The Falaise Pocket: Normandy's Corridor of Death

Three French boys looking at a knocked-out German Panther tank in the Falaise pocket, 25 August 1944.

IWM (B 9665)

STORY

The success of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944 gave Allied forces a crucial foothold in France. But by July, they had advanced only 30km (20 miles) in three weeks as the fight to break out from Normandy became one of the most brutal battles of the Second World War.

In the deadly maze of hedgerows, the next town - let alone Berlin - seemed to be a million miles away. And yet, just a month later, the Allies transformed the battle. They punched through the German lines and sealed their enemy in a giant cauldron, known as the Falaise Pocket. It marked the brutal and decisive finale of the Normandy Campaign.

So why did the Allies struggle to advance out of Normandy? And how important was Allied air power to the eventual breakout?

Join IWM curator Sean Rehling at IWM London to find out more about the Battle of the Falaise Pocket, the final act of the liberation of Normandy.

US paratroopers check their kit before boarding for France.

Courtesy US Government (EA 25511)

STORY

D-Day in the Air: The aerial battle for Normandy

Well before D-Day, the Allies planned to use air power to set the stage for the landings. RAF and USAAF aerial reconnaissance, airborne landings, and tactical bombing were imperative to the success of Operation Overlord during and after D-Day. How did the Allies win air superiority? Where was the German response to D-Day? And how did Allied air power affect the fighting on the ground?

STORY

Duke Boswell and airborne operations on D-Day

Duke was a paratrooper who completed four ‘combat jumps’ into action. He parachuted from a C-47 Skytrain on 6 June 1944 – his third combat jump.

P-47 Thunderbolts of the 78th Fighter Group at Duxford

IWM (FRE 5604)

STORY

D-Day at Duxford

Duxford's 78th Fighter Group were heavily involved in supporting the Normandy invasion, flying missions on 6 June and over the summer of 1944.

Two Clubmobile volunteers serve coffee and donuts to US ground personnel on an air base in ENgland

US Public Domain

STORY

From Airfields to the Invasion Beaches: The Clubmobiles’ mission to bring a taste of home to American servicemen

As dawn broke on 16th July 1944, a GMC 6x6 truck rolled off a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) onto Utah Beach. This truck was different. The “Daniel Boone” was remarkable for being the first "Clubmobile" to land on the continent. Fitted out with an electric doughnut-making machine and equipment for brewing coffee, the Clubmobile would bring the morale-boosting work of the American Red Cross to the allied forces advancing through Europe.

Story written by IWM staff and copyright of Imperial War Museums (© IWM). The copyright in the images belongs to IWM as well as other third parties. Neither the stories nor the images contained may be reproduced or licenced without IWM’s permission.

IWM Licensing

Share this