Looking Back at History: The Allied Western Push

So watching this HBO series, Band of Brothers, has once again emerged me into a World War II phase.This time with a focus on the American-Allied invasion of France, also known as Operation Overlord. It is a ten-part miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, inspired by the masterful film Saving Private Ryan. The story revolves around the many experiences of the paratrooper division known as Easy Company and the 101st Airborne Division. After going through some intense training, these paratroopers drop behind enemy lines, under heavy gunfire. Once they are able to reunite and assemble, they secure the beaches of Normandy and begin their long push towards Germany. The series does a great job of illustrating the war-like environment, with raw and exciting filming, that puts the viewer in the midst of the action. As well as this, is the amazing character buildup, throughout each episode. If you enjoyed Saving Private Ryan or WW2 history, then this series is a must!

So on to the historical aspect of it.. By late 1940, the German Nazis had controlled and occupied most of central Europe, including France. After their failed bombardment in Britain, they turned their attention against the Soviet Union in 1941, in what has become known as Operation Barbarossa. In my opinion it was Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union, that would eventually cause his collapse. While his armies were stretched far and wide fighting in the eastern cold conditions of Russia, the allies were preparing to mount an assault on the Western Front. Germany thus became caught in the middle of two wars, one on the east against the Soviet Union, and one on the west against the Americans, British, and other allied forces.

The main emphasis of Operation Overlord, was to land soldiers in Europe and begin their push on Germany. This meant liberating German-occupied France, which would become the doorway into Europe. On June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, Operation Overlord began with the invasion of Normandy. The plan started with an airborne assault, paratrooper landings, and then an amphibious assault in the English Channel. Several decoy operations were also put into affect, to confuse the Germans. The most severe fighting took place on the beaches of Normandy, where 160,000 American soldiers were welcomed with heavy Nazi gunfire. (This historical event is best captured in the opening 20 minutes of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan).

Once the beaches were secured, the fighting continued for another two months, until by late August, the allies had pushed the Germans out of Normandy, France. A few days later, the French Resistance managed to liberate Paris on August 25th. This marked the successful end of Operation Overlord. The allies began organizing in France, shipping in more soldiers and supplies, and thus began their push towards Germany.

Following the liberation of France, the Allies began to move towards the Rhine River of Germany in August of 1944. They also planned another operation with the British, known as Operation Market Garden. In this objective the Allies landed thousands of paratroopers in Netherlands, in hopes to outflank the Germans from the north. However the operation was a failure due to bridge blockades, delayed supplies, and strong resistance from the Germans. The allied forces thus continued their march from the West of Germany.

However in December of 1944, the Germans made a fierce counter-attack against the Allied push, known as the Battle of the Bulge. In the wintry Belgium forests of the Ardennes Mountain ranges, the Germans led a massive surprise assault on the Allied front lines, in hopes to split up their army, and re-capture Antwerp, Belgium. The counter-offensive began in December 16th, and caught the Allies quite off guard. However the Germans quickly suffered heavy resistance especially in the town of Bastonge, Luxembourg. By January, Allied Reinforcements came from the south, such as General Patton's Third army. Thanks to better weather conditions, and new reinforcements, the Allies were able to repel the German counter-offensive. The battle was however, the bloodiest one in the war for the Americans, who loss around 19,000 soldiers.

The allied invasion of Germany began in February of 1945, on the west of the Rhineland. At this point the Soviets were also moving in hard from the Eastern side, and were probably going to arrive at Berlin before the Allied Forces. General Eisenhower then decided to not contend for Berlin, and instead sent his armies to the south of the capital city. The Battle of Berlin, between the Germans and Soviets began in April 16th of 1945. Knowing that his armies had been defeated and his Third Reich had come to an end, Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 25th. The German armies surrendered on May 8th, of 1945 also known as VE Day, Victory in Europe.