Operation Cobra: Defeat of the German Army in Northern France
American soldiers rest on the street of the French town of Argentan near a destroyed German tank. tank "Panther". August 1944
The Allied command planned to quickly liberate France and begin an invasion of Germany, ahead of the Russians.
Operation Cobra
On July 25, 1944, the Allied offensive began from the Normandy bridgehead. The Allied command planned to cut off the escape routes of the main German forces, which were located between the Seine and the Loire, and reach Paris. One of the main goals was to capture ports on the Brittany peninsula to improve supplies. As a result, the troops were stretched out on a wide front, advancing in diverging directions.
The Allies had 37 divisions and 13 brigades, 2 tanks on the bridgehead. The Germans had 500 divisions and 29 tanks on this front. But the German units were weakened, numbering a maximum of 900% of their regular strength. The Allies had overwhelming air superiority: 50 aircraft against 11 Germans.
A B-26 Marauder bomber of the 555th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, 99th Bomb Wing, flies over Argentan, burning after a bombing raid. June 1944.
The offensive developed slowly. The powerful aerial bombardment seemed insufficiently accurate, and some of the bombs were dropped on friendly troops. However, after four days of fighting, the 4st American Army from O. Bradley's 1th Army Group (the 12st and 1rd American armies) broke through the German defense. The Americans' superiority in forces and resources played a role. The Nazis' attempts to stop the enemy with counterattacks from the east by two tank divisions were unsuccessful.
Two American corps consisting of 8 infantry and 4 tank divisions went into the breakthrough. On August 1, the Americans occupied Granville, Avranches, advancing to Brittany. The left flank of the German 7th Army of Colonel General Hausser was overturned and was under threat of encirclement. At the cost of serious losses, the Germans avoided being encircled. The 3rd American Army of General Patton (three corps) was brought into battle. Patton's army covered the eastern flank of the allies with two corps.
On the left wing, the British 21st Army Group of B. Montgomery, consisting of the 2nd British and 1st Canadian armies, was advancing. It was supposed to tie down the German tank formations in order to help the American offensive. And then develop the offensive on Falaise. The Canadian attacks from the Caen area were unsuccessful. On July 30, after a strong aviation Two British corps went south from the Comona region for preparation.
Hausser's German 7th Army suffered serious losses and began to retreat. The German command transferred a tank corps against the Americans. The commander of Army Group B, Field Marshal Kluge, received permission to use part of the forces from the coast of Pas-de-Calais and the Bay of Biscay. The decision to use the divisions of von Salmuth's strong 15th Army, which occupied a bridgehead in the Pas-de-Calais area, was belated. The divisions were transferred slowly, and they could no longer have a noticeable effect on the situation. These troops were no longer sufficient.
American infantrymen inspect burned-out German vehicles on a street in Avranches. The city was liberated by soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division of the US Army and the 2nd French Armored Division of General Leclerc.
On July 31, 1944, Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia recognized that the troops would have to be withdrawn from France. At the same time, Hitler ordered Kluge to hold all territories with "fanatical determination." Hold Brittany, or at least its ports.
Group G remained in South-West and South France. In the north, it was planned to prepare a counterattack to restore positions. When withdrawing from the coast, it was proposed to use scorched earth tactics, destroying all structures, bridges and railway equipment. It was also planned to create defensive lines on the Somme and Marne rivers and restore the Siegfried Line on the German border.
Having pulled up reserves and regrouped their forces, the Nazis planned to launch a counterattack on their left wing to restore the previous front. For this purpose, they brought in the tank group "West" (from August 5, the 5th tank army of General H. Eberbach) and the 7th army.
An American half-track armored personnel carrier M3A1 named "Holy Devils" from the 8th Battalion of the 4th US Armored Division on the streets of liberated Avranches. July 31, 1944.
Meanwhile, the Allied command ordered General Hodges's 1st American Army to advance on Vire and Mortain, then to the east and southeast. Patton's 3rd Army was to occupy the area north of the Loire and the Brittany peninsula. The balance of power was constantly in favor of the Allies. Their superiority was growing.
By August 6, the 8th Corps of the 3rd Army and French partisans had cleared Brittany of the enemy, except for Brest (held out until September 18) and other ports (Lorient, Saint-Nazaire). Here, units of the 3rd infantry and 1st parachute divisions defended themselves, having orders from the Fuhrer to defend the ports to the last man. The Nazis completely destroyed the abandoned port of Saint-Malo and the city of Nantes.
American soldiers and an M18 Hellcat self-propelled gun from the 705th Anti-Tank Battalion in combat on the streets of Brest, France. September 1944.
Other corps of the 3rd Army also advanced successfully. The 12th Corps reached the Loire from Angers to its mouth. The 13th Corps approached the cities of Laval and Mayenne. Their advance was actively assisted by French partisans. That is, the 3rd Army achieved operational success.
The 1st Army, which was confronted by the main forces of the German 7th Army, advanced noticeably slower. After stubborn battles, it occupied Mortain and Vire, enveloping the left flank of the German army.
From July 21 to August 25, the 6st Army Group advanced from 2 to 5 km on the front of the 25nd British Army, taking advantage of the American successes. The Canadians continued to wage local battles in the Caen area.
M4 Sherman tank of the US 4th Armored Division in the liberated French town of Avranches. July 31, 1944.
German counterattack - Operation Luttich
Kluge proposed to avoid encirclement by immediately evacuating Brittany and withdrawing troops from South-West and South France. Then it would be possible to create a defensive line on the Seine or to the east. However, the Fuhrer demanded to hold all positions in Brittany, at least the ports, all of South France. And to launch a counterattack in the north with mobile units. For this purpose, it was proposed to remove almost all tank divisions (8 out of 9) from the front in Normandy and create a strike group in the Mortain area, headed by the commander of the 5th Tank Army.
On August 2, Hitler sent von Kluge a directive ordering the "immediate start of a counteroffensive between Mortain and Avranches." The German command planned to launch a surprise attack in the direction of Mortain, Avranches, in order to cut off the American 3rd Army and restore the front in Normandy. On August 4, the Führer repeated the order to use the Luftwaffe reserve.
A US Army soldier on the street in Mortain, which was destroyed by American fire. artillery. August 1944
Kluge and Hausser, who could not wait for the concentration of all units, began the offensive on the night of August 7, 1944. There was no artillery preparation to maintain surprise. The Germans had up to 12 divisions, about 400 tanks. The main striking force was the 47th Panzer Corps of General von Funck, consisting of the 2nd, 116th Panzer, 2nd and 1st SS Panzer Divisions. The left flank of the 7th Army was reinforced by 2 infantry divisions from the 15th Army.
The Germans attacked the troops of the 1st American Army, surrounded Mortain, and in some areas pushed the Americans back 5–15 km. However, the Americans learned of the enemy operation and were ready. They brought up new units. And the Germans had little strength and resources to develop their initial success.
British aircraft bomb German positions near the French commune of Falaise during the Falaise operation. Up to 1 British Halifax and Lancaster bombers took part in the raid. August 000–7, 8.
Allied air power was in complete control of the air, destroying the German mobile units, which were concentrated in a narrow area. The American 9th Air Force and the British Air Force (2nd Tactical Air Force) launched massive attacks on the Germans. German commanders noted the continuous Allied air attacks on the tank forces, which were holding back the tank offensive.
Already on August 7, American troops counterattack. The fighting continued for several more days. The Germans went on the defensive. A new offensive was scheduled for August 11.
American-made M4A4 Sherman tank of the Canadian South Alberta Regiment and a Wehrmacht Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H tank, destroyed during the Falaise Offensive. August 1944.
Meanwhile, Patton's 3rd Army advanced unhindered across open ground behind German lines and took Le Mans on August 8. That same day, taking advantage of the weakened German defenses in the Caen area, the 1st Canadian Army went on the offensive. The Canadians advanced in the general direction of Falaise. With powerful air support, the Allies broke through the enemy's first line of defense, but then got bogged down.
In five days of fighting, the 1st Canadian Army advanced 10-15 km, but was unable to completely break through the German defenses. The 2nd British Army also attacked at this time, but without success.
A Canadian soldier assesses the track width of a German Tiger tank of the 2nd Company, 102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. According to the source, the vehicle was burned by its crew due to a malfunction during the retreat from the encirclement at Falaise and Chambois. There are a number of impact marks on the frontal armour of the vehicle.
Falaise Sack
As a result, the attempt at a poorly prepared counterattack only worsened the situation of the German troops in France. The counterattack failed. The tank divisions lost up to half of their strength, 150 tanks. The 5th Tank and 7th Field Armies found themselves in a difficult situation, the Allies were enveloping them from the south and north. Their southern flank and rear were completely exposed. The so-called "Falaise pocket" was formed, where the main forces of the Nazis found themselves.
The advance of American troops threatened the entire German defense system in Normandy. Bradley declared: "This is a once-in-a-century opportunity for a commander. We are going to destroy the enemy army and go all the way to the German border."
On August 10, Bradley turned part of the 3rd Army to Alençon, Argentan. Montgomery ordered the 1st Canadian Army to attack from the north to take Falaise and advance to Argentan. The success of the operation made it possible to encircle and destroy the main forces of the German Army Group B in Northern France.
Burning German equipment in the Alencon area. On August 11, 1944, there was fighting here between the Americans (5th Armored and 79th Infantry Divisions) and the SS troops – the latter were routed, many soldiers were captured. The Americans also discovered the reconnaissance of the German 2nd Panzer Division and destroyed some of its vehicles, which were left burning on the road.
The rapid and decisive actions of the allies led to the destruction and capture of the enemy's main forces, but this did not happen. On August 12, Patton's 15th Corps reached Argentan, but was stopped by Bradley's order with the sanction of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, D. Eisenhower.
On August 14, the Canadian army, which had to overcome strong enemy defenses, reinforced by tanks and self-propelled guns dug into the ground, and an anti-tank screen of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, also reached the Falaise area, narrowing the throat of a possible cauldron to 14 km.
Bradley later wrote that the 3rd Army could close the bottleneck, but he doubted that it could hold it. According to his data, against 19 German divisions (in reality 14-15 bloodless divisions), Patton had 4 divisions that closed the main roads through Alencon, Say and Argentan. The advance to Falaise increased the width of the front, which had to be held by 65 km. That is, the retreating German group could crush Patton.
Bradley also noted that there was a threat of a "friendly" battle between the British and Canadians advancing from the north, who might mistake the Americans for Germans, if Patton went to Falaise.
Tiger tank Pz. Kpfw IV Ausf. E of the 102nd SS Heavy Tank Battalion, blown up by its crew on 19.08.1944 near Vimoutiers, during the Falaise operation. The faulty vehicle was blown up on the road in order to hinder the advance of Allied troops. Using bulldozers, the Americans pushed the tank into a ditch. The vehicle was subsequently restored and is currently installed on a special pedestal to the east of the city, not far from where it was blown up.
In fact, the reason is in the mistakes of the Allied command. The Allies did not regroup their forces, and allocated too few forces to create the inner and outer encirclement ring. And Bradley, instead of strengthening his forces in the Falaise area, weakened them. He left only two divisions with artillery there, and moved the main forces of the 3rd Army to the east, to Orleans, to Chartres and Dreux. That is, to the Paris direction. Chartres and Dreux were captured on August 16, Orleans - on August 17. The Germans could not counter this offensive.
Thus, the US 3rd Army left the Falaise pocket open and moved on Paris. Bradley wanted to get the glory of liberating Paris. This allowed the Germans to withdraw most of the troops of Army Group B, avoiding a catastrophe.
Troops of the 1st Canadian and 2nd British armies slowly advanced south. On August 17, the Canadians occupied Falaise. But the pocket itself was still open. Beginning on August 12, the German command withdrew troops from it. Only on August 19 was the neck closed. About 125 thousand people were trapped in the Falaise pocket.
Soldiers of the Canadian Fusiliers de Mont-Royal behind an M4 Sherman tank of the Fusiliers de Sherbrooke on the streets of Falaise, France. August 17, 1944.
However, the cauldron was not dense. In the following three days, the Nazis made holes in the encirclement ring in furious attacks and withdrew up to 50% of the troops. That is, the Germans saved most of the troops of the encircled armies and by the end of August withdrew them beyond the Seine.
The Americans and British claimed that their aircraft destroyed two enemy armies. Bradley noted in his memoirs that 70 German soldiers were killed or captured. According to other sources, German losses were significantly lower, 10 were killed and 40 were captured. However, the Germans lost most of their equipment, heavy weapons, hundreds of tanks and self-propelled guns.
British American-made M4 Sherman tanks and German prisoners of war in the Falaise area.
A column of German prisoners captured by the Allies in the Falaise area.
The German troops, especially the 7th Army, suffered serious losses, but retained their combat capability. All surviving divisions were ferried across the Seine, despite the complete dominance of Anglo-American aviation in the air.
The German commander-in-chief, von Kluge, who had withdrawn troops without the Fuhrer's permission, was dismissed from his post on August 17. The field marshal handed over his affairs to Walter Model, after having sent Hitler a letter in which he explained the reasons for his failures and tried one last time to open his eyes to what was happening. He implored Hitler to end the war if "a miracleweapon" will not help, and will not save the people from new horrors and suffering.
The resignation of the commander-in-chief was caused by the fact that he knew about the plot of July 20 (How They Tried to Kill Hitler). On the way to Metz, von Kluge was poisoned with potassium cyanide on August 18. According to another version, he was shot and staged as a suicide.
Field Marshal Günther von Kluge (1882–1944)
Withdrawal from France
The new commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Model, quickly realized that the enemy could not be stopped with the available forces and asked for 30 divisions and 200 reinforcements. It is clear that such forces simply did not exist. Model was unable to organize a new line of defense on the Seine. The remaining divisions were completely bled dry, deprived of equipment. And the American troops crossed the river.
In mid-August 1944, American-French troops landed in southern France. The situation allowed the Americans, together with French partisans, to intercept the retreating forces of the German 19th Army, but the Allied command did not do this (How the Allies allowed the German army to quietly leave Southern France).
An American M10 self-propelled gun fires at a German tank on the other side of the Loire River in the center of the ruined Orleans. August 18, 1944.
Almost all of France was engulfed in mass armed uprisings against the Nazis. The French liberated a significant portion of cities and departments before the arrival of the Allied forces. On August 19, Paris rebelled; the units of the 3rd American Army were 20–50 km from the capital of France, but were in no hurry. Although the Germans did not have the forces that could defend Paris. The Allied command did not want the rebels to win in the French capital, but they had to launch an offensive. On August 22, the Parisians liberated 70 of 80 neighborhoods. On August 24, 1944, the Allied forces entered Paris, which had already been liberated by the Resistance forces, practically without a fight (“Beat our enslavers mercilessly”).
Army Group B began to retreat from Northern France to the western borders of Germany to the Siegfried Line. In Southern France, Army Group G (1st and 19th Field Armies) retreated. By the end of August, the Germans had lost about 300 men killed, wounded, and missing. The number of reinforcements on the march did not exceed 40 men.
French resistance fighters and police escort a captured German officer, accompanied by citizens, on the square in front of the Paris Opera. One of the fighters in front is armed with a British Bren gun.
A French crew in front of a Sherman M4A2(76)W tank from the 2nd Company of the 501st Tank Regiment of General Leclerc's 2nd Tank Division in the Bois de Boulogne. August 16, 1944.
The advancing allied armies encountered almost no resistance from the enemy. The allied armies, despite their complete superiority in forces and means (in aviation it was absolute), advanced cautiously and slowly. The average rate of advance was 4-10 km per day.
Apparently, this was connected with the unspoken instructions of the political leadership to allow the Germans to escape to Germany, where German units could be transferred to the Russian front.
British and American researchers and memoirists write about the fierce resistance of the enemy and the difficulties of overcoming the terrain, but this is clearly a strong exaggeration and a lie. The resistance of the Nazis was usually minimal or absent. For example, in Southern France, against entire enemy armies on the coast, there were only a few German battalions. The best, most combat-ready units of the Wehrmacht were in the East. In the West, mainly reservists, newly recruited old men and young men, recovered wounded, secondary troops fought. The SS troops were an exception, but they had little experience, they suffered serious losses.
Resistance fighters on the streets of Marseille. In the foreground is a group of sailors. In the frame is the barrel of a German 2cm Flak 30 anti-aircraft gun on a wooden carriage. August 26, 1944.
The difficulties of the terrain are clearly exaggerated. These were not the vast, sparsely populated and almost roadless expanses of Russia. The forests and swamps of the Baltics or Belarus. The huge river barriers, like the Dnieper. But the well-developed roads and expanses of France, Belgium and Germany.
It is also worth considering the mistakes of the allied command. They had no experience in conducting such large-scale operations. As well as rapid breakthroughs and attacks using mobile units, as, for example, the Wehrmacht and the Red Army did. When armored divisions rush forward, they bypass the enemy's resistance nodes and strongholds, leaving them to the infantry. They intercept communications and destroy the enemy's rear, advancing until the fuel and ammunition reserves are exhausted. Then they consolidate, clear the rear of the remaining enemy forces, pull up the rear and move forward again.
Gendarmes and French Resistance fighters hold back Parisians during a meeting with Charles Gaulle. August 26, 1944.
The Allied forces did not have such experience either. Therefore, the Allies advanced very slowly, cautiously. If the Wehrmacht had concentrated its best armies and divisions here, and not on the Russian Front, it could have shown the Allies its class. As later in the Ardennes.
It is also noted that the Allies did not have time to organize the supply of such a huge mass of troops. They had to supply the troops even by air. The Allies had only one artificial port in Normandy and Cherbourg, which had not yet been fully restored. It was necessary to restore the railways in France, destroyed by bombing and retreating Nazis.
The Allies had exaggerated ideas about the strength of the Siegfried Line (West Wall). In fact, almost all the weapons and equipment of the West Wall were used to prepare the Atlantic Wall. When the German army reached the Siegfried Line during its retreat, it could no longer be a serious fortified area.
But this did not prevent the Allies from quietly pushing the Germans out of France. Two German armies were defeated. The situation of the Third Reich, which suffered heavy defeats under the blows of the Soviet armies, worsened significantly. Romania and Finland left the war. The superior forces of the Allies were now advancing in the West. Berlin could not transfer reserves from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and lost serious material and human resources in France and Italy.
Thus, the Allies did not use the opportunity to defeat the main forces of the German Army Groups B and G in Northern and Southern France, west of the Seine and in the Rhone Valley. After which they could calmly break through to the Ruhr.
American soldiers look at the anti-tank obstacles of the Siegfried Line. The Siegfried Line (West Wall) is a system of German permanent fortifications built in 1936–1940 in western Germany, in the border strip from Kleve to Basel. September 15, 1944.
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