WAR infographic

PART 3

 

After the landings on the Normandy beaches….

 

The Allies faced the issue of moving into the heartland of Normandy

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A week later from the D-day

 

Over 326,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles and 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.

 

 

Tank fights

 

The Germans had moved Panzer units into Normandy

 

The most common Allied tank was the Sherman

Sherman came up against German Tiger and King Tiger tanks.

 

A major weakness - Tigers had much greater firepower than the Sherman but consumed a greater fuel quantity

 

Lack of a consistent fuel supply was a very real problem for tank commanders

 

The Tiger found it difficult to maneuver through the Normandy roads

 

Tigers fought mainly in the fields where they were effectively attacked by tank-busting RAF Typhoons.

 

Resistance units and Allied bombers destroyed routes along which fuel could be supplied.

 

It was something the German High Command had no answer for and the matter got worse as the Allies moved further into France.

 

Hitler believed the invasion was a false attack designed to distract the Germans from a coming main attack.

 

He was initially unwilling to release the armored divisions for a counterattack.

 

Both sides saw control of city Caen as being pivotal to success.

 

The Allies launched various attacks on the city

 

German resistance culminated in mid-August 1944

 

 The Allies trapped 150,000 German soldiers in and around the town of Falaise.

 

Thousands of Germans did escape via the Falaise Gap before it was closed.

 

Many thousands were captured along with equipment.

 

The loss of such a large force was a disaster for the Germans

 

In the following weeks

 

The Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside

 

By the end of June

 

The Allies had seized the port of Cherbourg, landed approximately 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy

 

By the end of August 1944, the Allies had reached the Seine River and Paris

The Battle of Normandy was effectively concluded.

 

The Normandy campaign finally ended on 21 August 1944

 

 

Epilogue

 

Casualty rates were slightly higher than they were during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

 

Nearly 2 million soldiers, sailors, and airmen were involved in Operation Overlord

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The Canadian and British armies were criticized as poorly trained, unaggressive in battle and badly led.

 

Rommel was forced to commit suicide in October, and Kluge did so on August 18.

 

 

Casualties

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Total German casualties were estimated at more than 200,000

 

The Allies suffered 209,000 casualties

United States: 29,000 dead, 106,000 wounded or missing;
United Kingdom: 11,000 dead, 54,000 wounded or missing;
Canada: 5,000 dead; 13,000 wounded or missing;
France: 12,200 civilian dead or missing