THE DRIVE ACROSS FRANCE: THE 71ST INFANTRY REGIMENT

The 71st Infantry landed at Cherbourg, France, on September 15, 1944, and entered combat on October 23. The regiment fought its way through northern France and reached the Maginot Line in mid-November.

Constructed by France after World War I to guard against a German invasion, the Maginot Line was a system of armed fortresses. In 1944, the Maginot Line was occupied by the German Army, and thus stood in the way of the Allied liberation of France.