June 1944

Western Front - Battle For Caen

In the British 2nd Army's XXX Corps area, The 7th Armored Division reaches Villers-Bocage, an important communications center, but withdraws northward to tie in with US V Corps, after an enemy counterattack gets almost to the road from there to Caumont. The 50th Division is still being held up near Tilly-sur-Seulles.

The 50th Highland Division does mount a brigade level attack with 2 battalions which meet Battle Group Luck head on, both sides falling back eventually. The British lose 3 out of 4 tanks supporting them and the 4th Company of the 22nd Panzer Regiment is now down to 8 tanks, less than half their complement.

In the morning the armor of the 4th County of London Yeomanry, backed by the half-tracked infantry of the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, is moving up the center line into the town of Villers-Bocage overwhelming a small force of German defenders. Their flank units, the 8th and 11th Hussars were being slowed down by contact with the enemy. They are 6 miles behind the German lines. A squadron each of infantry and armor drive clean through the town and make for the high ground to the east, Hill 213, where the national highway leads straight into Caen. Unknown to this composite group, Hill 213 is occupied by the 2nd Company of the 501st Heavy SS Tank Battalion commanded by Obersturmführer Michael Wittmann. They have just arrived from Beauvais and only have 4 operational Tigers.

To keep an entire British armored division from continuing their advance, from cover, Wittmann knocks out the leading British half-track of the 1st Rifle Brigade. Wittmann then turns his Tiger down the road toward Villers-Bocage presenting only his armored front to the British guns. This Tiger quickly knocks out several half-tracks before encountering the first Cromwells. 3 are hit and put out of action almost immediately. In about 5 minutes, Wittmann has knocked out 25 armored vehicles. The full loss, after RHQ and the leading companies had been surrounded by the rest of Wittmann's command and infantry from Panzer Lehr, amount to 25 tanks, 14 half-tracks and 14 Bren carriers. The spearhead of the 7th Armored Division had been destroyed.

The Germans roll into Villers-Bocage, but the British do not retreat. Small parties of infantry with Piats and supported by 6-pounder anti-tank guns stalk the Tigers. Several Tigers are disabled when about nightfall, the divisional commander orders retreat to those that could. A couple of factors lead to the British result here. One is the fact the British 50th Infantry Division does not get forward all day for support. The other is the staggering shock inflicted by the Tigers. Also, now coming into play in this sector is the 2nd Panzer Division under Lt-Gen Heinrich von Lüttwitz which had made a rapid march undetected from the Abbeville-Amien area. They are beginning to fan out: northwest for Caumont, north for Livry and norteast for Villers-Bocage. Panzer Lehr has not budged beating back the 50th Division from Tilly. The 7th Armored has not retreated further but has contracted into a compact defensive box.

Since he is too weak to attack in two directions at once, Montgomery decides to go on the defensive in front of Caen and put pressure in the area of Caumont. The 2nd Panzer Division is already moving in that direction and by nightfall have forced the British off Hill 174 near Cahagnes and nearly cut the road between Caumont and Amaye-sur-Orne.