Opportunity at Falaise
Operation Tractable was no walk in the park—it was a slugging match to crack open Falaise and slam shut the German retreat. After Totalize stalled at Hill 195, General Simonds didn’t waste time crying over it—he drew up a new plan and hit them again on August 14.
This time the Canadians rolled in daylight, the 4th Armoured hammering from the west, the 3rd Infantry grinding from the east. Smoke screens masked their advance, Kangaroos hauled men through fire, and German anti-tank guns spat death every step of the way. The enemy counterattacked hard, slowing progress, but the Canadians kept pushing. By the 16th, they broke into Falaise, and after two more days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the city was theirs.
It wasn’t the end, but it was the first crack in the Falaise Pocket. With Falaise in Allied hands, the jaws were closing on the German 7th Army—and they knew it.
~~ General Howitzer
VP’s
5
Card Balance:
Allies – 5
Axis – 5
Complexity:
4
Conditions:
Countryside
Context:
Historical
Location:
Normandy
Year:
1944
Campaign:
Battle of Normandy: Operation Tractable
Summary:
Victory Points:
5 Medals, including a temporary medal for the town of Falaise.
Terrain:
Countryside with a river running across two thirds of the battlefield.
Troops:
Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor
Axis – 8 Infantry including 1 Anti-tank gun, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery
Allies:
1.
Axis:
1.
Author.
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