...”He speaks highly of the French who fought alongside him. At some points the French armor were the main force preventing the Germans from overrunning their lines”...
Not long ago I was watching videos of the WWII and very surprised how much went on I wasn’t aware of. It was very interesting seeing how they landed and prepertion before this as well.
” It was very interesting seeing how they landed and prepertion before this as well.”
Preparation and logistics is the name of the game.
7th Army has never received much attention. Their CO was General Alexander Patch who didn’t seek out publicity like his pal George Patton. Patton had commanded the 7th prior to Patch.
7th Army fought in North Africa, Sicily, Corsica, and then invaded southern France in August, 1944. They were veteran soldiers when they landed in France unlike the largely green troops at Normandy two months earlier. Patch, Truscott and de Lattre were very aggressive commanders who routed the German defenders preventing their panzers from putting up an effective defense. 7th’s biggest problem was that they were moving so fast their fuel and ammunition couldn’t keep pace.
7th linked up with Eisenhower’s Normandy troops in northern France before the push into Germany. Some of Audie Murphy’s famous exploits took place while they were taking northern France.
My dad’s unit was an anti-aircraft battalion that was deployed as fire support for infantry and armor. They had some close calls but nothing like the infantry. They once were assigned a replacement soldier who had been fighting continuously in the infantry since landing at Normandy. The guy’s nerves were completely shot. Every time he heard the big guns fire he would flinch or dive for cover. He would pace all night, never sleep and had the thousand yard stare. Somebody finally had the sense to ship him home.