In the weeks following D-Day, countless bloody battles erupted throughout Normandy as the Germans tenaciously clung to every square mile of the bocage (hedgerow country) and sought to exact maximum casualties for each piece of ground yielded. A seesaw struggle without a clearly defined front, the battle for Normandy became a series of brutal small actions in which attacks were met by counterattacks and real estate changed hands on a daily basis. One such action in July 1944 pitted GIs of the U.S. 90th Infantry Division, known as the 'Tough Hombres,' against counterattacking Germans of the 6th Fallschirmjäger (Paratroop) Regiment under Major Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte. The hard-fought battle would result in the capture of more than 200 U.S. troops and an unusual truce between the Germans and Americans to evacuate wounded soldiers.

The Bavarian-born Major von der Heydte had already fought in France, Crete, Russia, North Africa and Italy before he trained and led the 6th Fallschirmjäger into battle in Normandy. A military aristocrat and member of the Luftwaffe (since German paratroop formations were technically not part of the army), he had supervised the 6th Regiment's re-formation at the beginning of 1944, and by May–when the regiment was deployed to France–its members were well prepared to demonstrate its motto, 'Sweat spares blood.'

Although they never parachuted into combat, all of the 6th's troopers had earned their jump wings, and all had jumped several times during training. While the commissioned and noncommissioned officers were mostly battle-wise and experienced, the rank and file were generally quite young. Many of them first saw combat against Allied soldiers in Normandy–and for many it was also their last. Between June 6 and 10, 1944, the 6th Fallschirmjäger's 1st Battalion was wiped out in heavy action.

By July 22, elements of the German regiment's 2nd and 3rd battalions were entrenched in defensive positions opposite the 90th Infantry Division on the Cotentin Peninsula. The 90th had landed at Utah Beach right behind the initial assault elements. The division fought hard and lost heavily during the initial battles for Normandy's hedgerow country, as did many other American units. The 90th's enlisted replacements had reached more than 100 percent of the division's authorized strength by July 22. Many of the 'veteran combatants' had been replacements themselves a short time before. Infantry officer replacements totaled nearly 150 percent.

On July 18, the 90th began preparations for an assault on the village of St. Germain-sur-Seves as a prelude to Operation Cobra, the planned attack on St. Lô that it was hoped would allow Allied ground forces to break out of hedgerow country. The capture of St. Germain-sur-Seves would put the division in a position to push forward to the key crossroads town of Periers, then advance to the highway linking Periers with the important city of Coutances, located near St. Malô, at the base of the peninsula.

St. Germain-sur-Seves lay atop a low 'island' surrounded by terrain that made it relatively inaccessible. On the north it was bounded by the Seves River, and on the other sides it was bordered by swampland and creeks. This rise of earth, which was itself crisscrossed by hedgerows, was roughly two miles long and about half a mile wide. In July 1944 it had become even more isolated than usual from the surrounding territory because of heavy rains that had fallen during the previous month. For the Americans, this problematic piece of real estate would become known as Seves Island.

A night attack on St. Germain-sur-Seves was initially proposed, but the idea was scrapped because of the high numbers of green replacements in the division. Instead, Maj. Gen. Eugene M. Landrum, the 90th's commanding officer, opted for a daylight attack. He selected the 358th Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Christian E. Clarke, Jr., to make the assault and arranged for heavy fire support for the offensive. As it happened, fire support was available because the 90th's attack was the only one planned for that time frame in its sector. Landrum also asked for close-air support, and he directed his other infantry units in the area to bolster the attack with fire from their own weapons.

The assault began around 0630 hours on July 22, after a 15-minute artillery barrage intended to soften up the German defenses. The 358th Regiment's 1st and 2nd battalions advanced toward St. Germain-sur-Seves from the north, along a road that crossed the Seves River. The narrow road had connected the surrounding countryside to the western tip of the island via a bridge, but the Germans had destroyed the span before the battle. According to the plan, the two battalions were to create a bridgehead so that engineers could come in and construct a temporary bridge that would allow tanks to cross the swampland to the village.

Initially the attack was successful. The artillery support was so massive that it compensated for poor visibility that had precluded an airstrike on the island and kept observation aircraft from directing artillery fire. The 358th's 1st Battalion breached the forward positions of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Fallschirmjäger, penetrating more than a quarter mile inside the German lines. But since there was little cover available in the swampy terrain, the advancing Americans exposed their flank. In spite of the artillery support, U.S. casualties were heavy. Two officers and seven men were killed, and 10 officers and 180 men were wounded.

At about 1200 on the 22nd, Major von der Heydte gave orders to drive the American troops from the island and throw them back across the river. Since the German commander apparently believed that the Americans who had come across constituted a small reconnaissance force, he sent only Company 16, led by Sergeant Alexander Uhlig, to mount a counterattack. Von der Heydte ordered Uhlig to push the Americans back and re-establish the old main line of resistance along the river, adding that, if possible, he was also to capture a couple of prisoners for questioning.

Uhlig, whose company was down to 32 effective members by that point, briefed his men and sent them off to take up their position for the attack. Although the members of Company 16 were lightly armed and should have been able to move quickly, their progress was slow. Visibility had improved by midday, and American aircraft now controlled the skies, relentlessly attacking the Germans. As Uhlig's men advanced along a sunken road between two hedgerows, they were hit by artillery fire that wounded a noncommissioned officer and three privates. Two other men left the group to escort the wounded to an aid station. Meanwhile, Uhlig and one of his corporals made a visual reconnaissance of the contested terrain and discussed what to do.

To Uhlig's front, 800 yards of what had formerly been the German main defensive line was now held by American troops. To his left was German Company 6, and there was a gap in the line where Company 11, which had retreated, had formerly been positioned. Much to Uhlig's dismay, he saw that he was facing more than 300 Americans. Knowing that it would be suicidal to mount a frontal assault, Uhlig attacked the shallowest part of the U.S. penetration, its right flank. Uhlig's men crept and crawled steadily forward, using mounds of earth and hedges for cover. Along the way, the German sergeant assumed command of some men from another company to reinforce his own understrength unit.

At about 1800, the German paratroopers launched their attack against the 358th's 1st Battalion. During the next three hours the American forces retreated about 350 yards. According to the 358th's intelligence officer, Major William J. Falvey, the 1st Battalion ended up more than a half mile south of the river, having been reduced to half strength by casualties and stragglers. A company of the 2nd Battalion had managed to advance about 150 yards beyond the Seves and thus was located to the rear of the 1st Battalion. The Americans had also been able to bring two platoons of tanks across a temporary bridge.

Although Uhlig's men had pushed the Americans back and inflicted heavy casualties, they had not yet captured the prisoners von der Heydte wanted. By now Uhlig's little group had been reduced to 28 men. Two of the paratroopers who had been slightly wounded chose to remain with the unit rather than be evacuated.

As the fighting drew to a close that evening, the Americans knew that they were in a precarious position. They expected another attack from the same direction. During the night they struggled to evacuate their wounded, many of whom were lying among the reeds and long grass on the north side of the river. In the darkness, some of the inexperienced troops began drifting to the rear.

Major Michael Knouf, the 358th's regimental supply officer, was doing his best to keep supplies and ammunition coming across the river to the troops in the front-line positions. B and C companies were the farthest forward of the 1st Battalion's companies. The 1st and 2nd battalion troops now formed a horseshoe-shaped line some 200 yards deep and 1,000 yards wide on the island's high ground. The morning of the 23rd found Knouf still south of the Seves, trying to push supplies forward.

Meanwhile, on the evening of the 22nd, Uhlig had reassessed the situation to his front. Although the American bridgehead had been reduced, he knew his mission was not yet fully accomplished. The sound of the American troops digging in led him to conclude that another attack against the same flank would not succeed, so he decided to launch an assault on the other flank. Figuring that he would need more than 28 men to overcome the Americans, he went looking for reinforcements. A tank commander from the nearby 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division told Uhlig he would provide three tanks for the next morning's attack. The 3rd Battalion promised him two MG 42 heavy machine guns and 16 men. Since the men he had been promised were replacements, with only limited battle experience, Uhlig initially planned to use them as a reserve, but he later decided to employ them in a more active role.

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