Battle of Verrières Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Verrières Ridge was a series of engagements fought as part of the Battle of Normandy, in western France
, during the Second World War
. The main combatants were two Canadian
infantry divisions—with additional support from the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade
—against elements of three German
SS
Panzer
divisions. The battle was part of the British
and Canadian attempts to break out of Caen
, and took place from 19–25 July 1944, being part of both Operation Atlantic
(18–21 July) and Operation Spring
(25–27 July).
The immediate Allied
objective was Verrières Ridge, a belt of high ground which dominates the route from Caen to Falaise
. The ridge was invested by battle-hardened German veterans, who had fallen back from Caen and entrenched to form a strong defensive position. Over the course of six days, substantial Canadian and British forces made repeated attempts to capture the ridge. Strict German adherence to defensive doctrine, as well as strong and effective counterattacks by Panzer formations, resulted in heavy Allied casualties for little strategic gain.
From the perspective of the Canadian 1st Army
, the battle is remembered for its tactical and strategic miscalculations — the most notable being a highly controversial attack by the Royal Highland Regiment (Black Watch) of Canada on 25 July. This attack—the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the 1942 Dieppe Raid
—has become one of the most contentious and critically analysed events in Canadian military history.
Verrières Ridge lies 8 km (5 mi) south of the city of Caen, overlooking broad plains and dominating the countryside between Caen and Falaise. Although a major D-Day
objective for Commonwealth
forces, the Allied push inland was halted short of Caen and positional warfare ensued until the first week of July. On 9 July, Operation Charnwood
succeeded in taking the northern half of the city, but the I SS Panzer Corps
—under the command of SS-Oberstgruppenführer
Josef Dietrich—thwarted British ambitions. A week later, Operation Goodwood
renewed the British offensive, and Caen finally fell on 19 July, although by this time the city had been largely devastated. The next Anglo-Canadian goal was the town of Falaise
, but Verrières Ridge—now strongly defended by the I SS Panzer Corps—stood in their path. Elements of the British 2nd Army secured part of the adjacent Bourguébus
Ridge and managed to gain a foothold on Verrières Ridge but were unable to dislodge its German defenders.
Guy Simonds
—initially assigned two infantry divisions and one armoured brigade to the assault on the German positions around Verrières. The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division
—having taken heavy casualties during the first six weeks of the Normandy campaign—was given a supporting role. The onus of the task therefore fell on the fresh, though relatively inexperienced, Canadian 2nd Infantry Division
, along with the tanks of the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade. Additional forces were later made available in the shape of three divisions from the British I Corps: the 51st (Highland) Division, the Guards Armoured Division, and the British 7th Armoured Division. Despite having significantly more combat experience than their Canadian counterparts, the British units played only a very minor part in the battle.
While British forces had been battling for Caen, elements of Dietrich′s I SS Panzer Corps—part of Generalfeldmarshall Günther von Kluge
′s Army Group B
—had turned Verrières Ridge into their main defensive position along the Anglo-Canadian front. Although not particularly high, the ridge's topography meant that advancing forces would be exposed to fire from German positions across the River Orne, from the ridge itself, and from the nearby German-held industrial hamlet of St. Martin.
. Two powerful formations—the 12th SS and 1st SS Panzer Division
s—now held the ridge supported by artillery, dug-in Tiger tanks
and mortar emplacements. A third—the 9th SS Panzer Division
—was held in reserve. Further support was available from the 272nd Grenadier Infantry Division (a force composed mainly of Russian and Polish combatants that had been raised in 1943), the 116th Panzer Division
, and a battalion of Tiger tanks.
on 19 July, the Calgary Highlanders attempted to take the northern spur of Verrières Ridge, but effective German mortar
fire limited their progress. Tanks from the Sherbrooke Fusiliers
were sent to support the battalion, and eliminated several machine-gun positions on either side of Point 67. The Highlanders eventually managed to dig in, despite accurate return fire. Over the next few hours, they strengthened their position, and the 5th and 6th Canadian Infantry Brigades made repeated attempts to exploit the gains made. However, facing a tenacious German defense, and minor infantry and tank counterattacks, the Canadians were broadly repulsed with heavy casualties. Simonds rapidly prepared a new offensive for the following day, with the goals of capturing both the eastern side of the Orne and the main slopes of Verrières Ridge.
The next assault took place on 20 July, under the aegis of Operation Atlantic
. It was led by the South Saskatchewan Regiment
, with supporting units from the Cameron Highlanders. In the early hours of 20 July, the Highlanders secured a position in St André-sur-Orne
, but were quickly pinned down by an effective German infantry and armoured response. At the same time, the South Saskatchewan Regiment moved directly up the slopes of Verrières Ridge, supported by tanks and Hawker Typhoon
ground attack aircraft. However, the Canadian attack faltered in torrential rain, which rendered air support useless and turned the ground into mud. Heavy German counterattacks by two Panzer divisions threw the South Saskatchewans back past their support lines, and their supporting battalion—the Essex Scottish
—themselves came under attack. The Essex Scottish lost over 300 men as it tried to hold back the advance of the 12th SS Panzer Division, while to the east the remainder of I SS Panzer Corps engaged British forces in the largest armoured battle of the campaign
. By the end of the day, the South Saskatchewans had taken 282 casualties, and the ridge was still in enemy hands.
Despite these setbacks, Simonds was adamant that Verrières Ridge should be taken, and sent in the Black Watch and the Calgary Highlanders to stabilise the precarious Allied position. Minor counterattacks by both regiments on 21 July managed to contain Dietrich's armoured formations, and by the time the operation was called off, Canadian forces held several footholds on the ridge, including a now secure position on Point 67. However, four German divisions still held the ridge itself. In all, the actions around Verrières Ridge during Operation Atlantic accounted for over 1,300 Allied casualties.
With the capture of Caen on 19 July, an Anglo-Canadian breakout had become strategically feasible. In the American sector, Lieutenant General
Omar Bradley
—commander of the U.S. 1st Army—had been planning his own breakout (codenamed Operation Cobra
), and Simonds too began preparing a new offensive, codenamed Operation Spring
. Spring was originally conceived by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as a "holding attack", designed to tie down German forces while Cobra was underway. On 22 July, however, with Operation Atlantic having failed to achieve its aims, Simonds changed the objective of Operation Spring to a breakout offensive. If Verrières Ridge could be taken, Simonds could launch armour and artillery attacks from its southern flank to push the Germans further back. This would clear the Caen-Falaise road, and his two British armoured divisions could then advance south to Falaise.
Operation Spring was scheduled in four tightly timed phases. The Calgary Highlanders would attack Bourguébus Ridge and May-sur-Orne
to secure the flanks of the main thrust, which was to be a move on Verrières Ridge by the Black Watch, along with armoured support from the British 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. The original plan called for the offensive to start on 23 July, but poor weather postponed the operation for 48 hours. Taking advantage of this respite, the I SS Panzer Corps reinforced the ridge with an additional four battalions, 480 tanks, and 500 guns. Allied Intelligence learned of this reinforcement through Ultra
signals intercepts, and advised Simonds's headquarters.
At 09:30, as the Canadian infantry regiments advanced up the ridge, they were easy targets for the well-entrenched German machine gun nests and mortar pits, supported by tanks, 88 mm (3.46 in) anti-tank guns, and Nebelwerfer
rocket artillery. To make matters worse, the Black Watch's communications were knocked out within minutes of the start of their assault. Very few members of the Black Watch Regiment managed to make it to the crest of the ridge, and those who did were subjected to an even heavier bombardment as they ran into the counterattacking forces of the 272nd Infantry Division and the 9th SS′s Battle Group Sterz. Of the 325 men that left the assembly area, 315 of them were either killed, wounded, or captured. The Black Watch lost all its senior commanders, including Major Phil Griffin, with two entire companies virtually annihilated. This marked the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the Dieppe Raid
of 1942.
All of the gains made by the Black Watch and Calgary Highlanders were lost to German counterattacks, which inflicted heavy losses on the Highlanders and the previously unscathed Black Watch support company. The Black Watch had to be reformed after Verrières Ridge, having sustained more casualties than any Canadian infantry battalion since the disastrous raid on Dieppe.
The central area of the ridge, near Verrières Village, was eventually taken and held by the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. The east side was also taken, but subsequently lost, although two British armoured brigades were able to secure significant footholds near the positions of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
The failure to capture the ridge had little effect on the overall Allied position, as the success of Operation Cobra
was so overwhelming that the Germans diverted significant resources, including two Panzer divisions, from the ridge in their attempt to keep Bradley's forces boxed in. With its defences weakened, subsequent Commonwealth attacks on the ridge were successful; Operation Totalize finally managed to wrest the position from its SS defenders on 8 August.
, between Caen and Falaise.
Both the official Canadian Second World War historian Charles Stacey, and military historian Michael Reynolds, note that German casualty figures for individual operations are difficult to determine; Stacey attributes this to the gradual degradation of the German logistics chain leaving incomplete records, and Reynolds adds that units sometimes over-reported their losses in the hopes of receiving more reinforcements. However, the German losses for the battle were significantly less than those suffered by the Canadians. According to Reynolds, between 16 July and 1 August, the 1st SS Panzer Division lost 1,092 men killed, wounded or captured—along with 11 Panzer IV
tanks and 10 Sturmgeschütz III
self-propelled guns—in fighting across all its fronts including at Verrières. Over a similar period, he estimates the 12th SS Panzer Division—also across all sectors—suffered only 134 casualties. Many of the German fallen are buried at La Cambe German war cemetery.
The Battle of Verrières Ridge—although given no particular prominence in German military history
—has earned the distinction of being one of the First Canadian Army's most scrutinised actions. Simonds's official report on Operation Spring, released after the war, blamed its failure on "11th hour reinforcement" of German lines and "strategically unsound execution on the part of Major Phillip Griffin and the Black Watch". However, recently declassified wartime documents show that Simonds, along with several others in the Allied high command, had likely been notified on July 23 of a massive German buildup on the ridge. Some historians, including David O'Keefe and David Bercuson
, consequently accuse Simonds of being too careless with the lives of his men. In contrast, others such as Terry Copp and John A. English argue that, given the amount of pressure that all Allied commanders were under to break out from Normandy, Simonds probably had little choice in the decision he made.
Operation Spring
did succeed in its later-defined objective of a "holding attack", and aided the overwhelming success of Operation Cobra
by tying down powerful German formations that might otherwise have been in the American sector, thus precluding any immediate inquiry into its failure. The German commander of the Normandy Sector—Günther von Kluge
—was at the Canadian front on 25 July instead of the American front where the eventual breakout occurred. However, the Battle of Verrières Ridge had little overall effect on British attempts to break out of Caen, as significant resources were transferred to the American front in the aftermath of Cobra to exploit Bradley's success, and the ridge eventually fell to the general Allied advance.
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
, during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The main combatants were two Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
infantry divisions—with additional support from the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade
2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade
-History:Soon after 3rd Canadian Tank Brigade assumed the designation in summer 1943 of the original 2nd Canadian Tank Brigade, the new 2nd Tank was redesignated and reorganized as 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. Although reorganized as an armoured brigade, no motor battalion served under its command...
—against elements of three German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
Panzer
Panzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
divisions. The battle was part of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canadian attempts to break out of Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, and took place from 19–25 July 1944, being part of both Operation Atlantic
Operation Atlantic
Operation Atlantic was a Canadian offensive during the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War, from July 18–21, 1944. This Canadian offensive was launched in conjunction with a British-led offensive, Operation Goodwood...
(18–21 July) and Operation Spring
Operation Spring
Operation Spring was an offensive operation conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British and Canadian front simultaneously to American offensive operations in their sector known as Operation...
(25–27 July).
The immediate Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
objective was Verrières Ridge, a belt of high ground which dominates the route from Caen to Falaise
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
. The ridge was invested by battle-hardened German veterans, who had fallen back from Caen and entrenched to form a strong defensive position. Over the course of six days, substantial Canadian and British forces made repeated attempts to capture the ridge. Strict German adherence to defensive doctrine, as well as strong and effective counterattacks by Panzer formations, resulted in heavy Allied casualties for little strategic gain.
From the perspective of the Canadian 1st Army
First Canadian Army
The First Canadian Army was the senior Canadian operational formation in Europe during the Second World War.The Army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered Canadian Corps, as the growing number of Canadian forces in the United Kingdom necessitated an expansion to two corps...
, the battle is remembered for its tactical and strategic miscalculations — the most notable being a highly controversial attack by the Royal Highland Regiment (Black Watch) of Canada on 25 July. This attack—the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the 1942 Dieppe Raid
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
—has become one of the most contentious and critically analysed events in Canadian military history.
Background
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
objective for Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces, the Allied push inland was halted short of Caen and positional warfare ensued until the first week of July. On 9 July, Operation Charnwood
Operation Charnwood
Operation Charnwood was a Second World War Anglo-Canadian offensive that took place from 8–9 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The operation was intended to at least partially capture the German-occupied French city of Caen , which was an important Allied objective during the opening stages...
succeeded in taking the northern half of the city, but the I SS Panzer Corps
I SS Panzer Corps
The I SS Panzer Corps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or I SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS panzer corps which saw action on both the Western and Eastern Fronts during World War II.-Formation and training:...
—under the command of SS-Oberstgruppenführer
Oberstgruppenführer
Oberst-Gruppenführer was the highest commissioned SS rank with the exception of Reichsführer-SS, which was a special rank held by Heinrich Himmler...
Josef Dietrich—thwarted British ambitions. A week later, Operation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood was an attack launched on 18 July 1944, during the Second World War, by the British army to the east of the city of Caen...
renewed the British offensive, and Caen finally fell on 19 July, although by this time the city had been largely devastated. The next Anglo-Canadian goal was the town of Falaise
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
, but Verrières Ridge—now strongly defended by the I SS Panzer Corps—stood in their path. Elements of the British 2nd Army secured part of the adjacent Bourguébus
Bourguébus
Bourguébus is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
Ridge and managed to gain a foothold on Verrières Ridge but were unable to dislodge its German defenders.
Forces involved
The Canadian II Corps—commanded by Lieutenant-GeneralLieutenant-General (Canada)
In the Canadian Forces, the rank of lieutenant-general is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a vice-admiral of the Navy. A lieutenant-general is a general officer, the equivalent of a Naval flag officer. A lieutenant-general is senior to a major general or rear-admiral, and junior to a general or...
Guy Simonds
Guy Simonds
Lieutenant General Guy Granville Simonds, CC, CB, CBE, DSO, CD was a Canadian Army officer who commanded the II Canadian Corps during World War II. He served as acting commander of the First Canadian Army, leading the Allied forces to victory in the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944...
—initially assigned two infantry divisions and one armoured brigade to the assault on the German positions around Verrières. The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Canadian Army from 1940 to c.1945.- History :The formation of the division was authorized on 17 May 1940...
—having taken heavy casualties during the first six weeks of the Normandy campaign—was given a supporting role. The onus of the task therefore fell on the fresh, though relatively inexperienced, Canadian 2nd Infantry Division
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 at the outset of the Second World War. It was initially composed of volunteers within brigades established along regional lines, though a halt in recruitment in the early months of...
, along with the tanks of the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade. Additional forces were later made available in the shape of three divisions from the British I Corps: the 51st (Highland) Division, the Guards Armoured Division, and the British 7th Armoured Division. Despite having significantly more combat experience than their Canadian counterparts, the British units played only a very minor part in the battle.
While British forces had been battling for Caen, elements of Dietrich′s I SS Panzer Corps—part of Generalfeldmarshall Günther von Kluge
Günther von Kluge
Günther Adolf Ferdinand “Hans” von Kluge was a German military leader. He was born in Posen into a Prussian military family. Kluge rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the Wehrmacht. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
′s Army Group B
Army Group B
Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.-Battle for France:The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam...
—had turned Verrières Ridge into their main defensive position along the Anglo-Canadian front. Although not particularly high, the ridge's topography meant that advancing forces would be exposed to fire from German positions across the River Orne, from the ridge itself, and from the nearby German-held industrial hamlet of St. Martin.
Saint-Martin-de-Fontenay
Saint-Martin-de-Fontenay is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
. Two powerful formations—the 12th SS and 1st SS Panzer Division
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
s—now held the ridge supported by artillery, dug-in Tiger tanks
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and mortar emplacements. A third—the 9th SS Panzer Division
9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen", also known as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9 Hohenstaufen or 9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen, was a German Waffen-SS Armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. The...
—was held in reserve. Further support was available from the 272nd Grenadier Infantry Division (a force composed mainly of Russian and Polish combatants that had been raised in 1943), the 116th Panzer Division
116th Panzer Division (Germany)
The 116th Panzer Division, also known as the "Greyhound 'Windhund' Division", was a German panzer division that saw combat during World War II. It was reconstituted in the Rhineland and Westphalia areas of western Germany in March 1944 from the remnants of the 16th Panzergrenadier Division, and...
, and a battalion of Tiger tanks.
Attack of Calgary Highlanders
In a follow-up to Operation GoodwoodOperation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood was an attack launched on 18 July 1944, during the Second World War, by the British army to the east of the city of Caen...
on 19 July, the Calgary Highlanders attempted to take the northern spur of Verrières Ridge, but effective German mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
fire limited their progress. Tanks from the Sherbrooke Fusiliers
Sherbrooke Hussars
The Sherbrooke Hussars is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces.-Sherbrooke Regiment:The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed in 1866 as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd Battalion in 1867. The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion,...
were sent to support the battalion, and eliminated several machine-gun positions on either side of Point 67. The Highlanders eventually managed to dig in, despite accurate return fire. Over the next few hours, they strengthened their position, and the 5th and 6th Canadian Infantry Brigades made repeated attempts to exploit the gains made. However, facing a tenacious German defense, and minor infantry and tank counterattacks, the Canadians were broadly repulsed with heavy casualties. Simonds rapidly prepared a new offensive for the following day, with the goals of capturing both the eastern side of the Orne and the main slopes of Verrières Ridge.
Operation Atlantic
Operation Atlantic
Operation Atlantic was a Canadian offensive during the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War, from July 18–21, 1944. This Canadian offensive was launched in conjunction with a British-led offensive, Operation Goodwood...
. It was led by the South Saskatchewan Regiment
The South Saskatchewan Regiment
The South Saskatchewan Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces formed in 1936 by the amalgamation of The Weyburn Regiment and The Saskatchewan Border Regiment. It was reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1968...
, with supporting units from the Cameron Highlanders. In the early hours of 20 July, the Highlanders secured a position in St André-sur-Orne
Saint-André-sur-Orne
Saint-André-sur-Orne is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-World War II:The village was the site of an expulsion of many schoolchildren from the Maison du Clos by the Nazi army during World War II, in which case the marching children were...
, but were quickly pinned down by an effective German infantry and armoured response. At the same time, the South Saskatchewan Regiment moved directly up the slopes of Verrières Ridge, supported by tanks and Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
ground attack aircraft. However, the Canadian attack faltered in torrential rain, which rendered air support useless and turned the ground into mud. Heavy German counterattacks by two Panzer divisions threw the South Saskatchewans back past their support lines, and their supporting battalion—the Essex Scottish
The Essex Scottish Regiment
The Essex Scottish was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army until 1954.Founded in 1885 as the 21st Essex Battalion of Infantry, it went through several name changes including: 1887 - 21st Battalion, Essex Fusiliers; 1900 - 21st Regiment, Essex Fusiliers; 1920 - The Essex Fusiliers, acquiring...
—themselves came under attack. The Essex Scottish lost over 300 men as it tried to hold back the advance of the 12th SS Panzer Division, while to the east the remainder of I SS Panzer Corps engaged British forces in the largest armoured battle of the campaign
Operation Goodwood
Operation Goodwood was an attack launched on 18 July 1944, during the Second World War, by the British army to the east of the city of Caen...
. By the end of the day, the South Saskatchewans had taken 282 casualties, and the ridge was still in enemy hands.
Despite these setbacks, Simonds was adamant that Verrières Ridge should be taken, and sent in the Black Watch and the Calgary Highlanders to stabilise the precarious Allied position. Minor counterattacks by both regiments on 21 July managed to contain Dietrich's armoured formations, and by the time the operation was called off, Canadian forces held several footholds on the ridge, including a now secure position on Point 67. However, four German divisions still held the ridge itself. In all, the actions around Verrières Ridge during Operation Atlantic accounted for over 1,300 Allied casualties.
Operation Spring
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Omar Bradley
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
—commander of the U.S. 1st Army—had been planning his own breakout (codenamed Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy Campaign of World War II...
), and Simonds too began preparing a new offensive, codenamed Operation Spring
Operation Spring
Operation Spring was an offensive operation conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British and Canadian front simultaneously to American offensive operations in their sector known as Operation...
. Spring was originally conceived by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as a "holding attack", designed to tie down German forces while Cobra was underway. On 22 July, however, with Operation Atlantic having failed to achieve its aims, Simonds changed the objective of Operation Spring to a breakout offensive. If Verrières Ridge could be taken, Simonds could launch armour and artillery attacks from its southern flank to push the Germans further back. This would clear the Caen-Falaise road, and his two British armoured divisions could then advance south to Falaise.
Operation Spring was scheduled in four tightly timed phases. The Calgary Highlanders would attack Bourguébus Ridge and May-sur-Orne
May-sur-Orne
-External links:*...
to secure the flanks of the main thrust, which was to be a move on Verrières Ridge by the Black Watch, along with armoured support from the British 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. The original plan called for the offensive to start on 23 July, but poor weather postponed the operation for 48 hours. Taking advantage of this respite, the I SS Panzer Corps reinforced the ridge with an additional four battalions, 480 tanks, and 500 guns. Allied Intelligence learned of this reinforcement through Ultra
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
signals intercepts, and advised Simonds's headquarters.
Attack of the Black Watch
On 25 July, two days later than originally planned, Operation Spring was launched. The Black Watch were scheduled to begin their attack at about 05:30 from an assembly area at St Martin, 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Caen. However, the Canadians ran into heavy German resistance on the St Martin road, and did not arrive at their assembly area until close to 08:00. By that time, the Black Watch's two highest ranking officers had been killed, and command fell to 24-year-old Major Phil Griffin. At 08:30, he met with 5th Brigade's commander, Brigadier General W.J. Megilland. Despite the non-arrival of most of their promised armoured support, the decision was taken for the attack to proceed.At 09:30, as the Canadian infantry regiments advanced up the ridge, they were easy targets for the well-entrenched German machine gun nests and mortar pits, supported by tanks, 88 mm (3.46 in) anti-tank guns, and Nebelwerfer
Nebelwerfer
The Nebelwerfer was a World War II German series of weapons originally designed to deliver chemical weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called Chemical Troops ...
rocket artillery. To make matters worse, the Black Watch's communications were knocked out within minutes of the start of their assault. Very few members of the Black Watch Regiment managed to make it to the crest of the ridge, and those who did were subjected to an even heavier bombardment as they ran into the counterattacking forces of the 272nd Infantry Division and the 9th SS′s Battle Group Sterz. Of the 325 men that left the assembly area, 315 of them were either killed, wounded, or captured. The Black Watch lost all its senior commanders, including Major Phil Griffin, with two entire companies virtually annihilated. This marked the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the Dieppe Raid
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
of 1942.
Aftermath
The central area of the ridge, near Verrières Village, was eventually taken and held by the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. The east side was also taken, but subsequently lost, although two British armoured brigades were able to secure significant footholds near the positions of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
The failure to capture the ridge had little effect on the overall Allied position, as the success of Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy Campaign of World War II...
was so overwhelming that the Germans diverted significant resources, including two Panzer divisions, from the ridge in their attempt to keep Bradley's forces boxed in. With its defences weakened, subsequent Commonwealth attacks on the ridge were successful; Operation Totalize finally managed to wrest the position from its SS defenders on 8 August.
Casualties
Specific Allied casualty figures for the battle as a whole were never produced, but can be arrived at by examining its two constituent operations. The accepted toll for Operation Atlantic is 1,349, with about 300 fatalities. Operation Spring's losses were about 500 killed with a further 1,000 captured or wounded. Working from these figures, historians estimate around 800 Canadian dead, and 2,000 wounded or captured. The Canadian dead are buried in Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War CemeteryBretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
The Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery is a Cemetery containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War...
, between Caen and Falaise.
Both the official Canadian Second World War historian Charles Stacey, and military historian Michael Reynolds, note that German casualty figures for individual operations are difficult to determine; Stacey attributes this to the gradual degradation of the German logistics chain leaving incomplete records, and Reynolds adds that units sometimes over-reported their losses in the hopes of receiving more reinforcements. However, the German losses for the battle were significantly less than those suffered by the Canadians. According to Reynolds, between 16 July and 1 August, the 1st SS Panzer Division lost 1,092 men killed, wounded or captured—along with 11 Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
tanks and 10 Sturmgeschütz III
Sturmgeschütz III
The Sturmgeschütz III assault gun was Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank...
self-propelled guns—in fighting across all its fronts including at Verrières. Over a similar period, he estimates the 12th SS Panzer Division—also across all sectors—suffered only 134 casualties. Many of the German fallen are buried at La Cambe German war cemetery.
Historiography and controversy
Military history of Germany
While German-speaking people have a long history, Germany as a nation-state dates only from 1871. Earlier periods are subject to definition debates. The Franks, for instance, were a union of Germanic tribes; nevertheless, some of the Franks later identified themselves as Dutch, Flemish, French...
—has earned the distinction of being one of the First Canadian Army's most scrutinised actions. Simonds's official report on Operation Spring, released after the war, blamed its failure on "11th hour reinforcement" of German lines and "strategically unsound execution on the part of Major Phillip Griffin and the Black Watch". However, recently declassified wartime documents show that Simonds, along with several others in the Allied high command, had likely been notified on July 23 of a massive German buildup on the ridge. Some historians, including David O'Keefe and David Bercuson
David Bercuson
David Jay Bercuson, OC, FRSC is a Canadian labour, military, and political historian.Born in Montreal, he attended Sir George Williams University and graduated from there in 1965 with a BA in History and was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor's Silver Medal for the highest standing in history...
, consequently accuse Simonds of being too careless with the lives of his men. In contrast, others such as Terry Copp and John A. English argue that, given the amount of pressure that all Allied commanders were under to break out from Normandy, Simonds probably had little choice in the decision he made.
Operation Spring
Operation Spring
Operation Spring was an offensive operation conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British and Canadian front simultaneously to American offensive operations in their sector known as Operation...
did succeed in its later-defined objective of a "holding attack", and aided the overwhelming success of Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy Campaign of World War II...
by tying down powerful German formations that might otherwise have been in the American sector, thus precluding any immediate inquiry into its failure. The German commander of the Normandy Sector—Günther von Kluge
Günther von Kluge
Günther Adolf Ferdinand “Hans” von Kluge was a German military leader. He was born in Posen into a Prussian military family. Kluge rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the Wehrmacht. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
—was at the Canadian front on 25 July instead of the American front where the eventual breakout occurred. However, the Battle of Verrières Ridge had little overall effect on British attempts to break out of Caen, as significant resources were transferred to the American front in the aftermath of Cobra to exploit Bradley's success, and the ridge eventually fell to the general Allied advance.
Further reading
- Granatstein, J. L.Jack GranatsteinJack Lawrence Granatstein, OC, FRSC is a Canadian historian who specializes in political and military history.-Education:Born in Toronto, Ontario, Granatstein received a graduation diploma from Le College militaire royal de Saint-Jean in 1959, his BA from the Royal Military College of Canada in...
(2004). The Last Good War. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 1-55054-913-8