bigpigeon.us webpage WWII - Germany > ETO > France Liberated > The Allies Stall, updated by RAC 17 May 2022.
After the precipitate withdrawal of German forces from most of France and Belgium in the late summer of 1944, some expected an early end to World War II in Europe. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Thus the Western Front in the fall of 1944 became a war of attrition, with heavy casualties and with gains far less than during the late summer. |
Shown in red on the map on the right are the Allied gains from September 15 to December 15 of 1944.
In the northern sector, gains were primarily due to:
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Unlike the Battle of Normandy in June and July of 1944 which ended with the liberation of France, the autumn of 1944 ended badly for the Allies as the German army staged massive counteroffensives. To add to the misery, many US troops had not been issued suitable winter clothing.
Sources for the The Allies Stall webpage:
- The ETO - 15 Sep 1944 map is taken from page 227 of Riviera to the Rhine, which is on-line at https://history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-10-1/CMH_Pub_7-10-1.pdf