The American army began its great military breakthrough in France on July 25. General George S. PattonΓÇÖs armored division raced westward through Brittany as other formations moved southward and eastward, in part to capture the German Seventh Army, commanded by Field Marshal Hans von Gunther Kluge. Artillery and aerial bombardments pinched the German forces in all directions and denied them almost any possibility of movement. The stranglehold would have been total had General Montgomery advanced more swiftly. As it was, the German forces were not totally encircled and were able to break out. By the end of August, they were retreating across the entire length of France.
