple image
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| image1 = HMS Onslow.jpg
| width1 = 150
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| caption1 = {{HMS|Onslow|G17|6}}, destroyers on anti-sub screen had air cover from IX Army Air Force
| image2 = HMSBangor.jpg
| width2 = 170
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| caption2 = {{HMS|Bangor|J00|6}}, minesweepers leading Group 1 took first German coastal fires, "straddling" them
| image3 = Pheasant (MSF 61).jpg
| width3 = 180
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| caption3 = {{USS|Pheasant|AM-61|6}}, minesweepers cleared lanes for battleship {{USS|Texas|BB-35|2}}, dispersed by casemated guns
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===Air and naval support===
To clear the path to the shore for the task force, US Minesweeping Squadron 7 and the British 9th Minesweeping Flotilla were tasked with sweeping lanes ahead of them for mines. Channel “L” was extended beyond the extent used for D-Day landings along east and north coasts of Cherbourg to protect Task Force 129 closing in for bombardment. The minesweepers repeatedly came under fire from shore batteries during their operations. During the bombardment, as the batteries were silenced, minesweepers cleared channels towards the harbor seaward from the 10 fathom line.{{efn|Subsequently minesweepers of the two U.S. YMS squadrons, the 167th BYMS, and 206th MMS Flotillas assisted in clearing the anchorages and berths. Cherbourg port was free of mines and was receiving ships by 19 July.}}<ref>COMNAVEU (2006), pp. 444–445.</ref> Overhead, General [[Elwood Richard Quesada|"Pete" Quesada]]'s [[Ninth Air Force (World War II)|IX Army Air Force]] was tasked with providing fighter cover. Additional aircraft provided antisubmarine and combat air patrols. [[Grumman TBF Avenger]]s of the British Royal Navy's [[Fleet Air Arm]], supplemented an additional British six-destroyer anti-submarine screen and the British 159th Minesweeping Flotilla.<ref>Morison (2002), p. 198.</ref>

===Fire control measures===
As a result of pre-bombardment concerns by ground commanders, all planned long-range shots on seaward batteries were cancelled and it was decided that only call fires would be delivered. Inter-service negotiations made three batteries dedicated navy targets and added any batteries firing on the ships. The ships were to have spotter planes over Cherbourg targets. During ship approaches from 09:40 until 12:00 they were to fire only if fired on.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.198-200"/> Infantry fire-coordination was provided in the air and on the ground. [[P-38 Lightning]]s of the IX Army Air Force flew from southern England for naval combat air patrol, fighter-bomber strikes and on-call close support of the infantry. Collins, commanding VII Corps, arranged for shore fire control parties to join infantry units as they approached German fortified objectives.<ref>Morison (2002), p. 200; destroyers listed in Rosco (1953), pp. 361–362; minesweepers are found at COMNAVEU (2006), p. 444.</ref>

During the [[Normandy landings]] the standard operating procedure for "shore fire control parties" (SFCP) called for nine per infantry division. A naval gunfire liaison officer was attached to each regimental fire control center. A naval gunfire officer was attached to each divisional headquarters in charge of all shore parties in his division.{{efn|Each shore party had a table of organization of one army officer, one naval officer and twelve enlisted. Each SFCP had a table of equipment calling for a jeep, an M.14 half-track, and both FM and AM radio transmitter-receiver.}}<ref>COMNAVEU (2006), pp. 224, 469.</ref>

Every firing ship was provided with an army artillery officer to maintain current information about the position of Allied troops, and to determine whether to fire at any given target at the time. The army liaison officer decided the safety of firing at each target, while the "ship itself controlled the fire". The SFCP observed the fall of shot and corrected fire with a [[clock code]].<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.469-473">COMNAVEU (2006), pp. 469–473. The SFCP operation in the field was not without danger. Germans were able to locate radios in the medium frequency and take them under fire in seconds.</ref> "In all cases, it was the responsibility of the ship to determine whether any given shoot would endanger allied personnel or positions." This was possible because each bombarding ship was provided with an army officer who tracked positions of Allied forces ashore.<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.469-473"/>

Air spotters operated in pairs, one as a spotter, one as an escort, each capable of both missions. Each pair could communicate with one another and with the same ships. Every bombarding ship was provided radio capability to communicate with all varieties of aircraft radios. The third method of fire control involved a combination of air to ground to sea communication. "Army air observation" planes spotted for a control party on the ground. They relayed the information to the ships taking fire missions.{{efn|Delays in spotter coverage was eliminated by maintaining a few aircraft loitering over the combat area. Reliefs were briefed in the air on the way to assigned sectors, allowing for battlefield developments during transit. Aircraft shortages required one plane to spot for two or more ships. "Army air observation" posts were light aircraft such as [[Piper Cub]]s or [[Auster Aircraft|Auster]]s.}}<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.469-473"/>

==Bombardment==

===Initial stages===
At 09:40, Group 1 made landfall, about {{cvt|15|mi}} north of Cherbourg. Leading minesweepers cleared approach channels for both battle groups with Group 2's column steaming parallel several miles to the east. They arrived into the seaward fire support areas without being fired on or receiving any calls for fire. As noon passed at eight bells, the task force plodded towards the in-shore fire support areas at the minesweepers’ {{convert|5|kn|lk=in|spell=in|adj=on|0}} speed. German salvos from a village {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} west of Cherbourg at [[Querqueville]] began falling among the deployed minesweeper flotillas. Four British [[Fairmile C motor gun boat]]s began making a smoke screen for the approaching minesweepers. HMS ''Glasgow'' and {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|6}} with [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] spotters began returning fire on the German batteries firing on the minesweepers. In just thirty minutes, every minesweeper had been straddled with battery fire, though none were hit. Deyo recalled them, and they would lay-to out of range for the rest of the action.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205">Morison (2002), pp. 200–205.</ref>

At 09:55, Bryant's Group 2 entered Fire Support Area 2. Spotter planes for ''Texas'' and ''Arkansas'' were on target, ready to open fire, and operation plans called for ''Nevada'' to begin firing on Target 2, Battery Hamburg. Deyo's flash message surprised Bryant cancelling ''Nevada''{{'}}s long-range bombardment, postponing his open-firing until noon at shore request or in self-defense, and Group 2 was to join Group 1 by noon.{{efn|At 10:34 Group 2 headed west-south-west toward Fire Support Area 3 north of Cherbourg, with Minesweeper Squadron 7 leading screened by three destroyers while two destroyers stayed back with the battleships.}}<ref name="Morison 2002, p. 206">Morison (2002), p. 206</ref>

{{multiple image
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| image1 = Canoncherbourg.jpg
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| caption1 = Naval guns dueled casemated artillery while supporting infantry of VII Corps
| image2 = USS Nevada (BB-36) fire on positions ashore.jpg
| width2 = 200
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| caption2 = Army air controlled gunnery blew "tanks into scrap" and "pillboxes were powdered"
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American troops had overrun two smaller targets, and spotters described them as "surrounded by dead Germans". The strong currents off Normandy slowed the battleships behind minesweepers drifting off course in the current. ''Arkansas'' established radio contact with its shore fire control party, closed range to {{cvt|18,000|yd}} and opened fire on Battery Hamburg with her antiquated fire control system.{{efn|''Arkansas'' was equipped with second-hand pieces and parts for fire control from {{USS|Tennessee|BB-43|6}}. The gyro-compasses handed down from ''Tuscaloosa'', were always troublesome, and with rapid maneuvering they were disabled. To fire underway, the ship kept to a steady course and fired slowly.}}<ref>Morison (2002), p. 207.</ref> ''Texas'' could not connect with her shore party and so stayed in line with the minesweepers.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.205-210">Morison (2002), pp. 205–210.</ref> ''Arkansas''{{'}}s salvos did no damage, so as Group 2 steamed into the battery's arc of fire, the German guns were able to fire. The minesweepers were all bracketed. The destroyer ''Barton'' was holed with a ricochet dud from another battery that landed in her aft diesel room. She returned fire on the disclosed battery without air or shore spotting. All minesweepers were splashed with near misses. The destroyer ''Laffey'' took a dud in her port bow by the anchor. The damage control party pried it loose and tossed it overboard.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.205-210"/>

Group 2 now began firing generally at Battery Hamburg, which was obscured by smoke. ''Texas'' was straddled by three rounds at her bow, swung starboard with full right rudder, and missed three shells over her stern. Maneuvering, she was straddled at intervals of twenty to thirty seconds by a newly uncovered battery just northeast of Battery Hamburg. The large battery itself was focusing on minesweepers and destroyers. The destroyer ''O'Brien'' was hit at her bridge, knocking out her radar, and so sailed out to sea through a smoke screen blind. Minesweepers and the three damaged destroyers were recalled, the destroyers firing their {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|spell=in|0}} guns as harassing fire until out of range.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.205-210"/>

At 12:20, Group 1 destroyers laid smoke to protect the heavy ships in Fire Support Area 3, then closed nearer to the shore to gain more effective fire on the Querqueville Battery. German fire concentrated on HMS ''Glasgow'' and ''Enterprise'', hitting ''Glasgow'' twice, but she was able to rejoin. After two hours of dueling, all four German guns were temporarily neutralized. Air spot followed the operations at the landing beaches. Pairs of Spitfires, including pilots off the heavy ships, were to loiter 45 minutes over their target. Only half were able to reach the area, the others were driven off by flak, turned away with engine trouble, or could not navigate to the target assignment.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/> Soon after, ''Texas'' was struck by a German {{cvt|280|mm|in|0}} shell which hit the top of the ship's armored [[conning tower]]. The shell did not penetrate the armor but did explode, ripping up the deck of the bridge. The helmsman of the ship, a 21-year-old quartermaster, 3rd Class Christen Norman Christensen, was centered directly below the blast and was killed, the first and last combat fatality to occur on board. The captain, Charles Adams Baker, was outside the bridge when the ship was hit and escaped the blast unharmed. Soon after the order was given to abandon bridge and the surviving members made it down to the armored conning tower to continue the battle.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

At 12:12, the first call for fire came in from VII Corps shore fire control parties. Following their corrections, ''Nevada'' and ''Quincy'' took out the fortified target in 25 minutes. They continued with targets of opportunity for about three hours. ''Tuscaloosa'' was distributing its fire among targeted strong points directed by shore fire control, when flak hit its two Spitfires and they were forced to retire. In the first hour, ''Ellyson'' identified coastal battery fire nearby the town of Gruchy. ''Glasgow'' and her air spot silenced it with 54 rounds.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/> The destroyer ''Emmons'' answered the fire on Fort De l'Est on one of the harbor breakwaters, but by the time the target was silenced, a well camouflaged battery began walking fire closer to the ship operating from a range of {{cvt|15,000|yd}}. ''Rodman'' dropped smoke, and ''Emmons'' withdrew.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/>

===Extension of the bombardment===
At 13:20, ten minutes before the agreed-to ending of the bombardment, Deyo, seeing that the mission was not accomplished, signaled VII Corps, "Do you wish more gunfire? Several enemy batteries still active." The Querqueville Battery had come to life again and taken ''Murphy'' under fire, straddling the destroyer four times in twenty minutes. ''Tuscaloosa'' came to her aid, scoring a direct hit bringing flames. With her deck covered with splinters and splashes from near misses, ''Murphy'' dodged behind a smoke screen. ''Ellyson'' and ''Gherardi'' joined in. ''Quincy'' fired for half an hour, then ''Nevada'' silenced the battery again. Later, as the task force withdrew, the battery opened fire again. More than its endurance, the task force upper decks noted its long day of near-misses. The battery near Gruchy came to life again. HMS ''Glasgow'' and ''Rodman'' returned fire. The batteries in and around Cherbourg seemed able to fire accurately at any ship within {{cvt|15000|yd}} ''Rodman'' pulled out of range.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/>

{{multiple image
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| image1 = USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) in October 1942.jpg
| width1 = 170
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| caption1 = Heavy cruiser {{USS|Tuscaloosa|CA-37|2}} gave accurate on-call fires at 15 miles
| image2 = USS Hambleton (DD-455) underway in February 1944 (7321565).jpg
| width2 = 200
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| caption2 = Destroyer {{USS|Hambleton|DD-455|2}} – small ships gave "most effective" infantry support
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}}

Navy men had been assigned to army units as shore party spotters to direct all fire more than {{cvt|2,000|yd}} inland. The infantry support fires could then safely reach along roads far inland, blowing German tanks into "scrap". Pillboxes were "powdered" and gun emplacements "tossed skyhigh". German shore batteries were in turn laying well placed fire, churning the seas with near misses bracketing Deyo's ships.<ref name="RT 362">Rosco (1953), p. 362.</ref>

In Group 2, making westward to join Group 1, ''Texas'' was radically steering to dodge near-misses and straddles when one of the German 280&nbsp;mm shells struck the hull and lodged alongside a sailor's bunk, but it, too, was a dud. At 13:35, one of the large caliber guns in Battery Hamburg was knocked out by ''Texas'', and she and ''Arkansas'' continued through the afternoon firing at Battery Hamburg and another nearby battery. When they strayed back into the arc of fire, Battery Hamburg's three remaining guns made ''Texas'' a target, and a nearby 105&nbsp;mm battery acquired ''Arkansas''. Both ships maneuvered, the two remaining destroyers made smoke, and all escaped with no damage.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.205-210"/>

At 14:02 VII Corps replied to Deyo, "Thanks very much—we should be grateful if you would continue until 15:00." VII Corps was on the verge of breaking into Cherbourg's city streets. Fort des Flamand at the eastern end of the inner breakwater, had eight dual-purpose 88-mm guns holding up a regiment of the 4th Division. Shore fire control called for naval support, and ''Hambleton'' began firing, but large-caliber rounds from Battery Hamburg began to drop around her at {{cvt|14,250|yd|m}}. She retired, then ''Quincy'' was able to silence the target fort. ''Nevada'' turned from Battery Hamburg and joined in the attack on targets on the west side of Cherbourg that might have turned landward on advancing infantry. For over twenty minutes she was repeatedly straddled, including two that holed her superstructure and another that missed as close as {{cvt|25|ft}}.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/>

An hour later, following Collins' new deadline of 15:00, Deyo ordered cease fire and began withdrawing from the bombardment area. Group 2 headed back to Portland, England, at 15:01.<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.205-210"/> Flagship ''Tuscaloosa'' took another call for fire. The targets were 75&nbsp;mm field guns in casemates, on the dock at the entrance to Cherbourg's naval arsenal. ''Tuscaloosa'' continued firing as she maneuvered out to sea, at {{cvt|25,000|yd}} and again out a further mile and a half with accuracy (25,414 m).<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.200-205"/>

==Outcomes==
On June 29, as the final German resistance in Cherbourg was overcome, Collins wrote to Deyo, stating that during the "naval bombardment of the coastal batteries and the covering strong points around Cherbourg ... results were excellent, and did much to engage the enemy's fire while our troops stormed into Cherbourg from the rear." After an inspection of the port defenses, an army liaison officer reported that the guns that had been targeted could not be reactivated, and those that could have been turned landward were still pointed out to sea when the city had fallen.<ref name="Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.210-211">Morison (2002), pp. 210–211.</ref>

While reports taken from German prisoners speak of the terror they experienced from the bombardment, there is no evidence that naval gun fire caused great destruction to the German guns. As a result of the non-destruction of the guns, infantry had to be used to capture them. Nevertheless, the naval gunfire was effective in neutralizing the German batteries, disabling 22 of their 24 assigned targets, and during the bombardment there were long periods during which German gun positions fell silent. This was later attributed to the demoralizing effect that they had on the German gunners, rather than a destructive effect on the guns. The fire support provided by the task force's small ships proved to be more effective, and according to Allied reports after the bombardment this was the most effective aspect of the bombardment.<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.474-476">COMNAVEU (2006), pp. 474–476.</ref>

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| image1 = The capture of Cherbourg - Detail.jpg
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| caption1 = Closing VII Corps required air and ground control of naval fire support
| image2 = Damagedcherbourg.jpg
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| caption2 = German fortifications were temporarily neutralized by heavy guns of battleships and cruisers
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}}

The volume of fire was notable and of consequence. The Allied Supreme Commander, General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] later wrote, "the final assault was materially assisted by heavy and accurate naval gunfire." Von Schlieben reported to ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' [[Erwin Rommel]] that further resistance had been useless due in part to "heavy fire from the sea", while [[Admiral]] [[Theodor Krancke]] recorded for his war diary, that one of the contributing causes to Cherbourg's fall was a "naval bombardment of a hitherto unequalled fierceness."<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.210-211"/> German reports of the effect of naval bombardment were broadcast over the German telegraph service in the ''German Military Journal''. According to these reports, the Allied naval fire curtain was one of their trump cards and in a crisis, it was more accurate and it could be sustained on target, fulfilling the role of a floating artillery arm. The reports also discuss the role of the smaller Allied vessels, remarking that they had firepower that should not be underestimated: "a torpedo boat ... had the firepower of a howitzer battery, a destroyer that of a battery of artillery." The reports go on to compare a cruiser to a regiment of artillery and state that battleships with 38 to 40 cm guns had no equal in land warfare, and could only be matched "by an unusual concentration of very heavy batteries".<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.474-476"/>

The German report said that Allied troops had a "particular advantage" from ship formations that provided the mobility to concentrate artillery on any point on the battlefield, and then change their placement to whatever the fighting required. The Anglo-American naval forces made "...the best possible use of this opportunity". A single coastal battery could come repeatedly under "...quite extraordinary superior fire-power". A multiple type formation of warships would concentrate fire at batteries when they were the focal point of combat, creating an "umbrella of fire (''Feuerglocke'')".<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.474-476"/>
''Generalfeldmarschall'' [[Gerd von Rundstedt]] assessed Allied naval gun fire support as "flexible and well directed ...[in] ...support of the land troops ... ranging from battleship to gun boat ... as quickly mobile, constantly available artillery, at points ... as defense against our [German] attacks or as support for [Allied] attacks." He added that they were skillfully directed by air and ground spotters, and that the Allied naval gunnery had a high rapid-fire capacity at range.<ref name="NEPTUNE.usn.admin.Cherbourg, p.474-476"/>

German batteries were unsuccessful engaging ships of the task force, in that ships holed and bracketed with near misses were not sunk; the maneuvering ships were able to maintain positions in mineswept lanes for the most part, and countermeasures included use of smoke, jamming German radar and effective counter battery fires.<ref>Schofield (2008), p. 95.</ref> Nevertheless, U.S. naval doctrine was modified after the operation. More attention was paid to the achievement of effective long range fire. According to [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[Bertram Ramsay]], Naval Commander in Chief of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force, if the German gunners had not been hampered by faulty ammunition, "they might well have inflicted heavy damage to ...[the Allied] ...ships at the relatively close range ..." Prior to June 1944, the United States Navy's main experiences in the war had been in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. According to naval historian Samuel Morison, these experiences had resulted in an assumption that the modern fire control systems on U.S. ships allowed them to close with and defeat coastal batteries at will. But in the Mediterranean the shore batteries had not been "well and resolutely" served, and Japanese coastal defense gunners had been inadequately trained. As a result of the Cherbourg operation, Morison concluded that, even with modern directors for naval gunnery, a casemated gun is "exceedingly difficult for a rapidly maneuvering warship to destroy with a direct hit, although a shower of salvos around the coast defense position will silence the guns temporarily."<ref name=" Morison.Fr.-Ger.44.210-211"/> Deyo's after-action report recommended that long-range bombardment with plane spotting would be required to silence casemated batteries, stating that either good air spot or shore parties are required for effective naval bombardment, especially when strong currents add to the navigational problems of a task force under accurate shore battery fire.<ref name="RT 362"/>

==Ships assigned==
*Task Force 129, Group One (incomplete)<ref name="Morison.200.Rosco.361.362">Morison (2002), p. 200; destroyers listed in Rosco (1953), pp. 361–362.</ref>
**{{USS|Tuscaloosa|CA-37|6}}, ''New Orleans''-class cruiser, Adm. Deyo flag, commanding, {{USS|Quincy|CA-71|6}}, ''Baltimore''-class cruiser, {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}}, ''Nevada''-class battleship<br />{{HMS|Glasgow|C21|6}}, ''Southampton''-class light cruiser, {{HMS|Enterprise|D52|6}}, ''Emerald''-class light cruiser
**{{USS|Ellyson|DD-454|6}} (desron flag), ''Gleaves''-class destroyer, {{USS|Rodman|DD-456|6}}, {{USS|Gherardi|DD-637|6}}, {{USS|Hambleton|DD-455|6}}, {{USS|Emmons|DD-457|6}}<br />{{HMS|Sidmouth|J47|6}} Group 1 lead minesweeper, {{HMS|Bangor|J00|6}} ''Bangor''-class minesweeper
*Task Force 129, Group Two (incomplete)<ref name="Morison.200.Rosco.361.362"/>
**{{USS|Texas|BB-35|6}}, ''New York''-class battleship, Adm. Bryant flag, {{USS|Arkansas|BB-33|6}}, ''Wyoming''-class battleship
**{{USS|Barton|DD-722|6}} (desron flag), {{USS|O'Brien|DD-725|6}}, {{USS|Laffey|DD-724|6}}, ''Allen M. Sumner''-class destroyer, {{USS|Hobson|DD-464|6}} (desdiv pennant), {{USS|Plunkett|DD-431|6}}
**{{USS|Swift|AM-122|6}}, ''Auk''-class minesweeper, {{USS|Auk|AM-57|6}}, {{USS|Broadbill|AM-58|6}}, {{USS|Nuthatch|AM-60|6}}, {{USS|Pheasant|AM-61|6}}
*Anti-submarine screen
**{{HMS|Onslow|G17|6}}, O-class destroyer, {{HMS|Offa|G29|6}}, {{HMS|Onslaught|G04|6}}, {{HMS|Oribi|G66|6}}, {{HMS|Melbreak|L73|2}}, Hunt-class destroyer, Type III, {{HMS|Brissenden}}, Hunt-class destroyer Type IV

==See also==

*[[Battle for Caen]]
*[[Battle of Cherbourg]]
*[[Normandy landings]]
*[[Operation Cobra]]
*[[Operation Overlord]]

==Notes==

{{notelist|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | author = Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in Europe (COMNAVEU) | series = Administrative History of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, 1940–1946 | volume = V | title = The Invasion of Normandy: Operation NEPTUNE | orig-year = 1949 | year = 2006 | publisher = Armed Forces Staff College | location = Norfolk Va | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/147.5-ComNavEu/index.html | access-date = 6 September 2014 | archive-url = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20110709002906/http%3A//www%2Ehistory%2Enavy%2Emil/library/online/comnaveu/comnaveu_index%2Ehtm | archive-date = 2011-07-09 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all | oclc = 31912945}}
*{{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | series = History of United States Naval Operations in World War II | volume = XI | title = The Invasion of France and Germany | chapter = Cherbourg June–September 1944 | year = 2002 | orig-year = 1957 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mhJE9XFacGwC | publisher = University of Illinois Press | location = Champaign, Illinois | isbn = 0252070623}}
*{{cite book | last = Rankin | first = Nicholas | title = Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII | year = 2011 | publisher = Faber and Faber | location = London | isbn = 978-0-57125-062-2 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/ianflemingscomma0000rank}}
*{{cite book | last = Rosco | first = Theodore | title = United States Destroyer Operations in World War II | year = 1953 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis | isbn = 0-87021-726-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesdest0000rosc}}
*{{cite book | last = Roskill | first = Stephen W. | series = History of the Second World War | title = The War at Sea 1939–1945: The Offensive. Part II 1st June 1944 – 14th August 1945 | year = 1961 | volume = III | publisher = [[HMSO]] | location = London | oclc = 236145}}
*{{cite book | last = Schofield | first = B.B. | title = Operation Neptune: The Inside Story of Naval Operations for the Normandy Landings 1944 | year = 2008 | publisher = Pen & Sword Military | location = Barnsley | isbn = 978-1-84415-662-7}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/docs/ErnestNapier/UtahBeach.pdf Utah beach to Cherbourg]

{{World War II}}
{{Kriegsmarine}}
{{Battle of Normandy}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherbourg, Bombardment Of}}
[[Category:Operation Overlord]]
[[Category:1944 in France]]
[[Category:History of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin|Bombardment]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving France]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Germany]]
[[Category:Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United States]]
[[Category:June 1944 events in Europe]]
[[Category:Naval bombing operations and battles]]
[[Category:Attacks on military installations in the 1940s]]
[[Category:Attacks on military installations in France]]
[[Category:Building bombings in France]]