21st August 1944 – representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States meet at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, Washington for the ‘Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization’, which result in proposals for the United Nations Charter.
The Falaise Gap is closed when the Canadians link with the Poles at Coudehard, east of Trun, and secure St. Lambert and the northern passage to Chambois (61st Reconnaissance Regiment were in action just east of here).
On August 21st Eric Brewer wrote in his diary: "Pushed on again today, plenty of prisoners. We have passed through the town of Ruco les* (sic). First English they have seen - got mobbed and could not move for about 10 minutes. Came across blown up bridge - had to send R.E.** to lay down bridge. Waited until it was done then moved on again advanced 30 miles today in harbour near large village." Amazingly he wrote home on the same day that he was "getting quite used to lying in bed in the morning. All the chaps do now in the day time is play cards, write or rest. Some of the boys are getting tired of doing nothing and it would not surprise me if they began knitting comforts for fighting lads or even start their own garden near the half-tracks as the position we are in is as good as static." (From Eric Brewer’s Diary and letters by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)
* Rugles, north-east of l'Aigle, 40 miles east of Argentan and 61st Recce’s Regimental HQ (Regimental HQ location list on re-union dinner menu 1946). Rugles was officially liberated by the Royal Dragoon Guards on 23rd August 1944.
**Royal Engineers
The Battle for Normandy had cost the German Army a total of 1,500 tanks, 3,500 guns and 20,000 vehicles. They had lost 450,000 men, 240,000 of these killed or wounded. The Allies had achieved this with 209,672 casualties, 39,976 of these killed. British and Canadian losses amounted to two-thirds of those suffered by the Americans. Some 28,000 Allied aircrew were also lost over Normandy or during the preparatory bombing and the Point Blank programme (designed to pave the way for Overlord). Liddell Hart, in a 'History of the Second World War' described Normandy as "an Operation that eventually went according to plan but not according to timetable." (See ‘Overlord’ by Max Hastings, Macmillan 2016 edition.)
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