Prisoners pour from Falaise Pocket - Normandy 1944

(Scroll down for English) De laatste grote slag van de campagne in Normandië werd uitgevochten in augustus 1944 in de zogeheten Falaise-Argentan Pocket. De geallieerden omsingelden en vernietigden een groot deel van de Duitse troepen. Toch wisten tienduizenden Duitse soldaten te ontsnappen. Na hun doorbraak ten westen van Saint-Lô eind juli, trokken de Amerikaanse troepen ver voorbij de Duitse linies voordat ze noordwaarts gingen richting Le Mans, Alençon en Argentan. In de tussentijd drongen Britse en Canadese legers de Duitse troepen vanuit het noorden terug naar de stad Falaise. Het falen van een Duitse tegenaanval op 7 augustus en de dwaze order van Hitler dat zijn troepen hun posities moesten houden, leidde tot de volledige omsingeling van de Duitse 7e Leger. De Duitsers probeerden daarop met geweld uit de omsingelen te breken. Ze lanceerden wanhopige aanvallen op de hellingen van de Mont-Ormel waar ze op Poolse detachementen stuitten. Beide partijen leden zware verliezen, maar de paar honderd Poolse soldaten op de Mont-Ormel slaagden erin om hun posities te behouden. Uiteindelijk wisten duizenden Duitse soldaten te ontsnappen richting de Seine, maar hun verliezen waren enorm: ongeveer 10.000 werden gedood en 40.000-50.000 gevangen genomen. Op veel plaatsen, zoals de bruggen over de rivier de Dives en de wegen rond de Mont-Ormel, was de aanblik van dode mensen en paarden deprimerend.
The last major battle of the Normandy campaign was fought in August 1944 in the so called Falaise-Argentan pocket, where the Allies encircled and destroyed a substantial part of the German forces. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of German soldiers managed to escape. After their breakthrough west of Saint-Lô at the end of July, the American forces moved far behind the German lines before heading North towards Le Mans, Alençon and Argentan. In the meantime, the British and Canadian armies pushed back the German forces from the North towards the town of Falaise. The failure of a German counterattack on 7 August, and Hitler’s foolish demand that his forces should hold their positions, led to the complete encirclement of the German 7th Army. Surrounded and shelled by Allied artillery, the Germans tried to make their way out by force, launching desperate attacks on the slopes of Mont-Ormel where they encountered Polish detachments. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but the few hundred Polish soldiers on the Mont-Ormel could hold their positions. German soldiers managed to escape, but the German losses were huge: about 10.000 men were killed and 40.000 to 50.000 were captured. In some places, including the bridges across the river Dives and the roads bordering the Mont-Ormel, the sight of dead men and horses was daunting.
Source: Library and Archives Canada

[@forestsun1542]

Honor and Glory to the Heroes! General Stanislaw Maczek

[@96Duelfuel]

Tough

[@ExRhodesian]

I look around and wonder did we really win WW2, at least I'm not speaking German so I guess a small win.

[@pierrelarocque3214]

We won the war but lost the ensuing peace !!

[@tommypetraglia4688]

Yea, we get it... you're pissd the Nazis lost and long for the days of Mad Mike Hoare to justify your racist lust.

[@eblevinda]

Germans control the EU, so they won, it just took a long time lol

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

@@eblevinda There was a book that came out in the 70's I believe about Germany's economic rise. I think it was called The Coming Fourth Reich, or something like that.

[@ExRhodesian]

@@eblevinda The Germans don't run Germany its back in the hands of the pre 1933 bosses.