"Victory at Falaise"

[Sharps '74]

In this week of memorial, I've been reading this book by Brig.-Gen. Denis Whittaker DSO & Bar, CM, ED, CD, Ld'H, CoC. Sub-titled "The Defeat of the German Army in Normandy August 1944"

After the shellacking the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS took in the escape from the Falaise Gap, you have to marvel at their tenacity to carry on the fight for another nine months. The writing was on the wall that Germany was Kaputt and it was a losing battle of attrition from then on, Hitler's last hurrah being the Battle of the Bulge the following year.

Many accounts of heroism and gallantry despite the bitterness on both sides. One of the saddest episodes was the slaughter of so many horses caught up in the retreat, decimated by rocket firing Typhoons and artillery. The book relates that at one time, Allied troops expended 1,000 rds of ammo putting wounded horses out of their pain in the "Corridor of Death".

That must have been a very sad duty.

Even sadder was the number of times Allied troops were mistakenly hit by "friendly fire" from both artillery and and air attack, notably the Poles. The RAF stubbornly refused to permit direct radio contact from ground troops, instead opting for the release of yellow smoke which got confused with yellow Pathfinder flares and/or obscured by dust and smoke from previous bombardment.

 

[woodchopper]

If they would have managed to closed the Falaise gap and managed to trap a good chunk of the retreating Germans they would have had an easier time in Holland.

 

[MattE93]

In this week of memorial, I've been reading this book by Brig.-Gen. Denis Whittaker DSO & Bar, CM, ED, CD, Ld'H, CoC. Sub-titled "The Defeat of the German Army in Normandy August 1944"

After the shellacking the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS took in the escape from the Falaise Gap, you have to marvel at their tenacity to carry on the fight for another nine months. The writing was on the wall that Germany was Kaputt and it was a losing battle of attrition from then on, Hitler's last hurrah being the Battle of the Bulge the following year.

Many accounts of heroism and gallantry despite the bitterness on both sides. One of the saddest episodes was the slaughter of so many horses caught up in the retreat, decimated by rocket firing Typhoons and artillery. The book relates that at one time, Allied troops expended 1,000 rds of ammo putting wounded horses out of their pain in the "Corridor of Death".

That must have been a very sad duty.

Even sadder was the number of times Allied troops were mistakenly hit by "friendly fire" from both artillery and and attack, notably the Poles. The RAF stubbornly refused to permit direct radio contact from ground troops, instead opting for the release of yellow smoke which got confused with yellow Pathfinder flares and/or obscured by dust and smoke from previous bombardment.

Makes you wonder why they chose yellow smoke... pretty prevalent color in the farmlands and brush of western France I imagine. Why not red smoke

Anyway I do always find it fascinating the ferociousness the Germans continued to display right until the end of the war even though it was clearly a losing effort. I guess death to deserters is a pretty strong motivator

 

[Sharps '74]

The book does mention the large number of German troops who voluntarily surrendered, demoralized by the relentless air attacks and artillery fire. Hundreds of them at a time were easily herded west by just a few soldiers. They could have over powered their guards and escaped easily, especially during the German counter attack.

Something I didn't know about before was the unsuccessful German counter attack intended to allow more troops to escape the Gap. It came pretty close to succeeding but the Poles stubbornly held onto their key position despite appalling losses, low food, ammo and water.
They were NOT going to surrender to Germans! They treated Wermacht POWs respectfully, but the Waffen SS less charitably.

The success of the Typhoons taught the Allies a valuable lesson re: close air support, the modern equivalent being the A-10 Warthog, the guardian angel of the infantry in the Iraq/Afghanistan theatres. "Death From Above"!

 

[7ECA]

To this day, the Poles and Canadians are blamed for apparently not sealing off the gap and allowing the escape of parts of the German army. The Poles will certainly not forget the action on Hill 262, much of it hand to hand combat with the 10th and 12th SS Panzer Division.

 

[CMichaud]

https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/07/pocket-of-destruction-closing-the-falaise-gap/

Here is a brief write up from the Legion mag

 

[Lee Enfield]

To this day, the Poles and Canadians are blamed for apparently not sealing off the gap and allowing the escape of parts of the German army. The Poles will certainly not forget the action on Hill 262, much of it hand to hand combat with the 10th and 12th SS Panzer Division.

blame the Free French for being ordered by their command to leave their positions.

something about having to be the first into Paris after the Germans evacuated...

 

[mikerock]

This is a great book, and one of my favourites about Canadians in the Second World War. I've lent my copy out, but I believe the forward is by a much younger Tim Cook.

 

[Sharps '74]

blame the Free French for being ordered by their command to leave their positions.

something about having to be the first into Paris after the Germans evacuated...

General Leclerc was useless. He rode on the efforts of Allied troops so he could grandstand by being 'first' into Paris. He ignored orders he did not like and could not be counted on when needed.

Of the 200,000 German troops encircled, only about 20,000 escaped, the same number killed. The Allies took 45,000 prisoners. Total Allied casualties were 206,703, less than half that of the Germans.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

General Leclerc was useless. He rode on the efforts of Allied troops so he could grandstand by being 'first' into Paris. He ignored orders he did not like and could not be counted on when needed.

Of the 200,000 German troops encircled, only about 20,000 escaped, the same number killed. The Allies took 45,000 prisoners. Total Allied casualties were 206,703, less than half that of the Germans.

It was about attrition, every soldier and piece of equipment the Germans lost was irreplaceable. First use apparently of the VT proximity fuse, which apparently worked exceedingly well, even Patton was impressed.

Grizz

 

[Lee Enfield]

General Leclerc was useless. He rode on the efforts of Allied troops so he could grandstand by being 'first' into Paris. He ignored orders he did not like and could not be counted on when needed.
...snip...

Supposedly the orders came from DeGaule to leave their assigned positions and procede to Paris.

More junior French officers are reported to have objected.

 

[woodchopper]

To this day, the Poles and Canadians are blamed for apparently not sealing off the gap and allowing the escape of parts of the German army. The Poles will certainly not forget the action on Hill 262, much of it hand to hand combat with the 10th and 12th SS Panzer Division.

that was a bloody piece of work, holding the high ground waiting for other side of the pincer to close the gap....

there is a reason why the Panzer divisions were attacking, the other side of the pincer was not that much of a threat.

 

[7ECA]

The Poles and Canadians have been given the short end of the stick, when it comes to the closing of the gap. The 9th Panzer SS division held up the Canadians, while the French did little to close on Hill 262. In the end, it was the Canadian Grenadier Guards who reached Hill 262...

I'd say the French can take the blame, right after the Americans finally admit to the stupidity that was Clark's move to take Rome - all the while allowing the 10th Army (Wehrmacht) to escape.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

It was about attrition, every soldier and piece of equipment the Germans lost was irreplaceable. First use apparently of the VT proximity fuse, which apparently worked exceedingly well, even Patton was impressed.

Grizz

Good point. After the Iraqis peeled out of Kuwait in 91, I had a chance to walk around to have a looksee. Every abandoned vehicle meant sets of wrenches, manuals, ammunition, padlock, radio spare parts, etc not available to rebuild the army for Saddam. The Germans were no different after Falaise.

If you think about the things around you at work (or school), you'll see the labours of many people before you. Armies don't just leave barracks on short notice and go to the front. They have had months and years of preparation. Command usually has to do several combat readiness inspections to make sure the troops have what they need. Vital shortages are made up from war reserves, purchased locally, or imported at great expense to the government. When the Iraqi's retreated into the Mother of All Truck Wrecks at the Mutla Pass and north to Safwan, they left all those years of little decisions behind in Kuwait.

 

[QM 8687]

No Canadain Allied Forces are to blame for being unable to close the Gap. German army was still large and strong. Allied soldiers and airmen did what they could, and won the battle.

 

[purple]

There were many variables in this including an uncertain situation as far as knowledge of the Germans were concerned, uncertain locations and progress of friendly troops, co-ordination on Army Group and Army boundaries, air-ground co-ordination, and lack of direction by SHAEF to two Army group commanders, Montgomery and Bradley, who were fighting their own campaigns. Encirclement maneuvers were well known to the Germans, but not to the allies. It takes a bold and experienced commander to seize the opportunities and risks associated with this.

The potential for a deeper encirclement beyond Falaise was there, and was recognized to some extent. Patton's 3rd Army was through at Le Mans and a strong effort to go for the Seine in front of Paris would have made for a bigger encirclement and battle of annihilation, and would have eliminated more German forces which had to be engaged later.

The French armored division was a bit of a rogue player which could have contributed more to the main effort instead of going for the political/symbolic goal of Paris. Mark Clark also went for the less meaningful political goal of Rome after the breakthrough in Italy with the same results. Fortunately for us the Russians also focused on the political goal of Berlin, instead of running hard towards the west and presenting us with the fait accompli of a bigger Russian dominated Europe.

As it was, the shallower encirclement at Falaise pretty much broke the Germans in France and gave the allies a clear run to the Dutch/German borders where they were stopped more by outrunning their own logistics than by the opposition. All in all, Falaise was a pretty favorable outcome for the allied armies.

 

[Sharps '74]

I'm gratified by the responses this post has generated.

I'm currently reading: "Through Blood And Sweat" By Mark Zuelke, Canadian historian and author of the "Canadian Battle Series", familiar to many of you. It's about "Operation Husky 2013" that commemorated the march of the Canadian Army through Sicily in 1943. The marchers were a mixed bag of civilians in various support roles (PR, Pipers, film crews, etc.), RMC Cadets, vets and sons of vets.

They marched 15 to 35 kms a day,a total of 300+ kms, marking their progress with ceremonies at appropriate points enroute. It was no walk in the park, but the marchers quickly appreciated the mettle of the troops who did it with much less in the way of support and comforts. The loss of much kit and gear with the sinking of the supply vessels meant "adapt & overcome" was the order of the day and it was a foot slog all the way.

The marchers wondered why their was no official Canadian monuments at key points to commemorate critical actions and were told that it was official government policy NOT to do so! More erasure of Canadian history.

What a travesty for baby Trudeau to be at Juno Beach blathering about sacrifice and service, blah, blah, blah. All those war souvenir Berettas, Walthers, P-38s, P-08s, etc. are now 12(6) prohibs, symbols of a totalitarian regime now banned by a totalitarian government.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

I'm gratified by the responses this post has generated.

I'm currently reading: "Through Blood And Sweat" By Mark Zuelke, Canadian historian and author of the "Canadian Battle Series", familiar to many of you. It's about "Operation Husky 2013" that commemorated the march of the Canadian Army through Sicily in 1943. The marchers were a mixed bag of civilians in various support roles (PR, Pipers, film crews, etc.), RMC Cadets, vets and sons of vets.

They marched 15 to 35 kms a day,a total of 300+ kms, marking their progress with ceremonies at appropriate points enroute. It was no walk in the park, but the marchers quickly appreciated the mettle of the troops who did it with much less in the way of support and comforts. The loss of much kit and gear with the sinking of the supply vessels meant "adapt & overcome" was the order of the day and it was a foot slog all the way.

The marchers wondered why their was no official Canadian monuments at key points to commemorate critical actions and were told that it was official government policy NOT to do so! More erasure of Canadian history.

What a travesty for baby Trudeau to be at Juno Beach blathering about sacrifice and service, blah, blah, blah. All those war souvenir Berettas, Walthers, P-38s, P-08s, etc. are now 12(6) prohibs, symbols of a totalitarian regime now banned by a totalitarian government.

To your point about ignoring history, well don't jump to conclusions. There are many battle honours for miserable little scraps in between the Normandy Beach and the end of Falaise. My old reserve unit's wartime regiment, The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment has a couple The Liaison and Clair Tizon which are tiny specks on the map between Caen and Falaise. The men who died there are recognized, and in army tradition, don't need stone pillars or obelisks. The guidon tells the story. FWIW, the wikipedia page on The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment notes those battles in some detail.

 

[Chargerguy]

How's the book for info on Operation Tractable? My grandpa was with the Canadian Scottish and wounded by an 88 from a German Tank on August 14th, 1944 just outside of Falaise. Been looking for more info, might make a trip to Victoria to go through the records.

 

[mikerock]

To your point about ignoring history, well don't jump to conclusions. There are many battle honours for miserable little scraps in between the Normandy Beach and the end of Falaise. My old reserve unit's wartime regiment, The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment has a couple The Liaison and Clair Tizon which are tiny specks on the map between Caen and Falaise. The men who died there are recognized, and in army tradition, don't need stone pillars or obelisks. The guidon tells the story. FWIW, the wikipedia page on The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment notes those battles in some detail.

I met a vet from your regiment when I was in college in the early 2000s, he came to give a talk to my history class. He was a radio operator in a Sherman and landed on D-Day. He fought up to the Hochwald Forest where his tank hit a mine and blew up. He was severely injured and spent the rest of the war in hospital. In the book "The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps" By Marteinson and McNorgan, he claimed that the picture on p. 262 of a tank nosed into a bomb crater after the Op Totalize night attack is of his tank.