The WWII Historical Association of Florida, in affiliation with GIA Development, is pleased to announce OPERATION OMEGA, the FALAISE GAP Living History Tactical Event for 2009. This tactical event is set in mid 1944 and is a premium location for the infantryman and mechanized cavalry. The woodland terrain is well preserved, with roads and strategic emplacements throughout the battle plan. This is a primitive site; water, electricity, and showers are not included. This is NOT a public spectator battle and is open only to participating WWII reenactors. Trackless vehicles are welcome! |
INTRODUCTION TO THE FALAISE POCKET The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape.[nb 5] The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border. Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position. Seizing the opportunity to envelop von Kluge's entire force, on 8 August the Allied ground forces commander Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery ordered his armies to converge on the Falaise–Chambois area. With the US First Army forming the southern arm, the British Second Army the base, and the Canadian First Army the northern arm of the encirclement, the Germans fought hard to keep an escape route open, although their withdrawal did not begin until 17 August. On 19 August the Allies linked up in Chambois but in insufficient strength to completely seal the pocket. Gaps were forced in the Allied lines by desperate German assaults, the most significant and hard-fought being a corridor past elements of the Polish 1st Armoured Division, who had established a commanding position in the mouth of the pocket. By the evening of 21 August the pocket was closed for the last time, with around 50,000 Germans still trapped inside. Although it is estimated that significant numbers managed to escape, German losses in both men and materiel were huge, and the Allies had achieved a decisive victory. Two days later Paris was liberated, and by 30 August the last German remnants had retreated across the Seine, effectively ending Operation Overlord. |
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