July 25-31, 1944 - Allied forces conduct Operation Cobra (right) in an attempt to breakout of Normandy. Landing in Normandy on D-Day, Allied forces quickly became bogged down as they attempted to move inland. While the British struggled to take the city of Caen, American forces to the west were badly slowed by the thick bocage (hedgerows) of the Norman countryside. Sensing the British posed the greater threat, the German commanders in the area placed the bulk of their armor around the Caen sector.
Aware of this imbalance. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery approved Operation Cobra which called for an intense, focused offensive near Saint-Lô by General Omar Bradley's US First Army. While operations were conducted near Caen to pin the Germans in place, Bradley unleashed his attack on July 25. Moving forward behind a massive aerial bombardment, the offensive moved slowly at first but by July 27 began to penetrate through the German lines. Breaking through, First Army quickly advanced down the coast reaching the key town of Avranches on July 30, opening the way into Brittany and allowing American forces to finally escape the bocage. A key part of the Normandy Campaign, Operation Cobra set the stage for the dramatic Allied victory that would come in the following weeks.
World War II in Europe:
Photograph Courtesy of the US Army
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