Pen & Sword 9781848328402 Fighting the Breakout by David C Isby
This gripping account charts the Allied breakout from Normandy through German reports submitted to Allied intelligence personnel during post-war briefing sessions. Starting with Operation "Cobra" and ending with the offensive that led to the liberation of Paris, this critical phase of the war in the west is described by German officers from staff officers to divisional generals at the front.
Paperback. 255pp. 15cm by 23cm.
This gripping 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 five senior German officers. From staff officers at OKW to divisional generals on the ground, these officers 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 officers originally submitted the reports presented here to Allied intelligence during post-war debriefing sessions. This volume brings together a selection of these reports to provide a broad overview 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, this is a fascinating glimpse into how a defeated army sought hard to turn the tide of defeat.