On the north side of the junction.

Monument

A monument bearing two gray plaques that are written in French in gold lettering. The upper plaque commemorates American soldiers and sailors who died during the liberation for Dol-De-Bretagne.  The lower plaque contains the list of the casualties in the ambush. The monument was inaugurated in 1980 and was modified in 2014.

On August 1, a group of sailors was in Granville to assess the port's logistics potential. On August 2, based on incorrect information, they headed to Saint-Malo, mistakenly believing it had been liberated. They stopped near Pontorson, where war reporters joined them, and a reconnaissance vehicle met Lieutenant Colonel Kenton I. Carris, who warned of the German presence in the area. Despite the warnings, the sailors, led by Captain Norman S. Ives and Lieutenant Commander Arthur Hooper, decided to proceed to Saint-Malo via Dol-de-Bretagne.

Upon encountering Germans near Baguer Pican, the sailors staged an "arrest" for a photograph, then came under heavy German fire. The Americans took cover in ditches but were pinned down. Lieutenant Colonel Carris was killed, and Captain Ives sent two volunteers to seek help from the 6th Armored Division in Pontorson.

The sailors endured ongoing attacks, during which a Piper Cub aircraft was shot down by Germans, killing Lieutenant John Townley and wounding Lieutenant George Haas. Haas was captured but later escaped and provided crucial intelligence.

A relief column from the 15th Tank Battalion and 25th Armored Engineer Battalion arrived, enabling the sailors to retreat under cover. The wounded were evacuated, and the sailors returned to Pontorson and then Granville, with some receiving treatment at the 79th Infantry Division's dressing station in Saint-James.

Source of information: bretagne-39-45.forums-actifs.com

Source of photo: www.facebook.vom

Upper plaque:

Aux soldats et marins

Americains

tombes pour la

liberation de Dol

2 et 3 Aout 1944

English Translation:

To the American soldiers and sailors 

who died for the

 liberation of Dol on 

August 2 and 3, 1944

Lower plaque:

2 AOÛT 1944

UNITED STATES NAVY                    12TH US ARMY GROUP

S1c Robert L. BRUNN                       LT COL Kenton I. CARRIS

S1c Wilbur O. ELROD                                                                         

    LCDR Arthur M. HOOPER                 6th ARMORED DIVISION

     CAPT Norman S. IVES                       1st LT   John H. TOWNLEY

              S1c William G. REID

              EM1c Robert F. SMITH

3 AOÛT 1944

15th CAVALRY GROUP

PVT Spencer F. BAUM

17th CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON

          PFC Ferd A. DUNN                              2nd LT   Harold GARRISON

    T/5 Manuel GONZALES Jr                PFC Walter J. GUTOWSKI

SGT Omar F. HAWES                          T/5 Henry V. HAYNES

PVT Robert B. RANDS                        PVT Libero M. ROGO