D day coursework
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Introduction
Analyse the reasons why the British army was so successful in the Battle of Normandy, June - August 1944 There were several important factors which resulted in a victory for the British Army in the Battle of Normandy. It was necessary to secure Normandy in order to give a strong foothold with which Germany could be defeated, so allowing a successive Allied victory over Germany in the Second World War in May 1945. Many important objectives intended for the British landings were achieved, allowing the British to set up a secure bridgehead with which an attacking force could be built up. The Mulberry harbours on the beaches of Normandy and PLUTO had made sure that the Allied forces were well supplied. 54,000 tonnes of supplies were received by the Allied forces each day. Operation Fortitude was a big success for the British as the Germans thought that the invasion was going to happen at Calais but it was actually going to happen at Normandy. ...read more.
Middle
The bocage countryside made tanks useless, and the fighting was mostly hand to hand combat, the German resistance was strong, this slowed down the Allies. But the factors which resulted in success in Normandy had helped overcome the problems to the. The Americans also contributed by having some progress, even though Bradley's offensive was slowed and stalled by the bocage, this lasted for seven days. On July 25th Operation Cobra used huge airpower to clear the way against the weak Germans. Another factor was British supremacy in airpower, armour and artillery this was shown by the Battle of Falaise. On 2nd August, Hitler had ordered a counterattack to be launched using 100,000 German soldiers to cut off the Americans in Brittany; the German forces were forced back into the Falaise region. The Allies then planed a manoeuvre to trap the leftovers of the German 7th Army in the "Falaise pocket". A pincer movement was carried out by the Americans and the British, with the aid of aerial bombardment to destroy German men and tanks. ...read more.
Conclusion
The July Bomb Plot was not the first attempt to kill Hitler, but it was the one that came closest to success. Both events had interrupted the German defence in Normandy which helped the British even further. The Germans were only to replace 17 of the tanks that had been lost and very few men. The Luftwaffe was unable to challenge in the skies as ammunition had to be saved. The German Army lacked ammunition, food and fuel, every shot fired by the artillery had to be authorised. This had weakened the German defence against the Allied advance, and allowed success for the British Army in Normandy. All these factors played a crucial role in allowing success for the British in Normandy. The most important reason for the British Army's success was the amount of Allied resources and supplies that were made available to it, which had given the British advantage in many military features in the battle. Without it, the British forces would not have the power to break through the German defence. Even with the problems they faced, this had allowed the British a strong victory over the Germans in Normandy. Words: 887 ...read more.
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