About the film.
Carentan: Unlocking the Road to Liberty is a documentary film that illustrates the key events in the Battle of Carentan: an engagement in World War II between airborne forces of the United States Army and the German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Normandy. The battle took place between 6 and 13 June 1944, on the approaches to and within the town of Carentan, France.
The objective of the attacking American forces was consolidation of the U.S. beachheads (Utah Beach and Omaha Beach) and establishment of a continuous defensive line against expected German counterattacks. The defending German force attempted to hold the town long enough to allow reinforcements en route from the south to arrive, prevent or delay the merging of the lodgments, and keep the U.S. First Army from launching an attack towards Lessay-Périers that would cut off the Cotentin Peninsula.
Carentan was defended by two battalions of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 (6th Parachute Regiment) of the 2nd Fallschirmjäger-Division and two Ost battalions. The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, ordered to reinforce Carentan, was delayed by transport shortages and attacks by Allied aircraft. The attacking 101st Airborne Division, landed by parachute on 6 June as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy, was ordered to seize Carentan.
In the ensuing battle, the 101st forced passage across the causeway into Carentan on 10 and 11 June. A lack of ammunition forced the German forces to withdraw on 12 June. The 17th SS PzG Division counter-attacked the 101st Airborne on 13 June. Initially successful, its attack was thrown back by Combat Command A (CCA) of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division.
Credits
Cast | Klondike Group
Executive Producers | Christian Taylor, Bob Miller, Janie Miller
Director | Christian Taylor
Historical Directors | Denis van den Brink, Thomas Voisin
Screenwriter | Zach Callaghan
Cinematographer | Chad Gilchrist
Line Producer | Tayler Bujnowski
Producer | Michelle Coupey
UPM | Rick Arbizzani
Camera Operator | Mindy Cook
1st AC | Tamatoa'aril Temauri
Sound Mixer | François Domerc
Boom Operator | Emilie Fantin
Translator | Sarah Murdock
BTS Photographer | Marcio Barreira
Production Assistants | Grace Rapp, Duncan Murdock