King Tiger's World War 2 Battlefield Tour (Europe)

[King Tiger]

18. Falaise Pocket
Operation Cobra by the US First Army, together with concurrent offensives Operation Totalize by the Second British and First Canadian Armies, was decisive in securing an Allied victory in the Normandy Campaign.
By 28 July 1944, the German defenses across the U.S. front had largely collapsed under the full weight of VII and VIII Corps' advance, and resistance was disorganised and patchy.
By 31 July, XIX Corps had destroyed the last forces opposing the US First Army.

The U.S. advance following Cobra was extraordinarily rapid.
Between 1 August and 4 August 1944, seven divisions of General George S. Patton's Third Army had swept through Avranches and over the bridge at Pontaubault into Brittany.
Operation Cobra transformed the high-intensity infantry combat of Normandy into rapid maneuver warfare, and led to the creation of the Falaise pocket

 

[tecnica]

certainly intriguing thread.

i bet many people walk past those spots every single day and they have no idea about the historical moments behind those places.

 

[King Tiger]

certainly intriguing thread.

i bet many people walk past those spots every single day and they have no idea about the historical moments behind those places.

Thanks tecnica. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[King Tiger]

General George S. Patton started his advance to the north on 11 August 1944 while the British and Canadian head for Falaise and spearhead for Argentan.
The German troops went from attack to defense.
On 13 August the 1st SS and 2nd Pantzer Division arrived around Argentan, but instead of participating in the counterattack, they take defensive positions.

 

[King Tiger]

With the U.S. First Army forming the southern arm, the British Second Army the base, and the Canadian First Army the northern arm of the encirclement,
the Germans fought hard to keep an escape route open, although their withdrawal did not begin until 17 August.

There was pure chaos among the German troops. The organization was in shambles and orders were conflicting.
Hitler demanded attacks, but all the Germans can do is to go in a defense.
On 16 Aug that night the first attempt was made to escape the area. It went remarkably well, this was due to that fact that the Allies gave the Germans a free hand.

On 17 August it all changed dramaticly. Montgomery concluded that the Germans were trying to escape instead of fighting. He ordered that the escaping route should be closed.
The 2nd Canadian Armoured Army Corps and the 4th Canadian and the 1st Polish Armoured Division were given the assignment to head for Trun and further on to Chambois.
Trun was captured in one swift move and the Polish troops reach Chambois just short of 1 kilometer.

On 18 August, the Germans had just a hole of 8 kilometers wide to make the escape.
Under heavy fire from tanks, artillery and Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers, the Germans tried desperate to bring back as much men as possible through this gap.

On 19 August the enclave were the last remains of fifteen divisions, wandering and lost troops, an enormous pack of tanks and other logistic vehicles.
In a last desperate attempt to escape and to make the escape route somewhat bigger, the Germans organized a plan of attack.
But the British troops pulled the noose around the 'pocket' tighter and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division headed for St-Lambert-sur-Dives and the 1st Polish Division captured the important 'Hill 262' (Mont-Ormel) that had an excellent view on the sector around Chambois and Vimoutiers.
The Allies linked up in Chambois but in insufficient strength to seal the pocket.
Gaps were forced in the Allied lines by desperate German assaults, the most significant and hard-fought being a corridor past elements of the Polish 1st Armoured Division, who had established a commanding position in the mouth of the pocket.

 

[King Tiger]

On 20 August, the Germans renewed the attack to force open an egress, elements of the 2nd and 9th SS Panzer Divisions attack from outside the pocket towards the Polish positions.
Around midday several units of the 10th SS, 12th SS, and 116th Panzer Divisions managed to break through the weak Polish lines and open a corridor, while the 9th SS Panzer Division prevented the Canadians from intervening.

 

[King Tiger]

By evening of 21 August, tanks of the Canadian 4th Armoured Division had linked with Polish forces at Coudehard, while the Canadian 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions had secured St. Lambert and the northern passage to Chambois.
The Falaise pocket had finally been sealed.
Around 50,000 German troops (leaving almost all of their heavy equipment) escaped through the gap, avoiding encirclement and almost certain destruction.
They would later be reorganized and rearmed in time to slow the Allied advance into the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden) and Germany (Battle of Bulge).

 

[one eye jack]

Thanks for sharing and hope you don't mind I hijack your thread for a bit.I was a WW2 enthusiast in my teens and it was the romance,bravery of fighting men and machines,specifically the air war over europe and the pacific ocean.As I gained more knowlegde I realised the war was brutal and both victors and losers suffered and most of all the human spirit.

As usual most military buffs are men but I have a soft spot for the girls/women who were involved in the war effort.
These girls just barely into the 20s precious daughters who rose to the occasion when their country needed them most.
This is also for ladies in CS and I salute your wife and these grannies.Notably women came into the war because of shortage of talent,they were employed in the factories to churn out weapons and ammunition and assist in the central
command war rooms but there are the women who served in the battle field,russian and the support end like the british and americans.Let me share some info:

On land there were the women russian snipers.While the germans were the ones who used sniper tactics first,the russians
trained their women too for the job.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BEST FEMALE  RUSSIAN SNIPER OF WORLD WAR TWO
Russian Female sniper Veteran - World War 2 - YouTube

Then there were the the russian women fighter pilots and some became aces.An ace is a pilot who had 5 confirmed air to air kills, supported by gun camera footage,witnessed by fellow pilots during the action or enemy aircraft wreckage found at the location and time.

Lydia Litvyak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan J. Safarik: Air Aces Home Page

Wings,women,and War:Soviet Airwoman in World war2 combat - Youtube58 minute long! lecture)
Wings, Women, and War: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Combat - YouTube

Because war is the activity of men, western/european countries other than russia forbid their women from participation
because they feel women not suited for war and modern research and studies have confirmed that in the heat of battle
the men will try to protect the female colleagues possibly putting their male counterparts in danger and military operations
not to mention morale.But as usual,shortage of talent made it neccesary to use women but in non combat roles like
the british ATA (Air transport auxiliary).

Air Transport Auxiliary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maureen Dunlop: Pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary who made the cover of Picture Post - Obituaries - News - The Independent

The americans had WASP (women's airforce service pilots):

Women Pilots in World War 2 Program Finally Get Recognition

Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls : NPR

In the american story there are 2 chinese girls who were selected out of thousands that applied,only 1800 something
were selected and about 60% passed the training.Her name is Hazel Ying Lee who tried to join the chinese airforce
but as usual they see women no up and she came back to america as she was an american citizen.She was the last to die
during her ferrying duties unfortunately in a mid air collision with another plane while coming in for a landing in an advanced P39 fighter.

Hazel Ying Lee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Once again I salute these brave young women ,there are not many still alive.Let's not forget them for their contributions
to their respective countries.Thank you for reading.

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - Captured Germans wehrmacht at Falaise.

May 2010 - Modern town of Falaise today (Notice the same 7 windows and the same building on the right)

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - Surrender Germans troops at the Falaise pockets

May 2010 - A quiet town today

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - Mass surrender of Germans troop at Falaise.

May 2010 - KT at the exact spot at Falaise, 66 years later.

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - The majority between 80,000 and 100,000 troops were caught in the encirclement of which 10,000–15,000 were killed, 40,000–50,000 taken prisoner, and 20,000–50,000 escaped

May2010 - A quiet and peaceful town today

 

[King Tiger]

May 2010 - KT and wife at Falaise

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - The Corridor of Death
Between 17 till 21 Aug, elements of several German formations who attempt to escape to the east, where under heavy fire from Allies tanks, artillery and Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers.
Many men and materials were lost during the escape.

May 2010 - The same escape route today

The Battle of the Falaise Pocket
[video=youtube;30APC7MGVPI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30APC7MGVPI[/video]

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - The Corridor of Death
German material losses included 344 tanks, self-propelled guns and other light armoured vehicles as well as 2,447 soft-skinned vehicles and 252 guns abandoned or destroyed.

May 2010 - The same Corridor of Death today

German Army Defeated at Falaise Pocket, Normandy
[video=youtube;1NoCKBqGNJc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NoCKBqGNJc[/video]

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - The Corridor of Death
By 22 August, all German forces west of the Allied lines were dead or in captivity.

May 2010 - A quiet and peaceful corridor today

 

[King Tiger]

Aug 1944 - The Corridor of Death
The area in which the pocket had formed was full of the remains of battle. Ruined and abandoned equipment made some roads totally impassable.
Corpses littered the area—not only those of soldiers, but civilians and thousands of dead cattle and horses.

In the hot August weather, maggots crawled over the bodies and hordes of flies descended on the area.
Pilots reported being able to smell the stench of the battlefield hundreds of feet above it.
Fear of infection from the rancid conditions led the Allies to declare the area an "unhealthy zone".
Clearing the area was a low priority though and went on until well into November.

General Eisenhower recorded that:
The battlefield at Falaise was unquestionably one of the greatest 'killing fields' of any of the war areas.
Forty-eight hours after the closing of the gap I was conducted through it on foot, to encounter scenes that could be described only by Dante.
It was literally possible to walk for hundreds of yards at a time, stepping on nothing but dead and decaying flesh.

May 2010 - **

** Sorry, photos were taken at Falaise but this is a not the actual site to compare the Then and Now as per above photos, but definitely this is one of them, all the escape routes at Falaise area were filled with Germans' corpses and tanks.
** Just to let readers understand the price to pay for peace and the horror of war.
** Feel that this is a good history to tell to our future generation **

 

[King Tiger]

Painting illustration of Hawker Typhoon aircrafts attacking Germans panzers with RP-3 rockets.

Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers have devastating effects on retreating German panzers during the Falaise operations.

Best classical example to airpower versus armour at Falaise Gap.

The "Corridor of Death" for the German Panzers.

Hawker Typhoon's RP-3 rockets against German units.

 

[King Tiger]

Hawker Typhoon: Rocket attack video
[video=youtube;KrdfbrwcuM8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrdfbrwcuM8[/video]

The battle of the Falaise Pocket marked the closing phase of the Battle of Normandy with a decisive German defeat.


The 'Falaise Pocket' was the biggest defeat so far after Stalingrad. 50.000 Germans were made prisoner of war and 10.000 lost their life.
Despite the losses, between the 20.000 and 40.000 managed to escape. But the Germans had to leave an enormous amount of tanks and other vehicles.
Those losses could never be replaced by the German industry. The Germans were on the run and on 25 August Paris falls in allied hands.

 

[King Tiger]

Thanks for sharing and hope you don't mind I hijack your thread for a bit.I was a WW2 enthusiast in my teens and it was the romance,bravery of fighting men and machines,specifically the air war over europe and the pacific ocean.As I gained more knowlegde I realised the war was brutal and both victors and losers suffered and most of all the human spirit.

As usual most military buffs are men but I have a soft spot for the girls/women who were involved in the war effort.
These girls just barely into the 20s precious daughters who rose to the occasion when their country needed them most.
This is also for ladies in CS and I salute your wife and these grannies.Notably women came into the war because of shortage of talent,they were employed in the factories to churn out weapons and ammunition and assist in the central
command war rooms but there are the women who served in the battle field,russian and the support end like the british and americans.Let me share some info:

On land there were the women russian snipers.While the germans were the ones who used sniper tactics first,the russians
trained their women too for the job.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BEST FEMALE  RUSSIAN SNIPER OF WORLD WAR TWO
Russian Female sniper Veteran - World War 2 - YouTube

Then there were the the russian women fighter pilots and some became aces.An ace is a pilot who had 5 confirmed air to air kills, supported by gun camera footage,witnessed by fellow pilots during the action or enemy aircraft wreckage found at the location and time.

Lydia Litvyak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan J. Safarik: Air Aces Home Page

Wings,women,and War:Soviet Airwoman in World war2 combat - Youtube58 minute long! lecture)
Wings, Women, and War: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Combat - YouTube

Because war is the activity of men, western/european counrties other than russia forbid their women from participation
because they feel women not suited for war and modern research and studies have comfirmed that in the heat of battle
the men will try to protect the female colleagues possibly putting their male counterparts in danger and military operations
not to mention morale.But as usual,shortage of talent made it neccesary to use women but in non combat roles like
the british ATA (Air transport auxiliary).

Air Transport Auxiliary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maureen Dunlop: Pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary who made the cover of Picture Post - Obituaries - News - The Independent

The amaricans had WASP (women's airforce service pilots):

Women Pilots in World War 2 Program Finally Get Recognition

Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls : NPR

In the american story there are 2 chinese girls who were selected out of thousands that applied,only 1800 something
were selected and about 60% passed the training.Her name is Hazel Ying Lee who tried to join the chinese airforce
but as usual they see women no up and she came back to america as she was an american citizen.She was the last to die
during her ferrying duties unfortunately in a mid air collision with another plane while coming in for a landing in an advanced P39 fighter.

Hazel Ying Lee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Once agian I salute these brave young women ,there are not many still alive.Let's not forget them for their contributions
to their respective countries.Thank you for reading.

Wow one eye jack.
Thank you thank you for sharing such a wonderful information.

I am aware about women russian snipers during World War 2 but didn't really focus on women participation in the war effort.
This is an eye opening for me and I will share with my wife too.

I too, salute the brave and heroic women who have done their contributions to their respective countries.
Thank you for sharing.