Beyond Normandy Timeline

The Allies conducted their famous large-scale amphibious operation - known collectively as "D-Day" - on July 6th, 1944. After intense fighting across five key landing zones, the beach head was officially established and held against countering German forces. However, the war could not simply be won by this single event - the landings only marked the beginning of the Allied drive through northern Europe towards the ultimately goal of Berlin, by way of Paris. Any elation brought about by the landings on June 6th were quickly replaced with lingering doubts once advancements were stalled across the North of France. However, amongst the doubters stood the confident, perhaps arrogant, British General Bernard Law Montgomery.

By early July of 1944, there stood a force of determined and prepared German defenders some 30 miles inland across French territory. This would require a further investment of strategy, men and supplies on the part of the Allies to overtake key positions and French towns. Elements of the British, Canadian and American armies - featuring the likes of General Montgomery, General Omar Bradley and General George Patton - would enact several successful maneuvers through "Operation Cobra" to ultimately encircle the German defenders, forcing them to retreat or be captured or killed.

Montgomery's grand scheme involved forcing the committal of a large portion of German forces across Normandy against the areas near Caen, thusly opening lightly-defended routes for General Bradley's forces to move out of the Contentin Peninsula and into portions of central France. Bradley could then make his way through Avranches and concentrate on severing German forces in the west. The Germans held something of an advantage in the region, however, for the terrain favored the defender in this case and a relatively small collection of soldiers and armor could hold a larger enemy force at bay for at least a time. Even a lone, well-concealed sniper could mean multiple casualties and lengthy delays for the advancing army in which it could be hours before a French village was entirely "cleansed" of a German presence.

The British and Canadians worked together on taking the town of Caen. A controversial carpet-bombing campaign by the Royal Air Force softened up defenses but it was still left to bitter hand-to-hand fighting to ultimately take the area in whole. Operation Goodwood was enacted to take Caen and work towards Falaise. While Caen eventually fell to the Allied advance, Falaise was slightly out of reach before the operation halted after two days.

General Patton, now in command of VIII, XIII, XV and XX corps - having secured Brittany - moved eastward away from the Atlantic coast and targeted a gap between Chartres and Orleans. He placed it in his mind to become the first Allied commander to reach the French capital city of Paris. British, American and Canadian land forces all moved along with calculated advancements designed to cover the flanks of the other. On Hitler's orders, the German defense committed four Panzer divisions in an attempt to sever Patton's supply line between Avranches and Mortain but was met and repelled by a well-planned response on Bradley's part and two corps from 1st Army.

Two Panzer armies were defending an inland line between Falaise and Alencon but were flanked by British and Canadian forces to the north near Falaise and the Americans in the south at Le Mans. The next move would then be to close the "gap" and encircle the German defenders, squeezing the noose ever slow slightly until the head came off. Some 21 German divisions lay in the "Falaise Gap", a pocket running from Falaise to Argentan. The final drive would involve Patton's 3rd Army swinging eastwards from Avranches and Montgomery's 21st Army Group coming south from Caen.

German losses were steep but not entirely complete. Forces were able to retreat - but only after having received the official "OK" from Hitler himself - and relocate to favorable ground. However, 10,000 German soldiers died in the subsequent fighting and a further 50,000 were taken prisoner by the Allies - a setback nonetheless.

By the end of it all, classic military strategy prevailed. Patton's fast-moving 3rd Army moved 200 miles from Avranches to the Seine River and the Americans, in whole, had liberated some 45,000 square miles of France in roughly two months of fighting. The Germans suffered heavily in the collapsing Falaise pocket and the Allied beach head had now turned into a static base of operations - the Contentin Peninsula could now be used as a major launch point for future campaigns and Paris seemed within reach.