Battles of Normandy

The Battle of Normandy evokes so many emotions. It was the beginning of the 'Great Crusade' in Northern Europe by the Western Allies, yet was viewed as long overdue by the bloodied Soviets. Few realize that the casualties suffered in the three months of the summer of 1944 in Normandy rivaled the worst of the Eastern Front. The air and seaborne landings in Northern France were the largest the world has ever seen, with meticulous planning for D-Day, yet marked by a surfeit of clear goals once ashore. Both the bocage terrain and the dogged defense by the Germans resulted in the need for unexpected improvisation. Both sides had significant constraints; the British were nearing manpower exhaustion and would have to rely excessively on their armor arm, the United States had boundless resources but many of their divisions had never been in combat, while the Germans were short of everything and it was only through their ability to organize disparate troops into flexible kampfgruppen that they