The legend of the "wild west" grew quickly, and the possibilities of the frontier allowed people in the west to press outrageous stories that were reported happily as fact in the East, which was ready to believe just about anything could happen in that uncivilized land.
By September of 1944, the Western Allies had broken out of the Normandy beachehead, and suddenly and quickly moved across northern France . By September 7th, the 90th division was stretched across the northern sector on Patton’s Third Army’s left, advancing slowly northeast. As they did so the German defenders made a risky attack in an effort to spoil the allied advance, cutting through Allied lines in a surprise action at the small town of Mairy-Mannville.