
Troops of the 79th Infantry Division in Mantes, France - August 1944
The 79th ID crossed the Seine River on 20 August 1944 to establish a bridgehead east bank. The 30th Infantry Division soon followed across the river and the US forces around Mantes began pursuing the Wehrmacht, and successful. The battle around Mantes-Gassicourt is quite notable because it was one of the first times that American ground forces encountered the German Tiger II Tank.