Closing the Gap

Against the advice of his commanders, Hitler ordered a massed counter-attack on the American forces in Normandy (Operation Luttich), which drew his forces further into France. As the Americans made a sweeping move south, Allied command saw an opportunity to …

1944-08-19

4090

Against the advice of his commanders, Hitler ordered a massed counter-attack on the American forces in Normandy (Operation Luttich), which drew his forces further into France. As the Americans made a sweeping move south, Allied command saw an opportunity to cut off two German armies (the 5th Panzer and the 7th Army). General Patton was ordered to sit tight in the south while the British in the North continued their drive toward Falaise and further closed the gap. The spearhead of the British drive was Operation Tractable. The Canadian forces, under the British, were ordered to push on in all haste as the opportunity to enclose the German armies was realized. On August 19th the Canadians, in their first operation, had pushed through Falaise and were in full control of the town of Trun... but the gap was still open. German command, realizing their danger, ordered a retreat over the remaining bridges to avoid destruction. Only a couple of bridges stood between freedom or capture. The Polish division, meanwhile, was ordered to hold the high ground above the Falaise Gap to defend against any German rescue attempts. This would give the Canadians in the north and the Americans in the south time to close the gap. With the British and American forces closing in on their rear, the Germans sent in the 2nd SS Panzer Division against the 1st Polish Armored Division to keep the escape route open. The fight was fierce but the Poles held them off. Although more units escaped than the Allies would have liked, the gap was finally closed and over 40,000 German troops were captured.

Falaise, France

The Falaise Pocket or Battle of the Falaise Pocket was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. A pocket was formed around Falaise, Calvados, in which the German Army Group B, with the 7th Army and the Fifth Panzer Army were encircled by the Western Allies. The battle is also referred to as the Battle of the Falaise Gap. The battle resulted in the destruction of most of Army Group B west of the Seine, which opened the way to Paris and the Franco-German border for the Allied armies on the Western Front.

Wikipedia: Falaise Pocket

German

Canadian / French / British / Polish / American

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified