When American paratroopers ambushed and killed General Wilhelm Farley of the German 91st Air-Landing Division, the man in charge of the Normandy defense against enemy paratroopers, it left a void in the command structure that headquarters was slow to fill. Maj. Friedrich August von der Heydte, commander of the 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, decided he could wait no longer for direction from above and sent out his recon units on his own authority. The patrols reported the key cities of St. Marie Eglise, St. Marie du Mont, and most importantly Carentan were still unoccupied by the enemy. Von der Heydte detailed the 1st Battalion to take St. Marie du Mont, while the 2nd moved into St. Marie Eglise, and the 3rd Battalion secured Carentan. Their orders specified they hold their objectives at all cost.

By the time the Germans arrived the Americans were advancing on Carentan and had occupied the other two villages. Just north of the Douve River the two sides clashed. The Fallschirmjägers managed to occupy Carentan but failed to drive the Americans back. Maj. von der Heydte received heavy criticism for failing to compel the Americans to withdraw, but his occupation of Carentan would provide many benefits for the Germans in the days to come.