Operation Tractable was the final Canadian–Polish offensive to take place during the Battle of Normandy. Its aim was to capture the strategically important town of Falaise and subsequently the towns of Trun and Chambois. The operation was undertaken by the First Canadian Army against Germany's Army Group B, and was part of the largest encirclement on the Western Front during World War II. Despite a slow start to the offensive that was marked by limited gains north of Falaise, innovative tactics by Stanisław Maczek's Polish 1st Armoured Division during the drive for Chambois allowed for the Falaise gap to be partially closed by August 19, 1944, trapping around 150,000 German soldiers in the Falaise Pocket. Although the Falaise Gap had been narrowed to a distance of several hundred yards, a protracted series of fierce engagements between two battlegroups of the Polish 1st Armoured Division and the 2nd SS Panzer Corps on Mont Ormel prevented the gap from being completely closed, allowing thousands of German troops to escape out of Normandy. During two days of nearly continuous fighting, Polish forces utilized artillery barrages and close-quarter fighting managed to hold off counterattacks by elements of seven German divisions. On August 21, 1944, elements of the First Canadian Army relieved Polish survivors of the battle, and were able to finally close the Falaise Pocket, leading to the capture of the remaining elements of the German Seventh Army.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tractable

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

565:

Justinian the Great deposed Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople, after he refused the Byzantine Emperor's order to adopt the tenets of the Aphthartodocetae, a sect of Monophysites. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Eutychius_of_Constantinople

1879:

Anglo-Zulu War: In the greatest British military defeat at the hands of native forces in history, Zulu forces of King Cetshwayo fought to a decisive victory at the Battle of Isandlwana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Isandlwana

1919:

The Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic signed the Act Zluky in Kiev, an agreement aimed at creating a unified Ukrainian state, although both governments retained their own separate armies, administrations and government structure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_Zluky

1946:

Iran Crisis: The Republic of Mahabad declared its independence, seeking autonomy for the Kurds within Iran. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Mahabad

1973:

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark case Roe v. Wade, striking down laws restricting abortion during the first six to seven months of pregnancy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

inane (adj): Lacking sense or meaning (often implying, "to the point of boredom or annoyance") http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inane

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Honor is, or should be, the place of virtue and as in nature, things move violently to their place, and calmly in their place, so virtue in ambition is violent, in authority settled and calm. All rising to great place is by a winding stair; and if there be factions, it is good to side a man's self, whilst he is in the rising, and to balance himself when he is placed. --Francis Bacon http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon