Naval War College

The Allied Campaign in Western France Naval War College

This book examines the operational level planning and execution of the Allied Campaign in Western France. The purpose of this book is to examine this historical case and identify operational lessons that have implications for contemporary operational commanders. The work specifically covers the Normandy Campaign (June 1944-August 1944) focusing on the lodgement battles and the breakout up to the battle of Falaise-Argentan. The book traces the background to the development of the plan, describes the key aspects of the plan itself, and further describes the plan's execution. The plan and its execution are analyzed using key elements of the operational art. The elements are: the enemy's center of gravity and lines of operation; and the operational scheme - command and control, maneuver, fires, protection, deception, culminating points and logistics. Operational level lessons are derived from the analysis.