Operation Cobra 1944

by ZALOGA, STEVENBRYAN, TONY

• ISBN13: 9781841762968
• ISBN10: 1841762962
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-08-25
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

One of the most decisive months of World War II was the 30 days between 25 July and 25 August 1944. After the success of the D-Day landings, the Allied forces found themselves bogged down in a bloody stalemate in Normandy. On 25 July General Bradley launched Operation Cobra to break the deadlock. US forces punched a hole in the German frontline and began a spectacular advance. As Patton's Third Army poured into Brittany and raced south to the Loire, the German army was threatened with encirclement. By the end of August German forces in Normandy were utterly destroyed, and the remaining German units in central and southern France were in headlong retreat to the German frontier. In this title Steve Zaloga explains how the breakout from Normandy came about.

Author Biography

Steven Zaloga was born in 1952, received his BA in history from Union College, and his MA from Columbia University. He has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armoured vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Second World War, and he has also written extensively on American armoured forces.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Strategic Situation	7	(4)
Chronology	11	(2)
The Opposing Commanders	13	(5)
Opposing Forces	18	(14)
German Forces
US Forces
Order of Battle: St. Lo Sector, 24 July 1944
Opposing Plans	32	(5)
Operation Cobra	37	(57)
The Death ride of Das Reich
The Race into Brittany
Countering Cobra -- Operation Luttich
Falaise Gap and the Race for the Seine
The Liberation of Paris
Further Reading	94	(1)
Index	95