The story
The 29th Infantry Division joined in the destruction of German forces within the newly forming “Falaise Pocket”.
General George S.Patton’s Third Army had encircled numerous German forces when it sped eastwards from Avranches and then hooked northwards towards Argentan and Falaise.
The 29th Infantry Division pivoted to attack eastwards as Allied forces squeezed the entrapped Germans into a smaller and smaller area.
The division advanced as far as Tinchebray and the high ground surrounding it before being pinched out by British forces crossing its front as the pocket disappeared.
The Falaise Pocket proved to be yet another disaster for the Germans, who lost 50,000 prisoners in addition to the tens of thousands already killed or wounded in the fighting.
Perhaps equally damaging, the Germans who did escape lost most of their equipment in the pocket or in the pursuit.
The 29th Infantry Division was now free for another mission.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.