FALAISE

 Falaise is a town where the Germans got squeezed between the armies that had landed at Omaha/Utah and those landing on the other 3 beaches. There were many tank battles in the build that mostly went the German's way with many allied tanks lost. The German Tiger & Panther tanks were superior to the allied Sherman's & Churchills. The Tiger was twice the weight of allied Sherman, as you can see.

The tank that really matched them in tank-tank battles was the Firefly which was a Sherman converted by 2 British officers to carry a 17 pounder anti-tank gun. It could out range the German tank guns & penetrate their armour. Using his Firefly together with 4 standard Sherman's, "Firefly Harris" destroys 5 enemy tanks with 5 shots.

The Canadians & Polish were involved and the Canadians suffered badly at the hands of Kurt Meyer's SS battalions. 20 of them were captured, interrogated & then murdered by Meyer's men. They were found at nearby Ardennes Abbey.

Kurt Meyer. He was captured, tried for war crimes, but released after 9 years.

Stanislaw Maczek, a much decorated Polish tank general. Smoked 40 a day - lived to be 102

William the Conqueror was born in Falaise, some his troop still there!

Coach, called Lulu was very comfortable. Grub in hotel good.

Once the Germans tried to flee from Falaise toward Paris they were slaughtered by artillery, rocket firing Typhoons & Thunderbolts. One RAF officer said he could smell the carnage in his cockpit at 6000 feet.