Death in the Falaise Gap

After D-Day, the Allies sought to encircle and destroy the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army (part of which effort included an unsuccessful air campaign that remains controversial to this day), leaving tens of thousands dead. The campaign leading to the formation of the Falaise Pocket is rife with myths, and in this book Jack Livesey has gone back to primary sources to throw new light on what actually happened. Addressing every aspect of the battle, from both the ground and air conflict to the roles played by the different nations, he offers a definitive account of a controversial campaign. He brings his extensive technical expertise to bear when discussing the capabilities and shortcomings of the weapons involved (some of them revolutionary, such as napalm) and examines the real effectiveness (or lack of it) of the rocket-firing Typhoons of the RAF's Tactical Air Force. Were the Germans really finally routed, as many have said? Livesey says no.