Table of Contents
World War II German Military Ranks vii
Foreword ix
Author's Acknowledgments xiii
A Note on the English Edition xv
List of Abbreviations xvii
Introduction 1
Part 1 The Initial Situation Facing OB West in the Middle of August 1944: The Situation in Northern France and the Allied Landings along the Mediterranean Coast
Chapter 1 The German Reich's Military-Political Situation: Development of the General Conditions up to the Summer of 1944 7
Chapter 2 The Initial Situation on the Allied Side 13
Chapter 3 Development of the Situation through the Middle of August 1944 31
Chapter 4 The Initial Situation in Southern France 47
Chapter 5 The Initial Situation in Northern France 85
Part 2 From the Retreat of the German Army in the West to the Climax of the Crisis: Combat Operations from August 20 to September 4, 1944
Chapter 6 The Start of the Retreat in the West 105
Chapter 7 The Situation around Paris 131
Chapter 8 Command Decisions and the Course of Operations Leading to the Climax of the Crisis 153
Chapter 9 The Basis for Continued Combat Operations 197
Part 3 Developments from the Climax of the Crisis until the Transition to Positional Warfare in the West: Combat Operations in September 1944
Chapter 10 From the Climax of the Crisis to the First Indications of a Stabilization of the Western Front 213
Chapter 11 The Situation Estimate Prepared by the Operations Staffs and the Failure of the Concept of a German "Counteroffensive from the Move" 233
Chapter 12 The End of the Retreat Operations in the West and the Transition to Positional Warfare 253
Conclusion 281
Notes 295
Bibliography 387
Index 401
