This WWII history critically reexamines one of the most dramatic and significant battles to follow the D-Day landings in Normandy.

The destruction of the trapped German forces in the Falaise pocket in August 1944 is one of the most famous episodes of the Normandy campaign. But myths have grown up around the battle, and its impact on the course of the war is often misunderstood. In this meticulously researched study, Anthony Tucker-Jones dispels misconceptions about the battle, describes the combat in graphic detail, and reassesses the outcome in the context of the campaign to liberate Europe.

Tucker-Jones takes a broad view of the sequence of operations that culminated in the battle at Falaise, tracing the course of the campaign mainly from the panzers’ viewpoint. For two bloody months following the Normandy landings, the panzers held the Allies at bay. But when they found themselves blocked in at Falaise, the area became a killing ground. Some liken the event to Hitler’s defeat at Stalingrad, while others argue the victory was flawed because so many German troops escaped.