Скачать или смотреть Why Bradley Stopped Patton from Closing the Falaise Gap - The 50,000 Germans Who Fought at the Bulge

August 13, 1944 — the Falaise Gap was within reach. General George Patton’s Third Army had raced across France, poised to encircle over 100,000 German troops trapped between Argentan and Falaise. Fifteen miles separated victory from disaster… yet the order came: halt. General Omar Bradley, prioritizing coordination with Montgomery’s forces and alliance politics, forbade Patton from advancing.

This video explores the fateful decision that allowed tens of thousands of seasoned German soldiers to escape, later returning to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. We trace the high-stakes context: the chaos of Normandy, Operation Cobra’s breakout, Hitler’s disastrous counterattacks, and the brutal hedgerow battles that preceded Falaise. Witness how the interplay of military strategy, political considerations, and inter-Allied tensions shaped one of World War II’s most consequential moments.

Through firsthand accounts, operational analysis, and archival research, we examine the consequences of letting the Falaise Gap remain open: experienced German Panzer and SS divisions survived, reorganized, and returned to battle, costing Allied forces thousands of lives months later. Patton’s foresight, Bradley’s caution, and Montgomery’s deliberate pace all converged to leave a gap that would echo through history.

Join us for a detailed look at why a single decision in August 1944 reshaped the course of the war and the deadly winter that followed.