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Operation Atlantic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Normandy |
|---|
| Sword – Juno – Gold – Omaha – Utah – Pointe du Hoc – Brécourt Manor – Chicago – Villers-Bocage – Cherbourg – Epsom – Goodwood – Atlantic – Spring – Cobra – Bluecoat – Lüttich – Totalise – Tractable – Falaise – Brest – Paris |
During World War II, Operation Atlantic (Allies, 1944) was a Canadian offensive, part of the British great breakout tentative (Operation Goodwood) during the Battle of Normandy, on June 19. It enabled to dislodge the Germans from the right bank of the Orne river, where they were to hold their ground for ten days. At the same time, Operation Goodwood failed to perform a decisive success.
Caen had been a D-Day objective for the British 2nd Army. The capture of Caen and its surrounding plain was considered important to allow the Allies space to build airfields. Caen sat astride the Orne river, so its capture would give 2nd Army a foothold across it. Repeated attempts were made to seize the city in June and July 1944.
One of them was British Operation Goodwood. It was helped by the Canadian Operation Atlantic.
On July 18, 1944, at day break, an air raid dropped 7,700 tonnes of bombs on Caen. It was synchronized with counter-battery fire from artillery regiments and the fleet. Then the British and the Canadians attempt the crossing of the Orne River.
The 2nd Division captured first Colombelles, then Faubourg-de-Vaucelles and advances through the industrial suburb of Caen, taking Verrières. But the bombing had destroyed buildings, making roads less usable, and it didn't affect the German firepower as hoped. The German divisions (notably the 1st SS Panzer Division) held strong positions, such as the Verrières Ridge near Route nationale 158. The Verrières Ridge revealed to be impregnable while well-concealed tanks and guns took shots at Allied armoured vehicles and decimated infantry companies. The Canadians took heavy losses. They eventually succeeded to seize some neighbouring villages, Saint-André-sur-Orne, Ifs and Bourguébus.
It should be noted that one of the units that suffered heaviest losses was the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division which had previously already been bloodied in Dieppe and then rebuilt.
This one of the less known battles of Normandy, Operation Goodwood & Operation Cobra being quite a lot more known by the public.
