Talk:2nd Armored Division (France)

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Military history: European / French / World War II C‑class

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Operation Cobra

"The division played a critical role in Operation Cobra, the Allied breakout from Normandy, when it served as a link between American and Canadian armies and made rapid progress against German forces."

I find the above a little odd for two reason; firstly the division is not mentioned at all in the Operation Cobra article - i dont believe the American official history even mentions the division taking part - and secondly i doubt the French Armoured Division would have been able to hold the line between the Americans and the Canadians considering the latter were fighting south of Caen and near Falaise - no where near the Cobra battlefield. Not to mention the massive ammounts of British forces between the Canadians and Yanks.--EnigmaMcmxc (talk) 17:29, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh! la! la! The above is not only *a little odd* but *completely wrong*.

First sentence reads that the Division landed at Utah Beach on 1 August 1944, which is correct.
Second sentence reads that the division played a critical role in Operation Cobra, which is totally false. How could the division play a critical role in an operation that took place before said division landed, and which ended one day before said division's landing?
The French 2nd Armored Division played the role described as *link between American & Canadian armies* in the battle of the Falaise Pocket which ended on 21 August 1944, and from which Leclerc's division marched to Paris.

Cordialement, Frania W. (talk) 18:44, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Am not sure what you mean by my comments being odd and wrong unless you were referring to the quote i pulled from the article. I take it from your second point however that you do agree with me that the information in this article is rather flawed in respect to Normandy. In regards to the Falaise Pocket; that article mentions the French linked up with the Poles, not the Canadians.--EnigmaMcmxc (talk) 19:02, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

EnigmaMcmxc:

Firstly: What I wrote means that I am in total agreement with you: You wrote that you ***find the above a little odd*** to which I answered, going one step higher from *little odd* to *completely wrong*, that the French 2nd AD played no role in COBRA.

Secondly: I just renamed the section Operation Cobra to Falaise Pocket, which in fact should be named Battle of the Argentan-Falaise Pocket, for the two opposite sides of the opening of the U-shaped pocket, from which many Germans were able to escape & cross the Seine.

Thirdly: Yes, the French met the Poles, and the 1st Polish Armoured Division was one of the two armoured divisions of the 2nd Canadian Corps, which itself belonged to Crerar's First Canadian Army...

Cordialement, Frania W. (talk) 19:51, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. Article has to be gone over for possible other inaccuracies. FW

Postwar status

Need a citation for the article's assertion that the division reactivated in the 1940's and served throughout the Cold War. One indicator that this statement is at least somewhat inaccurate is this page, which mentions the existence of a 2nd Armored Brigade in 1970, but no 2nd Armored Division. Clearly, the 2nd Division was active again later in the 1970s and apparently remained so until it became (again?) the 2nd Armored Brigade in 1999. W. B. Wilson (talk) 04:33, 11 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]