ABSTRACT
The Allies eventually annihilated the German Army of the West, or Westheer, in a lengthy campaign of attrition within a larger strategy of attrition. The role played by special operations in that victory, even though difficult to quantify, was certainly negligible. Although great expectations were placed on what special operations could achieve, including the widespread uprising of the populations of Occupied Europe, the reality was that such operations diminished in scale, frequency, and importance as Allied forces moved closer towards the heart of the Third Reich. Instead of being used to inflict grievous moral and material damage on the Westheer’s crucial vulnerability, its logistical lines of communication back to Germany, special operations were largely used for haphazard attacks to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the initial Allied landing areas and in tactical support of advancing forces.
