The Hedgerow Breach

After the capture of Saint-Lô, 1st US Army, under the command of General Bradley, found itself in position to launch a major offensive to breakthrough the German lines; they had suffered so much attrition they had reached their breaking point. …

1944-07-25

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After the capture of Saint-Lô, 1st US Army, under the command of General Bradley, found itself in position to launch a major offensive to breakthrough the German lines; they had suffered so much attrition they had reached their breaking point. On July 25th, after a massive carpet bombing, three infantry divisions of the 7th US Army Corps (Gal Collins) advanced through the disrupted lines of the Panzer Lehr Division - Operation Cobra had just begun. In spite of the disruption and despite taking heavy losses, the surviving German troops fought desperately, making the US advance slow and painful. By evening, the hoped-for breakthrough hadn't materialized. On July 26, general Collins ordered the 2nd "Hell on Wheels" US Armored Division to go into action. Leaving infantry behind, the tanks quickly reached Canisy. Finally, on the 27th, US troops reached Pont-Brocard and le Mesnil-Herman. The breakthrough had succeeded; now the breakout toward Coutances and Avranches could begin.

Canisy, France

Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the United States First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the distraction of the Germans by the British and Canadian attacks around Caen in Operation Goodwood, and thereby break through the German defenses that were penning in their forces while the Germans were unbalanced. Once a corridor had been created, the First Army would then be able to advance into Brittany, rolling up the German flanks once free of the constraints of the bocage country. After a slow start, the offensive gathered momentum and German Resistance collapsed as scattered remnants of broken units fought to escape to the Seine. Lacking the resources to cope with the situation, the German response was ineffectual and the entire Normandy front soon collapsed. Operation Cobra, together with concurrent offensives by the British Second Army and the Canadian First Army, was decisive in securing an Allied victory in the Normandy campaign.

Wikipedia: Operation Cobra

German

American

Game Type: Breakthrough

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified