"General Bradley´s Decision at Argentan" Topic

(13 AUGUST 1944)

"In August 1944 Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding the 12th U.S. Army Group, abruptly halted the advance of the XV Corps of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army. He thus prevented its movement northward through Argentan toward a juncture with Canadian forces coming south from Caen toward Falaise. As a consequence, the Allies failed to close the Argentan-Falaise pocket. The virtually surrounded German forces in Normandy, escaping through the Argentan-Falaise gap, avoided complete encirclement and almost certain destruction.

Why General Bradley made his decision and whether he was correct are questions that have stirred discussion ever since World War II.

The story starts during the breakout in Normandy in July 1944, when the First U. S. Army under General Bradley broke out of the confinement imposed by the Germans in the hedgerow country of the Cotentin and streamed in triumph toward Avranches. [1] There, on the first day of August, as General Patton's Third Army became operational, General Bradley relinquished command of the First Army to Lt. Gen. Courtney B. Hodges and assumed command of the 12th Army Group. Allied ground forces in western Europe then comprised two U.S. armies under Bradley, and a British and a Canadian army, both under General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's 21 Army Group. Until General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, assumed personal direction of the ground campaign-a task he undertook on the first day of September-Montgomery functioned as the commander of the land forces executing Operation OVERLORD…"
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Amicalement
Armand

I don't think there is much controversy. Patton was biting off more than he could chew by closing this gap and would have suffered a humiliating defeat.

Bradley was 100% correct in reining in Patton.

Is there anything new in this link? I admit I didn't do more than skim it.

I always had the opinion that Bradley's actions were meant to stick it to Mongomery. We tend to idolize Bradley but his friendship with Eisenhowrr saved him from any ill effects from some truly major gaffes. His bungling of the Normandy Campaign prior to Cobra. His handling of the Falaise Pocket lost opportunity. His embarrassment and initial lack of response in The Bulge … which saw half his command handed over to Montgomery. I think Patton should have been turned loose.

Cheers!

I think the only way to lose in the ETO was to let loose cannons like Patton run amok.

That was the key point most gamers miss. Such was the level of Allied material superiority, a slow grinding advance was the least risky. You might not win by a big masterstroke but if you try to do that you could get handed a heavy defeat and lose popular support or sew seeds of division in the alliance.

It is well documented why Patton was held back. It was because sensible people realised anyone who blocked the German retreat was going to be steamrollered by the German response. It was believed Patton would be defeated. The Germans proved many times they could turn and bite and Bradley &Montgomery knew that to win all they had to do was make no mistakes. Gifting the Germans a chance to overrun an Allied Army was judged to be too big a risk.

Hindsight is 20/20 …

Patton at times did need to be kept on a short lease. And Ike had to keep the Allies working together. E.g. balancing Patton & Monty, etc., etc.

Patton at times did need to be kept on a short lease. And Ike had to keep the Allies working together. E.g. balancing Patton & Monty, etc., etc.

Until the end of August Monty was the Ground Commander.

I dunno. If XV Corp takes Argenton, and holds it, the Germans are in deep (ok, deeper) trouble, aren't they? If the allies work out their artillery the odds of a successful German counter-attack plummet in my opinion.

As for keeping Patton on a leash wasn't it his decision, against standard practice I believe, to unleash his forces in different directions (on multiple roads) that helped lead to Falaise?

I don't know if Bradley's decision was right or wrong, but I do think history generally rewards the bold.