[Homer_J_Simpson]

British Fall Back (Daniel) – 2-3
Impressed Russians Surrender to Americans in France (photos) – 3-4
Germans’ ‘Crust’ Cracked at Last (Denny) – 4
Normandy Called a Magnified Anzio (Baldwin) – 5
Red Army in Deblin (Lawrence) – 6-7
War News Summarized – 7
Double-Size Robot Rains on England – 8
Rebuilding of London’s City Area Outlined in a $600,000,000 Plan (MacCormac) – 8
Marines Close on Guam Airport; Win Fourth of Tinian, with Strip (Horne) – 9
Hengyang Chinese Defy Four Divisions; Fliers Aid Relief Force Battling Cordon – 9
Aitape Trap Grinds Japanese Steadily (by Lindesay Parrott) – 10
Allied Ships, Planes Hit Sabang, Foe Says – 10
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the Fighting in Various War Zones – 11-13

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/jul44/27jul44.htm#

Soviets advance along the front
Thursday, July 27, 1944 www.onwar.com

Soviet T-34-85 crossing the Bug around Lvov [photo at link]

On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces advance. The 2nd Baltic (Yeremenko) captures Daugavpils in the north; 1st Baltic (Bagramyan) takes Siauliai; 2nd Belorussian (Zakharov) captures Bialystok; and 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) takes Lvov and Stanislav 70 miles to the south.

On the Western Front... US 1st Army continues its offensive. The US 8th Corps breaks through between Lessy and Periers, capturing both towns.

In the Mariana Islands... On Guam, the US 77th Division prepares to attack Mount Tenjo. On Tinian, Americans being work on a new airfield at Ushi Point.

[henkster]

The American 1st Army map:

[henkster]

Panzer Group West sector:

[henkster]

7th Army Sector:

[henkster]

Order of Battle for LXXXIV Corps. A number of kampfgruppen and remnants previously listed are not listed any more. Panzer Lehr is still listed, but in reality, that division no longer exists:

[henkster]

I have been devoting a lot of my limited available time on these threads to the battles in Normandy. And thanks to Homer for hosting these daily posts, it has given me new insight into the Normandy campaign.

But it has been at the cost of not doing as much reading on the Soviet offensives that are unfolding in the East, and that has always been one of my favorite areas of study in World War 2. Yes, D-Day and it’s aftermath haven been pivotal points in World War 2, but what the Soviets have been doing to the Germans on the Eastern Front since June 22 is mind-boggling. Tax-chick (I still can’t get used to using that handle. Sorry) put it best by calling the Red Army “unstoppable.” At this point, they are. The Germans had prepared their defenses in the East as best they could for this onslaught, although they guessed wrong where it would be. And against those prepared defenses, the Soviets have destroyed the Wehrmacht at will. German divisions and corps that have stood for years as bulwarks have simply vanished. Even if the “butcher’s bill” has exacted a high price.

Oh, and we’re not done yet. There is still some unfinished business in Romania.