Falaise Pocket
Falaise, FR
The decisive encirclement in August 1944 that destroyed the bulk of the German **Army Group B** in Normandy. Allied forces closed a gap between Falaise and Argentan, trapping an estimated 100,000 German troops inside a killing zone. Approximately 10,000 Germans were killed and 50,000 captured; the surviving remnants were in no condition to mount organized resistance for weeks, opening the road to Paris.
Photographs (15)
Carro M4 Sherman della 2e division blindée francese in avanzata verso Argentan durante la battaglia di Normandia
Frankreich, bei Falaise.- zerstörte Gebäude in Ortschaft. Wegweiser "Caen, Bagnoles de l'Orne, Granville". Alte Frau zwischen den Trümmern, Mitte Juni 1944; KBZ Ob. West — Frankreich
Frankreich, bei Falaise.- zerstörte Gebäude in Ortschaft. Krad mit Beiwagen Wegweiser "Caen, Bagnoles de l'Orne, Granville" passierend; KBZ Ob. West — Frankreich
Soldats américains dans Argentan libérée
Soldats américains dans Alençon en août 1944
Organisation et composition de l'armée britannique. Organisation et composition de l'armée britannique.
Destroyed tanks on Mont Ormel (Hill 262). Left is a Sherman, right foreground is an SdKfz 251, behind it is a Panther
Lt. General Ellfeldt was captured while trying to pull out of the Allies' pincer movement. Questioning him is Lt. Col. James J. Gaynor, G-2, 5th Corps. Actual capture took place at St. Lambert-Sur-Dives, France. 21 August, 1944. Photographer: Poinsett.
Map showing Allied encirclement operations around the Falaise Pocket at 0600 hrs on 20 August 1944.
The British Army in Normandy 1944 A knocked-out German PzKpfw IV tank with the burnt bodies of two of its crew in the Falaise pocket, 24 August 1944.
The British Army in Normandy 1944 A knocked-out German Panther tank and a dead infantryman in the Falaise pocket, 25 August 1944.
German column destroyed by 1st Polish Armoured Division in Normandy 1944.
Three French boys looking at a knocked-out German Panther tank in the Falaise pocket, Normandy, 25 August 1944. Three French boys looking at a knocked-out German Panther tank in the Falaise pocket, 25 August 1944.
The Allied Campaign in North-west Europe, 6 June 1944 - 7 May 1945 The Falaise Gap: Dead German horses among devastated vehicles and equipment in a lane in the Falaise pocket; this was a typical scene after the battle.
Falaise Pocket