Thanks to Michel de Trez, museum owner, and the mayor of St.Come du Mont it is once again possible for Fallschirmjager re-enactors to stage another living history display at Dead Man’s Corner.
Both Fallschirmjager and American Paratrooper re-enactors from all over Europe will be present this year; all have worked together to bring this historic site back to June 1944 for one week.
Why Dead Man’s Corner? The American 101st were assigned to capture Carentan to enable the link up of the beachheads at Utah and Omaha, all that stood in their way were the Fallschirmjager of regiment 6. On the road from Utah beach to Carentan at an intersection at St.Come du Mont was a single house that served as both a Headquarters and, later, as an Aid Station for the German paras. It was this area that was pivotal for the Americans advancing along the causeway.
Whilst the fighting raged from hedgerow to hedgerow the first American armor moved toward Carentan. At the intersection, outside the house, a German rocket disabled the first tank killing the commander. For several days the tank hull remained abandoned with the commander hanging out the turret. The American paratroopers started to refer to it as 'the corner with the dead guy in the tank', but soon shortened it to 'Dead Man's Corner'.
You can only participate in this event with prior permission from the organisers
An AFRA supported event
