Bloody Verrières. The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrières-Bourguebus Ridges (Hardback)
Volume II: The Defeat of Operation Spring and the Battles of Tilly-la-Campagne, 23 July–5 August 1944
Imprint: Casemate Publishers
Pages: 288
Illustrations: B/w and colour
ISBN: 9781636240947
Published: 15th December 2022
(click here for international delivery rates)
Order within the next 10 hours, 55 minutes to get your order processed the next working day!
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
South of the Norman city of Caen, Verrières Ridge was seen a key stepping-stone for the British Second Army if it was to break out of the Normandy bridgehead in late July 1944. Imposing in height and containing perfect terrain for armoured operations, the Germans viewed it as the lynchpin to their defences south of the city of Caen and east of the Orne river.
Following the failure of British Operation Goodwood on 18–20 July and the containment of the Canadian Operation Atlantic, further Allied attacks to seize the ridge would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armoured formation in Normandy: The I. SS-Panzerkorps ‘Leibstandarte’. In the second volume of this two-volume work, the fighting of 23 July–3 August is chronicled in detail, specifically the premier Anglo-Canadian operation to capture Verrières Ridge, Operation Spring on 25 July. Designed as an attack to seize the ridge and exploit south with armour, this battle saw the 2nd Canadian Corps attack savaged again by German armoured reserves brought in specifically to defeat another Goodwood.
Not satisfied with this defensive victory, German armoured forces would then seek to restore an earlier defensive line further north, attacking to destroy the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Largely unknown, these were some of the strongest and most successful German armoured operations to take place in the Normandy campaign.
There are no reviews for this book. Register or Login now and you can be the first to post a review!
About Arthur Gullachsen
Arthur W. Gullachsen teaches at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario as an Assistant Professor in the History Department. He is an alumni of the University of Western Ontario and graduated with a PhD in history in 2016. He has published articles online on the Canadian Army with the Canadian Military History Journal and has provided professional development material for the U.S. Army on the Normandy campaign. He has previously published An Army of Never-Ending Strength: Reinforcing the Canadian Army in North-West Europe 1944–1945.
Russell Hart is Professor of History at Hawai’i Pacific University. He is the author of Clash of Arms: How the Allies Won in Normandy, 1944 and Guderian: Panzer Pioneer or Mythmaker?