History - War at a Glance

Patton Unleashed With the success of Cobra, Patton’s Third Army becomes operational on August 1 and takes its position on the Allies’ right flank; its objective is to overrun Brittany. On August 4, Montgomery makes the first major change in the Overlord plan. He orders the First Army to swing eastward to encircle the Germans; Patton receives orders to drive toward Le Mans, which he reaches on August 9. The First Army threatens the Germans in Normandy; the Third Army threatens all German forces west of the River Seine. Once again, the British code breakers give the Allies an edge. Hitler sees the opportunity to launch a counterattack near Mortain; he orders Kluge to send all available panzers in a strike toward the Atlantic in an effort to cut off the breakout’s path. When the counterattack begins, it is stymied by American troops rushed to the spot; the orders to Kluge have been intercepted, decrypted, and used against the Germans. See Next Trapped in the Pocket Racing Toward the Rhine