Falaise: The Flawed Victory: The Destruction of Panzergruppe West, August 1944

Description

The destruction of the trapped German forces in the Falaise pocket in August 1944 is one of the most famous episodes of the Normandy campaign. But myths have grown up around accounts of the battle, and its impact on the course of the war is sometimes misunderstood. In this meticulously researched and perceptive study Anthony Tucker-Jones dispels misconceptions about the battle, describes the combat in graphic detail and reassesses the outcome in the context of the campaign to liberate Europe. He takes a broad view of the sequence of operations that culminated in the battle at Falaise, tracing the course of the campaign mainly from the panzers' viewpoint. For two bloody months the panzers held the Allies at bay following the D-Day landings, but then they were blocked in at Falaise and the area became a killing ground. Some liken the event to Hitler's defeat at Stalingrad, while others argue the victory was flawed because so many German troops escaped.

Anthony Tucker-Jones is a former defence intelligence officer and a widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armoured and aerial warfare. He is the author of over thirty books including Operation Dragoon: The Liberation of Southern France 1944, Armoured Warfare on the Eastern Front, Tiger I & Tiger II, T-34: The Red Army's Legendary Medium Tank, The Panther Tank: Hitler's T-34 Killer, The Battle for Budapest 1944-1945 and The Panzer IV: Hitler's Rock. He is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec - The Journal of International Security and has freelanced for Channel 4 News. For further information his website can be found at www.atuckerjones.com.