bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 16 Sep 2023.

US penetration of German defenses in Normandy began with carpet bombing of German lines west of St. Lo, followed by VII Corps advance through the bombed area. In the next few days,VIII Corps, with two armored divisions, raced along the coast to the base of the Brittany Peninsula.
Operation Cobra, 25-31 July 1944 - US First Army penetrates German defenses in Normandy
Operation Cobra Timeline:
  • 25 July - Operation Cobra, breakout from the Normandy invasion area, begins with massive American carpet bombing west of St. Lo.
  • 28 July - 4th Armored Division enters Coutances.
  • 30 July - VIII Corps enters Avranches.
  • 31 July - VIII Corps seizes Selune River crossings.
Operation Cobra - The Allied Breakout
Operation Cobra - The Allied Breakout
Operation Cobra included two infamous incidents of friendly fire:
  • On 24 July, preliminary carpet bombing by the Air Force killed 25 Americans.
  • On 25 July, the massive carpet bombing by 1,500 aircraft killed 111 more.
The dead included a three-star general and a former reporter for the Des Moines Register.

However, the carpet bombing achieved its goal of shattering the German defenses in the area. In the following few days, VII Corps made substantial advances to the south as shown on the above map.

Note that VIII Corps advanced even further, ending July at the gateway to the Brittany peninsula. On 1 August, Patton's Third Army was activated, VIII Corps was assigned to the Third Army, and VIII Corps entered Brittany.

​During Operation Cobra:
  • VII Corps consisted of the 2nd & 3rd Armored Divisions and the 1st, 9th, & 30th Infantry Divisions.
  • VIII Corps consisted of the 4th & 6th Armored Divisions.
Sources for Big Pigeon's The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra webpage:
​Major Sources:Sources for webpage images:
  • Operation Cobra - The Allied Breakout, map, 

Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead - The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra:
  • Taken from the bigpigeon.us WWII Dead module.
03-02  - The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra: (three dead, updated 8 Aug '23/23 Aug '23)
† Block, Ernest August Sylvester "Sam", SN 37-120-000, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • 32nd Armored Regt., 3rd Armored Div., VII Corps, First Army; KIA 29 Jul 1944 E of Coutances, Manche Dept., Normandy, France; The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra.
† Paulsen, Laverne Henry, SN 37-445-364, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • Recon. Co., 66th Armored Regt., 2nd Armored Div., VII Corps, First Army; KIA 29 Jul 1944 S of St. Lo, Manche Dept., Normandy, France; The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra.
† Young, Robert Edson, SN 37-676-788, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • 137th Inf. Regt., 35th Inf. Div., V Corps, First Army; KIA 30 Jul 1944 SE of St. Lo, Normandy; The ETO > Liberation > Operation Cobra.