Falaise: The Flawed Victory: The Destruction of Panzergruppe West, August 1944

by Anthony Tucker-Jones

Overview

The destruction of the trapped German forces in the Falaise pocket in August 1944 is one of the most famous episodes of the Normandy campaign. But myths have grown up around accounts of the battle, and its impact on the course of the war is sometimes misunderstood. In this meticulously researched and perceptive study Anthony Tucker-Jones dispels misconceptions about the battle, describes the combat in graphic detail and reassesses the outcome in the context of the campaign to liberate Europe.

He takes a broad view of the sequence of operations that culminated in the battle at Falaise, tracing the course of the campaign mainly from the panzers’ viewpoint. For two bloody months the panzers held the Allies at bay following the D-Day landings, but then they were blocked in at Falaise and the area became a killing ground. Some liken the event to Hitler's defeat at Stalingrad, while others argue the victory was flawed because so many German troops escaped.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526738523
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	06/25/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	880,337
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Anthony Tucker-Jones is a former defense intelligence officer and a widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armored and aerial warfare. He is the author of over thirty books, is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec – The Journal of International Security, and has freelanced for Channel 4 News.

Table of Contents

Preface to the paperback edition v

Preface and acknowledgements vii

Dramatis Personae-Senior German Commanders xi

Principal German Armoured Fighting Vehicles deployed in Normandy xiii

Principal Allied Armoured Fighting Vehicles deployed in Normandy xiv

List of plates xv

Maps xvii

1 Panzergruppe West's Dilemma 1

2 The Road to Falaise - Goodwood, Cobra and Mortain 15

3 Throw them back into the Sea - 21st Panzer Division 30

4 Formidably Equipped - Panzer Lehr Panzer Division 45

5 Fanatical Nazi Teenagers - 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend 58

6 The Iron Fist - 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Glitz von Berlichingen 74

7 The Tigers are Coming!-The 503, 101 SS and 102 SS Heavy Panzer Battalions 82

8 Operation Lüttich-2nd Panzer Division 95

9 Tough Resistance - 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler 105

10 Fighting Withdrawal-9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen 113

11 Point 112 - 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg 123

12 The Road to St Lô - 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich 129

13 Stabilising the Line - 116th Panzer Division Windhund 140

14 Stopping Patton - 9th Panzer Division 148

15 Falaise - The Killing Grounds 154

16 The Flawed Victory 176

17 The Reckoning in the West 192

18 The Reckoning in the East 207

Appendix I Panzer Division and General Headquarters Panzer Formations Strength in Northern France June-September 1944 216

Appendix II German Panzer Divisions in Normandy 219

Appendix III Independant and Infantry Panzer Units in Normandy 220

Appendix IV German Order of Battle June 1944 and July-August 1944 222

Appendix V Panzergruppe West and 7th Army Panzer Division Commanders 227

Appendix VI Principal Allied Codenames 230

Appendix VII Table of Equivalent Ranks 233

Bibliography 234

Index 240