This exposed D Companys right flank, who also fell back, leaving E Company all alone. Under intense German fire, F Company of the 506ths left flank broke and fell back. The 506th took the brunt of the attack, and by 10:30 a.m., the outnumbered and outgunned paratroopers were pushed almost back to the outskirts of the town. The combined force counterattacked northeast towards Carentan at dawn on June 13, just as the 506th and 501st PIR were attacking southwest to enlarge the American defensive perimeter around the town. The remnants of the 6th Fallschirmjager resupplied and were reinforced by assault guns and panzergrenadiers of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division on the night of June 12–13. landing beaches, severely disrupting and possibly even destroying the Allied invasion. For the Germans, recapturing Carentan would be the first step towards driving a wedge between the two U.S.
Both sides realized the importance of the town: for the Americans, it was a link between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, and would provide a base for further attacks deeper into German-occupied France. The bulk of the surviving German defenders from the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment had withdrawn to the southwest the previous night after a heavy Allied naval and artillery bombardment.
When the 101st Airborne entered the town of Carentan on JD-Day + 6 after heavy fighting on the two previous days, they met relatively light resistance.