Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
I will have to agree that Mark Clarks capture of Rome and not encircling the German troops does constitute a blunder.
Once Southern France invasion in Aug 1944 was done, most of the allied troops in Italy should have been withdrawn and sent to France.
I learnt a lot about various battles here and having a vested interest in Falaise as the Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a local unit and had a uncle with it was heavily involved . My research shows that Bradley ordered Patton to halt
and here is my source with a qoute taken from it I hope I haven't taken this out of context
DECISION AT ARGENTAN
While the Canadians endeavored to resume their attack toward Falaise, the XV Corps drove north from Le Mans on 10 August and secured Alencon two days later. General Patton had set the corps objective at the army group boundary-north of Alencon and just south of Argentan-so Haislip's forces continued their attack. Since Patton's order had also directed preparation for a "further advance" beyond the army group boundary, and since the army group boundary seemed within reach, Haislip-on the basis of the "further advance" inferentially authorized-established Argentan as the new corps objective. With two armored divisions and two infantry divisions comprising his forces, Haislip judged that he could hold a solid shoulder between Alencon and Argentan, and with the Canadians, who were to reach Argentan from the north, thus encircle the German forces to the west. [13]
As the XV Corps attacked toward Argentan, General Haislip pointedly notified General Patton that he was about to capture the last objective furnished by the army commander. By implication, Haislip requested authority to proceed north of Argentan if the Canadians were not yet there. He suggested that additional troops be placed under his command so that he could block all the east-west roads under his control north of Alencon. [14]
Since the Canadians had made no further progress toward Falaise while the XV Corps had moved rapidly, Patton sent word for Haislip to go beyond Argentan. Haislip was to "push on slowly in the direction of Falaise." After reaching Falaise, Haislip was to "continue to push on slowly until ... contact [is made with] our Allies," the Canadians. [15] Attacking toward Argentan on the morning of 13 August, the XV Corps struck surprising resistance. The advance halted temporarily. But as the corps was preparing to make a renewed effort to get to and through Argentan, a surprising message came from the Third Army. General Bradley had forbidden further movement northward. General Patton had to order General Haislip to stop. Instead of continuing to the north to an eventual meeting with the Canadians, the XV Corps was to hold in place. less then 25miles separated Canadians and Americans-the Argentan-Falaise gap, through which the Germans tried to escape. Why Bradley did not allow Patton to let the XV Corps continue north and seal the Argentan-Falaise pocket is the main question of debate
...
But Kesslering would not be a threat with no mobility to speak of and no access to move his remaining troops to a useful place except perhaps the Balkans - which might have slowed the USSR.
....
You had not added the Malayan and Singapore defeat from December 1941 to February 1942 suffered by the Commonwealth and England. The Fall of Malaya and Singapore. In my mind is the greatest Military defeat in WW2
You're probably right TS however I think the loss of nearly 100,000 men did have long term effects as they all had to be replaced.
What was even worse was the waste of men and material in defense of the Dutch East Indies!
BTW, I was the one who first recommended everyone to that book series.
On that I totally agree. At least from a militairy point of view. They should have withdrawn. The battle of the Java sea was total a waste of men and material. But it's comprehensible considering the position the dutch were in. It was the last of the free dutch soil (colonies of course but considered at the time). They had nowhere to run to, so they tried to make a stand. The dutch owe a lot to those US and Commonwealth soldiers who tried to help them, although it hardly made any difference.