Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Pa

South of the Norman city of Caen, the twin features of the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944—taking them was crucial if it was to be successful in its attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored formatio...

South of the Norman city of Caen, the twin features of the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944—taking them was crucial if it was to be successful in its attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored formation in Normandy: the I. SS-Panzerkorps “Leibstandarte." The resulting battles of late July and early August 1944 saw powerful German defensive counterattacks south of Caen inflict tremendous casualties, regain lost ground and at times defeat Anglo-Canadian operations in detail.

Viewed by the German leadership as militarily critical, the majority of its armored assets were deployed to dominate this excellent tank country east of the Orne river. These defeats and the experience of meeting an enemy with near-equal resources exposed a flawed Anglo-Canadian offensive tactical doctrine that was overly dependent on the supremacy of its artillery forces. Furthermore, weaknesses in Allied tank technology inhibited their armored forces from fighting a decisive armored battle, forcing Anglo-Canadian infantry and artillery forces to further rely on First World War “Bite and Hold” tactics, massively supported by artillery. Confronted with the full force of the Panzerwaffe, Anglo-Canadian doctrine at times floundered. In response, the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery units pummeled the German tankers and grenadiers, but despite their best efforts, ground could not be captured by concentrated artillery fire alone.

This is a detailed account of the success of I. SS-Panzerkorps' defensive operations, aimed at holding the Vèrrieres-Bourgebus ridges in late July 1944.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Fighting East of the Orne 18–31 July 1944

Chapter 1: The German way of war in Normandy, Summer 1944

Chapter 2: The I. SS-Panzerkorps south of Caen 17 July 1944

Chapter 3: Operation Goodwood: The Attack of the Leibstandarte against the British 8th Corps 18 July 1944

Chapter 4: Operation Atlantic Day 1: The 272. Infantrie Division is pushed back 18 July 1944

Chapter 5: The Leibstandarte and Hitlerjugend hold the line: Days 2 and 3 of Operation Goodwood: 19-20 July 1944

Chapter 6: Atlantic Day 2: The Canadian Infantry Divisions advance 19 July 1944

Chapter 7: Atlantic Day 3: The Leibstandarte and 2. Panzer Division Counterattack, 20 July 1944

Chapter 8: Atlantic Day 4: The Defeat of the 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade 21 July 1944

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendices

Index

Captain Arthur W. Gullachsen is an Associate Professor within the Royal Military College of Canada’s History Department. A Canadian Army officer, he currently teaches military history. The author of An Army of Never-Ending strength: The Reinforcement of the Canadian Army 1944–1945, he is also a regular contributor to the Canadian Military History Journal and has authored chapte...

Captain Arthur W. Gullachsen is an Associate Professor within the Royal Military College of Canada’s History Department. A Canadian Army officer, he currently teaches military history. The author of An Army of Never-Ending strength: The Reinforcement of the Canadian Army 1944–1945, he is also a regular contributor to the Canadian Military History Journal and has authored chapters to the US Army University Press’s Large Scale Combat Operations book series. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario History PhD program, he completed his degree in 2016. Captain Gullachsen lives in Kingston, Ontario, with his wife, Michele Connor.