Battle of Falaise Presented by Ibrahim Fayed Johar TABLE OF CONTENTS -01- -02- -03- -04- Historical context The Overall Strategy The Commanders Military capability: The Allies TABLE OF CONTENTS -05- Military capability: The Axies -07- Conclusion -06- Operation Totalize and Tractable Historical context Operation Overload (D-Day): - 6TH of June 1944 - Allied operation to liberate Germanoccupied territory in France - Completed on the 31st of July 1944 NORMANDY LANDINGS LOCATION 48°53′N 0°10′E Geographic location 29,906 km2 Area of Normandy Site of Landings codenames: 23,250 UTAH 34,250 24,970 21,400 OMAHA GOLD JUNO 28,845 Sword The Commanders: George Smith Patton.Jr - (1885-1945) - Hot-headed commander - Seventh and third United States Army commander during World War II - He commanded the U.S tank school in France - Good leadership and knowledge of war - He was hated but at the same time admired by his soldiers The commanders: Bernard Montgomery - (1887-1976) Served in WWI, the Irish War of Independence, WWII Commanded the British Eight Army during the invasion of Sicily In charge of the British 21st Army Group during the Battle of Falaise Pocket. Played an important role in the coordination of the allied forces. Architect of the strategies used in the Falaise Gap. The Commanders: Omar Nelson Bradley - (1893-1981) United States Military Academy at West Point United States Army Infantry School commander in 1941 Lacked combating experience but he developed his tactical skills He worked with George S. Patton in the North Africa. Five-start rank in the United States Armed Forces Commanded the first United States Army during D-Day Admired by his soldiers and named “ The Soldiers General” The Commanders: Gunther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge - (1882-1944) - Eldest commander of the German military - Field Marshal, most senior military rank - Commanded the Army Group B - Realized the strategy of Adolf Hitler was destroying their own army and became pessimistic about the war but died because he was suspected of being implicated in the bomb plot of the 20th of July and killed himself on August 17, 1944 The commanders: Field Marshal Walter Model - (1891-1945) Aggressive command but known for exercising defensive warfare (use of counterattacks). He took over the German Army Group B after Gunther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge died He killed himself in April 1945 as the Allies were wining. The commanders: General Friedrich Dollmann - (1882-1944) Joined the German Army during WWI Played a Crucial role in the capture of Le Havre. In charge of the German Seventh Army during the Battle of Falaise Died from a heart attack (stress) on June 28, 1944 Seventh Army (Edgar Feuchtinger after the death of Dollman) and Fifth Panzer Army. Overall Strategy Strategy: - From the 7th of August to the 21st of August 1944 Quickly encircle the German troops Overwhelmed the Germans and used a superior number of weapons Block all escape routes to keep the Germans inside the pocket. Military Capability: The Allies Resources - - - By July 1944: 875 000 allied troops 100 500 vehicles, and 570 000 tonnes of stores in Normandy Use of Boing B17, huge bombing plane. The 1939 had to be upgraded to match the strength of German planes 8630 Boing B17 delivered by the US Air Force in Europe by 1945 Tanks Sherman Tank (M4) - Reliable Have a 75mm gun able to destroy other tanks Wasn’t able to shoot precisely while moving Churchill Tank Cromwell Tank - - Heavy armour Among the heaviest Allied tanks Around 344 were sent to the Soviet Union during WWII Able to easily cruise the battlefield First time in action in the Battle of Normandy Previous Next Flamme Thrower - Portable one-man weapon Weapon able to produce a jet fire and burn anything in a range of 45 meters The enemy can’t fight back due to the burning sensation Both sides used this kind of weapons Mortar - American 81mm Mortar; able to throw explosive shells in a range of thousands of meters British 3-inch Mortar; pretty much the same as the American 81mm mortar 3 men were required to operate the mortars Need to be reloaded for each shot. Military Capability: The Germans German situation - Germans resisted the Allied forces for 7 weeks (since Operation Overload) - But then started to lose troops, territory and confidence. - By mid-July 1944: they lost around 96 000 soldiers but received only 5200, they also lost 225 tanks and received only 17. - Heavy loss in the German Seventh Army Tanks Panzer IV - Developed in the late 1930s - Armed of a 75mm or 88mm gun - Effective against the allied amor - Limited quantity during the Battle of Falaise Kind Tiger - Succor of the Tiger - 70 tonnes - A more powerful 88mm gun - Small number of King Tiger tanks Tiger - Heavy tank - Thick armor - 88mm gun - Rare during the Battle of Falaise Operation totalize and Tractable - From 7 to 11 of August 1944 - Operation by Canadiens, and British to breakthrough the German defense in the south of Caen - The German defense was very strong - Some German troops escaped the pocket - 14th of August 1944 - Close the Falaise pocket - Canadiens lost valuable time to reach Falaise - Canadiens advancing from Est, the British from the South, and Americans from the west Conclusion - Tuning point in the liberation of Western Europe - German defeat in France - Heavy loss for the Germans: around 450 000 men Allied lost: around 200 000 men and the air forces around 16 000 men - 30 August 1994: Retreat of the last German unit near the Seine - Some German troops escaped the pocket and Montgomery received criticism for that - Crucial part of the Normandy campaign
