Fighting the Breakout

This fascinating volume charts the progress of the Allied breakout of Normandy through German eyes. Beginning with Operation COBRA and ending with the offensive which led to the liberation of Paris, this critical phase of the war in the west is examined and described by senior German officers. These, from staff officers at OKW to divisional generals on the ground, critique their performance, examine Allied superiority, and evaluate their own efforts to contain Allied forces in Normandy. They look at such key events as the counter-attack at Mortain, the American offensive, British and Canadian efforts and the sequence of events that led to the fighting around the Falaise gap. The German officers originally submitted the reports presented here to Allied intelligence efforts as part of post-war debriefing sessions. The current volume, which follows on from Fighting the Invasion and Fighting in Normandy, consists of carefully selected and edited material. Fighting the Breakout gives a broad picture of German hopes balanced with the realisation that they could not hope to contain the Allied efforts for long. With supplementary material by David C. Isby, Fighting the Breakout is a fascinating glimpse into how a defeated army sought hard to turn the tide of defeat.

David C. Isby is a Washington-based attorney and defence and foreign policy consultant. He has served as a congressional staff member and provided analytical support for US multilateral and bilateral arms control negotiations