Operation Cobra

Organization of VII, VIII, and XIX U.S. Army Corps during Operation Cobra 25 July 1944

Saint Lo and Vicinity

Saint Lo and Vicinity - Operation Cobra - 25-29 July 1944.Background information: In 1938 the predecessors of what is today The Department of History at the United States Military Academy began developing a series of campaign atlases to aid in teaching cadets a course entitled, "History of the Military Art." Since then, the Department has produced over six atlases and more than one thousand maps, encompassing not only America’s wars but global conflicts as well. In keeping abreast with today's technology, the Department of History is providing these maps on the internet as part of the department's outreach program. The maps were created by the United States Military Academy’s Department of History and are the digital versions from the atlases printed by the United States Defense Printing Agency. We gratefully acknowledge the accomplishments of the department's former cartographer, Mr. Edward J. Krasnoborski, along with the works of our present cartographer, Mr. Frank Martini.

U.S. tanks pass through the wrecked streets of Coutances, France. This illustration was created using Adobe Photoshop, with added yellow box and text to highlight the significance of Operation Cobra and V Corps' contributions, and the photo was colorized using Photoshop restoration tools. (U.S. Army illustration by Tyler Brock)
Historical Overview
Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the distraction of the Germans by the British and Canadian attacks around Caen in Operation Goodwood, and thereby break through the German defenses that were penning in their forces, while the Germans were unbalanced. Once a corridor had been created, the First Army would then be able to advance into Brittany, rolling up the German flanks once free of the constraints of the bocage country. After a slow start, the offensive gathered momentum and German resistance collapsed as scattered remnants of broken units fought to escape to the Seine. Lacking the resources to cope with the situation, the German response was ineffectual mainly due to the effect of Operation Bluecoat and the entire Normandy front soon collapsed. Operation Cobra, together with concurrent offensives by the British Second Army and the Canadian First Army, was decisive in securing an Allied victory in the Normandy campaign.
Quick Facts
US 5th Army
- Commander: George S. Patton
- Strength: 160000
- Casualties: 5000
German Army
- Commander: G. v. Kluge
- Strength: 100000
- Casualties: hoch
Strategic Context
Transition from beachhead to war of movement.
Related Literature
Historical Locations
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