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George Patton : Operation Cobra

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Operation Cobra was the name given to the American’s attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead established after D-Day in June 1944 (WWII). Operation Cobra supported British, Polish and Canadian assaults which was also true in operations codenamed Atlantic, Spring, Totalise, Goodwood and Tractable. After D-Day, the Germans moved a great deal of equipment and men to Normandy. As a result, breaking out of the Normandy beachhead proved to be far more difficult than the actual landings at D-Day. By mid-June the Germans had reinforced many of their positions in Normandy and any advance inland was going to be difficult for the Allies.
In this paper I will focus on General Patton, George JR. (3RD Army Commander by JUL 1944) and how soldiers under his command advanced during this operation. First, I want to give a short biography about General Patton before getting into the details of Operation Cobra.
George Patton was born in San Gabriel, California on November 11, 1885. He enrolled in Virginia Military Institute in 1904. A year later, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating on June 11, 1909. Patton had his first real taste of battle in 1915, when leading cavalry patrols against Pancho Villa at Fort Bliss along the Mexican border. In 1916 he was selected to aide John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Mexico. In Mexico, Patton impressed Pershing by personally shooting Mexican leader Julio Cardenas during the Battle of

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