Editing George S. Patton (section)

=== Normandy breakout offensive ===
{{Main|Invasion of Normandy}}
Sailing to Normandy throughout July, Patton's Third Army formed on the extreme right (west) of the Allied land forces,{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|p=132}}{{efn|Patton's friend [[Gilbert R. Cook]] was his deputy commander, whom Patton later had to relieve due to illness, a decision which "shook him to the core."{{sfn|Essame|1974|p=178}} }} and became operational at noon on 1 August 1944, under Bradley's [[Twelfth United States Army Group]]. The Third Army simultaneously [[Battle for Brest|attacked west into Brittany]], south, east toward the [[Seine]], and north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the [[Falaise Pocket]] between [[Falaise, Calvados, France|Falaise]] and [[Argentan]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|p=135–136}}{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=139–140}}

[[File:General Montgomery with Generals Patton (left) and Bradley (centre) at 21st Army Group HQ, Normandy, 7 July 1944. B6551.jpg|right|thumb|Bradley (center) with Patton (left) and [[Bernard Montgomery|Montgomery]] (right) at Montgomery's [[21st Army Group]] HQ, Normandy, 7 July 1944.]]

Patton's strategy with his army favored speed and aggressive offensive action, though his forces saw less opposition than did the other three Allied field armies in the initial weeks of its advance.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|p=137}} The Third Army typically employed forward scout units to determine enemy strength and positions. [[Self-propelled artillery]] moved with the [[Military spearhead|spearhead]] units and was sited well forward, ready to engage protected German positions with [[indirect fire]]. Light aircraft such as the [[Piper J-3 Cub|Piper L-4 Cub]] served as artillery spotters and provided airborne reconnaissance. Once located, the armored infantry would attack using tanks as infantry support. Other armored units would then break through enemy lines and exploit any subsequent breach, constantly pressuring withdrawing German forces to prevent them from regrouping and reforming a cohesive defensive line.{{sfn|Jarymowycz|2001|pp=215–216}} The U.S. armor advanced using [[reconnaissance by fire]], and the .50 caliber [[M2 Browning]] heavy machine gun proved effective in this role, often flushing out and killing German [[panzerfaust]] teams waiting in ambush as well as breaking up German infantry assaults against the armored infantry.{{sfn|Jarymowycz|2001|pp=212}}

The speed of the advance forced Patton's units to rely heavily on air reconnaissance and tactical air support.{{sfn|Jarymowycz|2001|pp=215–216}} The Third Army had by far more [[military intelligence]] (G-2) officers at headquarters specifically designated to coordinate air strikes than any other army.{{sfn|Gooderson|1998|p=44}} Its attached close air support group was [[XIX Tactical Air Command]], commanded by Brigadier General [[Otto P. Weyland]]. Developed originally by General [[Elwood Quesada]] of [[IX Tactical Air Command]] for the First Army in [[Operation Cobra]], the technique of "armored column cover", in which close air support was directed by an air traffic controller in one of the attacking tanks, was used extensively by the Third Army. Each column was protected by a standing patrol of three to four [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt|P-47]] and [[North American P-51 Mustang|P-51]] fighter-bombers as a [[combat air patrol]] (CAP).{{sfn|Gooderson|1998|p=85}}

In its advance from [[Avranches]] to Argentan, the Third Army traversed {{convert|60|mi}} in just two weeks. Patton's force was supplemented by [[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]] intelligence for which he was briefed daily by his G-2, Colonel [[Oscar Koch]], who apprised him of German counterattacks, and where to concentrate his forces.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|p=138}} Equally important to the advance of Third Army columns in northern France was the rapid advance of the supply echelons. Third Army logistics were overseen by Colonel Walter J. Muller, Patton's [[Military staff#Logistics (4)|G-4]], who emphasized flexibility, improvisation, and adaptation for Third Army supply echelons so forward units could rapidly exploit a breakthrough. Patton's rapid drive to [[Lorraine (region)|Lorraine]] demonstrated his keen appreciation for the technological advantages of the U.S. Army. The major U.S. and Allied advantages were in mobility and air superiority. The U.S. Army had more trucks, more reliable tanks, and better radio communications, all of which contributed to a superior ability to operate at a rapid offensive pace.{{sfn|Jarymowycz|2001|p=217}}