Performance on the Western Front

German military performance against the Western Allies in France and on the German frontier in 1944.

Infantry of the US XX Corps move forward
Infantry of the US XX Corps move forward after a skirmish on the outskirts of Fontainebleu (river Seine south of Paris), supported by an M10 tank destroyer on August 23, 1944.

t arrow2back to Part III: Military performance in Italy 1943-44

As Rommel had forecast, the ensuing three months after the Allied invasion in Normandy on June 6, 1944, were a time of unmitigated disaster for the German armies in France.
After the ‘brutal slugging battles for Caen and Falaise, as Eisenhower described them, and the Allied invasion of Southern France in mid-August, the Germans were driven helter-skelter out of every corner of France, except Dunkirk and the beleaguered former U-boat bases on the Atlantic coast.

Rommel himself was almost killed by a low-flying Spitfire Mk IX on July 17 and three days later a group of high­ranking German officers belatedly attempted to save the Army, and Germany itself from utter destruction by planting a time-bomb in Hitler’s Headquarters Wolfsschanze.
Hitler survived to wreak a terrible vengeance on at least 2,000 army officers (including Rommel) and launch a desperate counter-attack on the Western Front in December 1944, now known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’.

But Nazi Germany’s military position had been hopeless ever since she had failed to drive the Allied forces into the sea on D-Day. The only question remaining in December 1944 was who would win the race to Berlin – the British, Americans and Canadians from the West, or the Red Army from the East.

The following battles took place in the phase after the outbreak of the Allied forces from their bridgehead from Normandy, beginning with the American advance south of the pocket of Falaise towards the Seine and then the Marne south around Paris.
This is followed by battles with heavy fighting on the German frontier in the Saar region, which took place from November until shortly before the German offensive.
In all these engagements, the German troops were mostly in the minority, with less material and practically no support from the air.

The figures correspond to those of the military performance of the battles against the Western Allies in Italy 1943-44 and also the exact explanation can be found on this page.

FRANCE – Le Masto-Metz (August 14-September 14, 1944):

EngagementUnitsRatio soldiersResultCasualties per dayScore Effect
Seine River (August 23-25)US XX Corps271%attack successfully 0.19% 1.20
1 Armyfortified defense failed 2.01% 1.48
Moselle-Metz (September 6-11)US XX Corps144%attack successfully 0.46% 1.09
1 Army delaying defense failed 0.68% 1.44
Metz (Sep 13) US XX Corps154%attack failed 0.59% 1.11
1 Armyfortified defense successfully 0.53% 1.76
Chartres (August 16) US 7 AD188%attack successfully 0.72% 1.97
various units of 1 Armydefense failed 6.95% 2.24
Melun (August 23-25) US 7 AD287%attack successfully 0.19% 1.03
48 ID reinforcedprepared defense failed 2.02% 2.13

more about:

[amazon_link asins=’0313091579,0963869213,081314079X’ template=’ProductGrid’ store=’wwto-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’07c9e51b-00d7-11e7-ad34-514893a430d6′]


SAAR CAMPAIGN (November 8-December 7, 1944):

EngagementUnitsRatio soldiersResultCasualties per dayScore Effect
Chateau Salins (Nov 10-11) US 35 + 26 ID + 4 AD390% attack and defense draw 0.82% 1.14
11 Pz.Div + parts of XIII SS-Pz Corpsfortified defense and attack draw 1.99% 3.21
Morhange-Conthil (Nov 13-15) US 4 AD + parts 35 ID343% attack successfully 1.54% 0.87
11 Pz.Div + 361 ID delaying defense failed 0.87% 3.54
Bourgaltroff (Nov 14-15) US 4 AD + parts 26 ID159%attack failed 0.89% 1.27
parts 11 Pz.Div + 361 ID delaying defense successfully 1.08% 1.98
Baerendorf I (Nov 24-25) US 4 AD 148% attack and defense successfully 0.37% 1.41
Pz-Lehr + 361 IDdefense and attack failed 2.09% 1.26
Baerendorf II (Nov 26) US 4 AD227%attack successfully 0.35% 1.54
Pz-Lehr defense failed 3.33% 1.17
Burbach-Dustel (Nov 27-30) US 4 AD242%attack failed 0.16% 1.01
Pz-Lehr delaying defense successfully 1.07% 0.76
Sarre Union (Dec 1-2)US 4 AD327% attack successfully 0.70% 0.73
11 Pz.Div + Pz-Lehr + 25 Pz.Gren. prepared defense failed 1.08% 1.93
Singlin-Binning (Dec 6-7) US 4 AD302% attack failed 0.51% 0.92
25 Pz.Gren. + 11 Pz.Divfortified defense successfully 1.21% 1.52
Seille River (Nov 8-12) US XII Corps422% attack successfully 0.86% 1.69
XIII SS + LXXXIX Corps fortified defense failed 4.14% 2.79
Morhange-Faulquemont (Nov 13-16) US XII Corps326% attack first failed, later successfully 0.87% 1.74
XIII SS + LXXXIX Corps delaying defense first successfully, later failed 3.23% 2.54
Francaltroff-St.Avold (Nov 20-27) US XII Corps275%attack successfully 0.46% 1.45
XIII SS + LXXXIX Corps delaying defense failed 1.91% 2.75
Durstil-Farebersviller (Nov 28-29) US XII Corps293%attack failed 0.27% 1.13
XIII SS + LXXXIX Corps delaying defense successfully 1.32% 1.29
Sarre River (Dec 5-7) US XII Corps286% attack successfully 0.42% 1.39
XIII SS + XC Corpsdelaying defense failed 1.88% 1.47


Statistical comparison

Now the statistical comparison of the combat value of the investigated units in a total of 78 engagements.

All Engagements Total:

SideTotal numbers engagedTotal CasualtiesAverage Casualties per dayAverage Score Effectiveness
Western Allies 1,783,237 47,743 1.25% 1.45
Germans 940,198 48,585 1.83% 2.25

Effectiveness by Posture vs Western Allies:

PostureAlliesGermansGerman Preponderance
Attack Succesful 1.47 3.02205%
Attack Failure 1.20 2.28190%
Defense succesful 1.60 2.24140%
Defense Failure 1.37 2.29167%
Average based on total battles 1.45 2.31159%


Most effective units

Subsequently, the combat effectiveness of those units which took part in at least three of the examined engagements. The average combat value of the German troops is about 23 percent higher than that of the allied troops.

Average Unit Combat Effectiveness:

Division/CorpsNo of battlesAverage IntensityAverage Differential from NormalAssessed Score-Effectiveness (Kills)Assessed Combat Effectiveness
US
1st Armored3 6.77 -0.08 2.63 86.60
3rd Infantry4 4.80 -0.87 1.31 66.17
4th Armored8 3.95 -1.47 1.11 61.59
34th Infantry5 4.14 -1.52 1.40 65.28
45th Infantry9 4.29 -1.30 1.40 64.50
85th Infantry5 5.28 -1.73 1.95 71.95
88th Infantry4 5.02 0.28 2.40 84.64
XII Corps5 4.78 -0.48 1.48 69.69
XX Corps3 3,93 -1.93 1.13 60.09
Average Effectiveness US 70.06
BRITISH
1st Infantry8 5.71- 1.66 70.37
5th Infantry3 4.47- 2.13 74.92
7th Armored3 2.97- 1.11 64.50
46th Infantry6 5.27- 1.11 65.76
56th Infantry9 5.56- 1.08 54.15
Average Effectiveness British 65.94
ALLIES AVERAGE EFFECTIVENESS 68.59
GERMAN
Hermann Goering Pz.Div5 3.52 +0.57 2.54 87.43
Panzer-Lehr4 4.70 +0.57 1.28 70.63
3rd Pz.Gren16 4.24 +0.65 2.10 81.83
4th Para Div4 6.03 +1.25 2.63 90.90
11th Panzer5 3.88 +1.18 2.44 88.13
15th Pz.Gren9 1.52 +0.11 2.09 79.90
16th Panzer7 3.50 -0.38 2.84 88.62
65th Infantry5 5.82 +0.54 2.28 83.87
94th Infantry8 6.46 -0.09 3.05 92.03
362nd Infantry3 9.10 -1.16 2.74 84.33
XIII SS-Panzer Corps5 7.08 +0.76 1.98 80.60
Average Effectiveness Germans 84.36 (exceeds Allied average by 23%)


button goSee also Part V: Military Performance on the Russian Front

see also: Battle results of World War One


References and literature

Der Genius des Krieges (Trevor N. Dupuy)
Der 2. Weltkrieg (C. Bertelsmann Verlag)
Zweiter Weltkrieg in Bildern (Mathias Färber)
A World at Arms – A Global History of World War II (Gerhard L. Weinberg)
Der Grosse Atlas zum II. Weltkrieg (Peter Young)
Historical Atlas of World War Two – The Geography of Conflict (Ronald Story)
Krieg der Panzer (Piekalkiewicz)
Luftkrieg (Piekalkiewicz)


for sharing:

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top