In the drive westward, a small pocket formed after the Allies captured Toulouse.
The Pyrenees Pocket
In response to the ongoing Nazi and Soviet threat, President Roosevelt began to force Service by Requirement laws through Congress. While some wondered if the move would degrade the quality of the U.S. Army, the situation in Europe was looking more perilous by the day. With the failed landing at Brittany, there was nothing to stop the Nazis from holding off American forces on the continent.
Despite the worries of General Eisenhower, allied forces managed to pull off a small victory in the south of France. After capturing Toulouse, the Americans and British managed to trap several Axis divisions along the coast and in a small area of the Pyrenees Mountains.
The Battle of the Pyrenees lasted about 14 days. Allied commanders were grateful that no more than a few thousand casualties were reported.
The Drive to Paris
With the increasingly difficult terrain and the Nazi war machine in their way, Ike tried out a new set of tactics.
The push into the heart of France gained steam by the beginning of 1943, but at a staggering cost. In spite of the achievement of air and naval supremacy, U.S. forces took half a million casualties in the previous four months. In order to stave off a PR nightmare, General Eisenhower devised a daring strategy.
In the past, the Allied Expeditionary Force tried to maneuver around the enemy by any means necessary, but it was not enough. Instead, Eisenhower ordered a general offensive to seal off Brittany and liberate Paris. While he did so, his command staff identified several key areas where they could punch through and create larger pockets of enemy forces. When the offensive began in late February, it was determined that the weakest point was along the Bay of Biscay.
The plan proved effective, allowing the advance to proceed through May. While it did not achieve all of its objectives by the planned date and forced the U.S. to take another 400,000 casualties. The operation secured several key seaports that allowed the British, Free French, and Free Belgians to bring additional divisions to the continent. Help had come at last.
Pockets began to form with the help of the British Empire. It took them long enough.
The enemy put up a hell of a fight in May of 1943. However, the reinforcements on the continent allowed U.S. forces to slam shut two pockets in the interior of France. One was near the coast of Normandy. The other and far larger one was nearer to the east. Axis forces successfully reopened the pocket for a brief while on May 27th, 1943, but it was promptly slammed shut after U.S. Armored Divisions were redeployed to the area.
Allied commanders estimated that only two or three battalions escaped the oncoming surrender.
The victory in France pushed the Nazi lines into a state of total collapse.
While it appeared that victory was near, the Soviet Union began a major offensive that would change to course of the war…
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