World War II/The Liberation of France and Western Europe

After the success of D-Day, the allies had taken control of the beaches in Normandy. However, the constant war of attrition that would be fought by the allies required a vast buildup of resources prior to making steady movements forwards, using the vast weight of allied firepower to annihilate any attempt to counter-attack by the Germans.

The Battle for Normandy

The German planning had largely relied on preventing the allies controlling the beaches, however the failure to push the invaders back into the sea meant the inland defences had to be used as a fallback. The terrain in Normandy was the kind that heavily favoured the defender. Dense hedgerows meant wide advances were difficult, and advancing of the narrow roads left troops vulnerable to ambush. Small villages were interspersed within the countryside, and even before D-Day these were recognised as strongpoints that had immense tactical value, providing command locations and points from which to fire.