This book follows the I. SS Panzerkorps as they meet with the Anglo-Canadian forces in the area of the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges.
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.
AUTHOR: 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 19441945, he is also a regular contributor to the Canadian Military History Journal and has authored chapters to the US Army University Press' 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.
By:
Arthur W Gullachsen
Imprint: Casemate Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781636240947
ISBN 10: 1636240941
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 March 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified
Foreword Acknowledgements Guide to the battle map unit abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: The I. SS-Pz.Korps in the line, 23 July 1944 Chapter 2: The fall of Etavaux, 22-23 July 1944 Chapter 3: The reinforcement of the I. SS-Panzerkorps and the Allied preparations for Operation Spring, 23-24 July 1944 Chapter 4: Operation Spring: May-sur-Orne, 25 July 1944 Chapter 5: Operation Spring: Verrières, 25 July 1944 Chapter 6: Operation Spring: Tilly-la-Campagne, 25 July 1944 Chapter 7: Events to the west: Operation Cobra, 25-26 July 1944 Chapter 8: 25-27 July 1944: The attacks of the Hohenstaufen Chapter 9: Minor combat, 28-30 July 1944 Chapter 10: The defeat of the Calgary Highlanders, Tilly-la-Campagne, 31 July -1 August 1944 Chapter 11: The defeat of the Lincolns, Tilly-la-Campagne, 1-2 August 1944 Chapter 12: Further attacks on May, Tilly and La Hogue, 5 August, 1944 Chapter 13: 6 August and beyond: The weakening of the I. SS-Pz.Korps Conclusion: Reassessment Appendices Endnotes Bibliography 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. He lives in Kingston, Ontario/
Reviews for Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrieres-Bourguebus Ridges: Volume II
In this second volume of Arthur’s masterful work on the Allied efforts to break out from the Atlantic, serious WWII enthusiasts have in excellent prose the full story of what happened a month after the Normandy Invasion. * Argunners Magazine * An invaluable and superbly researched contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II European Theatre histories. * Midwest Book Review * Written by a Canadian Army officer, the book not only offers the battle history, but an analysis of tactics and strategy on both sides that ultimately became a temporary Allied failure and Axis triumph. * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society 11/01/2023 * “The actions fought south of Caen in Normandy, from late July into early August 1944, have often been overlooked. Drawing on a wealth of sources, Arthur Gullachsen makes a very important contribution to our understanding of this crucial period of the battle in Normandy 1944 in this new book.” * Niklas Zetterling, author of Normandy 1944 and Blitzkrieg * “In this exquisitely written second volume, Gullachsen has produced an unprecedentedly detailed operational and tactical analysis of the German defence of the Verrierès-Bourguébus Ridge during late July and early August 1944, including their defeat of Operation Spring. His analysis combines meticulous research in American, British, Canadian, and German archives with a forensically keen analytical eye; in so doing, he has added significantly to the historiography of the 1944 Normandy campaign.” * Dr Stephen Hart, MA FRHistS, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Leadership, Security and Warfare, The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst *
