DK - World War II Map by Map

THE BREAKOUT 195

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PROVENCE

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Nice

Cannes

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Toulon Sur-Mer

Marseille

Avignon

Montélimar

Lyon

Geneva

Berne

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Chaumont

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Belfort Basel

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La Rochelle

Royan

Bordeaux

Nantes

St. Nazaire

Lorient

Troyes

Chartres

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Orléans

Le Mans

Angers

Amiens

Rouen

Évreux

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Vire

Carentan

Mortain

Bayeux

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Brest

Argentan

Strasbourg

Metz

Reims Verdun

Châlons

Rotterdam Arnhem

Roermond Düsseldorf

Antwerp

Tournai

Ostend

Ghent

Paris

Rennes

Loudéac

Cologne

SAARLAND

RUHR

Saarbrücken

Maastricht

Liège Aachen

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Brussels

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Dunkirk

REGAINING FRANCE

AND BELGIUM

Eisenhower’s decision to advance

along a broad front brought Belgium

and France under Allied control by

mid-September 1944, but left their

forces thinly spread over a large area.

KEY

Allied gains

by Sep 14

Axis territory,

Sep 14

SEP 1 OCT 1

In August, the Allied breakout from Normandy developed into a

rout as their forces spread east, chasing the Germans from northern

France. By the end of the month, they had cleared Brittany, reached

the Loire, and moved as far as Troyes to the east. Paris was liberated,

having been under Nazi control since June 1940, and General de

Gaulle was installed in the city. Meanwhile, a French and US force had

landed in Provence and begun to drive the Germans from the south.

The Allies disagreed on how best to proceed. British Field Marshal

Bernard Montgomery wished to advance on a narrow front and push

north-east through Belgium to reach the Ruhr Valley. However, US

General Dwight Eisenhower—Supreme Commander of the Allied

forces in Europe—rejected Montgomery’s plan, favoring a “broad

front” strategy in which troops would be deployed along the entire

Western Front before driving into Germany. By mid-September,

the Allies were stretched across a front from Antwerp in the north

to the Swiss border near Belfort in the south. The British were

poised to make a dramatic attempt to invade Germany through the

Netherlands (see pp.198–199), while the US forces were within

touching distance of the economically vital Saarland and Ruhr

regions. However, both faced increasing German resistance.

THE RED BALL EXPRESS

“Steady, Monty. You can’t speak to me like

that. I’m your boss. ”

EISENHOWER TO MONTGOMERY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1944

For 83 days, from August 25 to

November 16, 1944, convoys of trucks

emblazoned with red balls and driven

predominantly by African Americans

carried food, fuel, and munitions along

the road from Cherbourg to the Allied

logistics base at Chartres. At its peak,

the Red Ball Express operated nearly

6,000 vehicles, carrying 12,500 tons

(11,300 metric tons) of supplies each

day. The convoy system was

abandoned once the port of Antwerp

and the French railroad lines were

re-opened and fuel pipes installed.

THE BREAKOUT

Within three months of the D-Day landings, the Allies

had broken out of Normandy, liberating France and

most of Belgium. They swept eastward to reach the

German border by the middle of September. However,

a hard fight lay ahead.

A US soldier on the Red Ball Highway

Allied advance, Aug 13–26

Falaise Pocket

1

Liberation of Paris

OPERATION DRAGOON

AUGUST 15–SEPTEMBER 14, 1944

The invasion of southern France, code named

Dragoon, began on August 15 when US and

French troops landed between Toulon and Cannes.

The French took Toulon and Marseille, opening

up another supply route to the forces in the north,

before joining the US divisions in pursuing the

Germans up the RhÔne Valley. The Germans

withdrew from France on September 14, escaping

into Alsace-Lorraine and the Vosges mountains.

2

Allied army landings, Aug 15

Allied advance to Sep 14

TOWARD SAARLAND

AUGUST 26–SEPTEMBER 14, 1944

The US 3rd Army under General Patton headed

east to take Verdun on August 31. Patrols pressed

on to the Moselle River near Metz, but the main

body of the army did not reach the river until

September 5. The Americans were closing in

on the industrial centers of the Saarland region,

but the Germans gathered a force, intending to

hold the Moselle and defend Metz.

3

Allied advance to the German border,

Aug 26–Sep 14

The Saarland region

PARIS LIBERATED AUGUST 13–26, 1944

The Allies moved eastward from Normandy,

reaching Orléans on August 16 and encircling and

closing the Falaise Pocket—a concentration of

German troops—on August 21. On August 19,

with the Allies nearing Paris, the French Resistance

staged an uprising in the capital. Five days later,

Free French and US forces entered the city. Its

governor, Dietrich von Choltitz, surrendered,

having ignored Hitler’s orders to raze the city.

Allied gains

by Aug 13

Allied gains

by Aug 26

2

3

4

1

TIMELINE

AUG 1, 1944

5

US_194-195_The_breakout.indd 195 24/05/19 1:16 PM