Gentleman,
I was reading Carlos D'Este's Biography of Gen. George S. Patton. At one point I stumbled on a problem that I do not have the professional knowledge and training to answer, that is, I really don't understand why did he made his attacks in northern France so far away from the main battle at Normandy.
When Patton pulled the Third Army out of Avranches, he split his army and made a four-prong attack, VIII Corps to seal off Brittany, as per Bradley's orders; the XV Corps he ordered to envolope the German Seventh Army at its southern flank and block their escape from the Falaise Pocket at Argentan. So far, so good.
What I do not comprehend is XX Corps' crossing of the Eure River at Chartes and XII Corps' attack through the Orleans Gap. Both objectives are very far away from the main event at the Falaise Pocket. What was the justification for those attacks? Were they a part of the oringal plan that called for a wide encirclement of the West Heer at the Seine River? If that was Patton's mission, were his two corps supposed to be the outer ring of the double encirclement? Or was Patton just blazing through Northern France enjoying himself?
Thank you for your patience.
I was reading Carlos D'Este's Biography of Gen. George S. Patton. At one point I stumbled on a problem that I do not have the professional knowledge and training to answer, that is, I really don't understand why did he made his attacks in northern France so far away from the main battle at Normandy.
When Patton pulled the Third Army out of Avranches, he split his army and made a four-prong attack, VIII Corps to seal off Brittany, as per Bradley's orders; the XV Corps he ordered to envolope the German Seventh Army at its southern flank and block their escape from the Falaise Pocket at Argentan. So far, so good.
What I do not comprehend is XX Corps' crossing of the Eure River at Chartes and XII Corps' attack through the Orleans Gap. Both objectives are very far away from the main event at the Falaise Pocket. What was the justification for those attacks? Were they a part of the oringal plan that called for a wide encirclement of the West Heer at the Seine River? If that was Patton's mission, were his two corps supposed to be the outer ring of the double encirclement? Or was Patton just blazing through Northern France enjoying himself?
Thank you for your patience.
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