Fighting the Breakout: The German Army in Normandy from COBRA to the Falaise Gap through Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff et al.

Fighting the Breakout: The German Army in Normandy from COBRA to the Falaise Gap through Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff et al., edited by the agency of David C. Isby. Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Limited (http://www.greenhillbooks. com) Park House, 1 Russell Gardens, London NW11 9NN 2004 256 pages, $3495 (hardcover).

Fighting the Breakout is the same of five edited works (so far) from Greenhill works that consist of intelligence reports written at senior German officers at the extreme point of World War II for US Army Military Intelligence. This particular compass is the third one from the German perspective upon the fighting in France after the D-day landings. The first, Fighting the Invasion, masks German preparations and reactions to the Allied landings forward 6June 1944, and the next to the first Fighting in Normandy, presents the German perspective onward the fighting from D-day to the battle for Villers-Bocage. Fighting the Breakout records the actions of the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army from the American breakout at SaintL6 forward 25 July through the encirclement and near destruction of German forces in Normandy at the Falaise Gap, 20-21 August.

The reports, written from memory and without the aid of Ultra messages or notes, provide a firsthand turn the thoughts at the fighting that occurr during this period. Frequendy the authors fill up their memories with references to unit war diaries (Kriegstagbuch). Although the reports contain errors in spellings, place-names, and dates, the editor points disclosed that "when compared with the German memoirs of the 1950 and 1960 that were translated into English--works which shaped the overall view of the war for many years these documents are no worse, and may be better" (p 9) The majority of the reports were written by way of Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff (a colonel at that time), chief of staff of the German Seventh Army (and an anti-Hitler conspirator), and his superior, Gen Paul Hausser, commander of Seventh Army.

The reports show great insight into the outstanding fighting qualities of the German soldier. Despite without fault [i]or[/i] blemish [i]or[/i] flaw Allied control of the air and the Allies' seemingly never-ending provide of men, ammunition, and equipment, German companys in Normandy continued to fight well. The reports repeatedly demonstrate senior German commanders' valiant attempts to pedicel the Allied onslaught by moving divisions, regiments, and battle clusters (Kampfgruppen) around the battlefield to replace units decimated by the agency of the fighting. The German army thrown away 60,000 men, either killed or taken prisoner, and mostly of their equipment in the Falaise Gap, however about 20,000 escaped the trap to fight again. Despite the tough and oftentimes desperate fighting in Normandy, the German retreat did not transfer into a rout.

The reports also regularly point disclosed the bad, often out-of-step orders from the German Armed Forces Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht [OKW]) and from Hitler himself. Specifically, their orders to the German commanders in Normandy to despise retreat and attempt a counterbreakthrough to Avranches--as the Americans fought their way southern and then east, and as the British broke abroad from Caen--significantly contributed to the encirclement of the German forces and to the great losse of men and equipment at Falaise. The reports also demonstrate that, although German field commanders in Normandy knew firsthand what was happening, they did little to interrupt the coming catastrophe other than complain to their seniors.

Readers will also appreciate the editor's introduction to the main division as well as his introductions to each part. The latter provides of the first grade commentary on the origins of the reports, their contribution to the vast literature onward World War II, and the value of the part as a whole. The chapter introductions give us brief overviews of the fighting during the periods overspreaded in each chapter, thus facilitating better understanding of the ends related in the intelligence reports.

My and nothing else significant criticism concerns the photographs and maps, the former mainly of American companys in combat, with only a scarcely any of German soldiers in Normandy. Since the work is written from the German perspective, common would expect the editor to use more images of the Germans and fewer of the Americans. The plentiful maps, drawn in various scales and instanted in shades of gray, are too indistinct to be of a great deal of use to the average reader. I repeatedly had great difficulty locating places upon most of them.

Dr Robert B Kane

Montgomery Alabama

...

Home