The Battle

The Allies’ long-term goal was to liberate the towns and villages of Normandy. The immediate goal was to complete the objectives left unfinished on D-Day, including the liberation of Caen.

Operation Perch was one of several operations established by General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Allied land forces, to capture the Carpiquet aerodrome and conquer Caen. This operation was tasked to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment and the 30th British Corps, among other British units.
German counter-attacks were extremely violent, aided by the arrival of the first German Tiger tanks. The superiority of the German tanks was apparent: it was taking five Sherman tanks or 10 Cromwell tanks to defeat one Tiger.
Despite superior air support by the Allies, little progress was made on the ground. A few French towns were liberated en route to Caen but the key objectives of the operation remained out of reach. On June 14, General Montgomery agreed to halt the encircling operations of Caen and Operation Perch was deemed a strategic defeat.
However, by June 18, the Allies now held a bridgehead of nearly 80 kilometres long, from Ouistreham to Sainte-Mère-Eglise, extending 10 to 30 kilometres inland from the beaches.
 

The Slaughter of Canadian POWs

Some of the darkest days of Canadian military history occurred June 7 to 8, 1944 when 20 Canadian soldiers were captured as POWs and then executed by fanatical SS forces, comprised of former Hitler Youth soldiers under the command of Kurt Meyer.
The Canadians, many from the Nova Scotia Highlanders and Sherbrooke Fusiliers, were taken to the Ardenne Abbey near Caen where they were executed. Two more Canadian POWs suffered the same fate at the abbey on June 17.
These murders were in direct violation of the Geneva Convention that Germany signed before the war started.
After the war, Kurt Meyer was found guilty of war crimes including inciting his troops to commit murder and of being responsible as a commander for the killings in Ardenne Abbey.
Meyer was sentenced to death but his sentence was commuted to life in prison. He was set free on Sept. 7, 1954 after serving nine years in a Canadian prison.
_{Source: D-Day & Operation Overlord Encyclopedia}
 

The objective in this phase was two-fold: Secure the City of Caen and consolidate the bridgehead. The consolidation of the Allied bridgehead rested largely on the two artificial ports that the Allies built and assembled in front of Arromanches-les-Bains and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. These ports were to supply fuel, ammunition, food and equipment to Allied forces. However, on June 19 and 20, a very strong storm destroyed the ports. Dozens of ships sunk and 140,000 tons of equipment were lost.
Securing the City of Caen involved two strategic operations by Canadians: Operation Epsom and Operation Windsor. Operation Epsom (June 26 to 30) was initially scheduled for June 19 but was postponed due to the storm. With a force of nearly 60,000 soldiers, the Allies launched Epsom on June 26. Allies encountered heavy German defenses including minefields and fierce hand-to-hand fighting resulting in very little progress towards Caen with only some high ground near Hill 112 secured.

Operation Windsor (July 4 to 5, 1944) was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division with the goal to take Carpiquet and the adjacent airfield. Again, the Canadians faced endless counter-attacks by the Germans. Supported by Allied air strikes, the Canadians secured Carpiquet on July 4.
However, at the end of the operations, the Germans still controlled the City of Caen. This was a setback for General Montgomery who lost time, men and equipment. More than 4,000 Allies were killed, wounded, disappeared or taken prisoner during both Operation Epsom and Operation Windsor.
_{Source: D-Day & Operation Overlord Encyclopedia}
 

Liberating the heavily guarded City of Caen continued to be the objective of Allied forces. Numerous strategic operations were launched, including Operation Atlantic and Operation Spring.

Operation Atlantic (July 18 to 21) was a Canadian operation, under the command of General Guy Simonds. Their goal was to seize the city of Colombelles, assist in the liberation of Caen and then Verrières Ridge. The offensive was preceded by a massive aerial bombardment of more than 7,800 tons of bombs dropped by 2,077 allied aircraft. This “carpet bombing” tactic aimed to dislodge the Germans from their powerful defensive positions and disorganize them. Naval artillery and land artillery then fired close to 250,000 shells, targeted in a long corridor between the eastern part of Caen and the village of Troarn. The Canadians successfully seized Colombelles and on July 19, the City of Caen was liberated.

 However, Verrières was proving almost insurmountable.

Operation Spring (July 25 to 27) was a follow-up operation to capture Verrières Ridge. Canadian troops, including Black Watch and Calgary Highlanders, helped to strengthen positions in the area and prevented the German counter-attacks from succeeding. More than 800 Canadians were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded or captured during the Battle of Verrières Ridge.

In fact, more Canadians were killed and wounded liberating the City of Caen than on D-Day itself. It had taken a month longer than planned but Caen was at last in Allied hands.
_{Source: D-Day & Operation Overlord Encyclopedia}
 

Canadian forces took part in two key operations during this portion of the battle: Operation Totalize and Operation Tractable.

The objective of Operation Totalize (August 7 to 11) was to break through the line toward the City of Falaise. The operation was led by the 1st Canadian Army commanded by General Crerar. Four divisions, two of which were armoured, attacked Falaise along the Caen-Falaise road, while bombers attacked the Bretteville-sur-Laize, Haut-Mesnil, Cauvicourt and Saint-Sylvain sectors southeast of Caen. Operation Totalize relied on unusual night attacks using heavy bombers and the new Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers to achieve a breakthrough of German defences.

The Canadians mounted a follow-up offensive, Operation Tractable (August 14 to 21). Its objective was to liberate Falaise and completely encircle the German forces into what became known as the Falaise Pocket. Unlike Operation Totalize, this operation was carried out in daylight. It began with 800 Avro and Halifax bombers striking key German targets. This allowed crews on the ground to push forward. Canadian units successfully brought Falaise and Trun under allied control, forcing the Germans to retreat toward Seine. Then, on August 21 Canadian and Polish units from the north made contact with U.S. troops to the south, effectively trapping the Germans inside the pocket.

Canada lost 5,500 soldiers during both Totalize and Tractable operations. 

_{Source: D-Day & Operation Overlord Encyclopedia}
 

Fresh from the success at Falaise, General Montgomery, commander of the Allied land forces, set a new trap for the Germans between the Seine River and the English Channel. This was the goal of Operation Paddle.

This trap saw the Americans and Belgians advance northwards to the Seine River and the 1st British Corps advance along the Channel coast with the 2nd Canadian Corps on their right. Progression was slow due to the fortifications and mining actions of the Germans. Continued pressure, however, resulted in the liberation of French towns and villages as the Allies moved northward. The Allies seized Cabourg on August 21. Hitler ordered a withdrawal of his troops along the Seine – but they did not go quietly. German defenders destroyed bridges and set fires to reserves and to prisons during their retreat. Between August 26 and 29 Germans continued to flee across the Seine River on floating bridges north and south of Paris, closely chased by U.S. and British troops who prevented them from regrouping and launching counter-attacks.

Operation Paddle ended when the Allies reached the Seine and secured the western shore. Some Germans were captured; however, an estimated 165,000 Germans and 30,000 vehicles manage to escape the Allies.

Operation Paddle was the last operation of the Battle of Normandy. It ended on August 29, 1944, after 85 days of furious fighting. 

However, there were still more battles to be fought in Europe. It would take another nine months before Germany surrendered unconditionally and the fighting ceased in Europe on May 8, 1945.
_{Source: D-Day & Operation Overlord Encyclopedia}