June 1944

Western Front - Battle For Caen

Operation EPSOM, the drive for Odon is to be spearheaded by the Scots of the 15th Infantry Divsion, now concentrated north of the Caen to Bayeux road. While they can expect plenty of air, naval and artillery support, they will be walking forward through a succession of cornfields and orchards that feature dozens of German strongpoints. The Germans have spent the last three weeks turning this area into a five-mile-wide defense zone.

At 0530 elements of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division with tank support, launch a new assault to capture the village of Grainville-sur-Odon. After shelling and close quarter street fighting, the Scots secure the village by 1300 hours; German counterattacks follow but are repulsed. At 0600 the Germans begin two strong flanking attacks, with the intention of pinching out the British salient. Kampfgruppe Frey on the eastern flank, launches an attack north of the Odon, supported by Panzer IVs of the 21st Panzer Division. This reaches the villages of Mouen and Tourville but the British counterattack from the direction of Cheux, resulting in confused heavy fighting throughout the day. Frey's battle group manages to gain control of Mouen and British counterattacks supported by tanks halt any further advance but are unable to re-take the village. British patrols find Marcelet partly empty, the German front line having been pulled back towards Carpiquet.

On the western flank, Kampfgruppe Weidinger supported by Panthers, try to re-capture Brettevillette, Grainville-sur-Odon and ultimately Mondrainville. The British defenders are as follows: Brettevillette and on Point 110, the 1st Battalion Tyneside Scottish, 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (49th (West Riding) Infantry Division) and 4th/7th Dragoon Guards (8th Armored Brigade). In Grainville-sur-Odon and le Valtru are the 7th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 9th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and 9th Royal Tank Regiment. They hold their positions, launching local counterattacks to re-take lost ground and eventually the German offensive is stopped, within 0.6 miles (0.97 km) of linking up with the lead elements of Kampfgruppe Frey.

South of the Odon, at 0900 the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders advance out of the bridgehead, to capture a bridge north of the village of Gavrus. Heavy fighting takes place into the afternoon before both village and bridge are in Scottish hands. Infantry from the 11th Armored Division, expand the bridgehead by taking the village of Baron-sur-Odon and the 23rd Hussars with infantry advance on Hill 112. Having secured its northern slope and dislodged the defenders from its crest, they are unable to advance further, due to the Germans dug in on the reverse slope. Several counterattacks are launched by 12th SS Panzer and the battered Hussars are relieved at 1500 by the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment but neither side is able to take complete control of the hill. The 11th Armored Division has lost nearly 40 tanks on its slopes by the end of the day and is surrounded on three sides but troops manage to reach and reinforce the position.

One combined force of riflemen and tanks enter the town of Cheux and push the Germans back street by street and then advance toward the village of Mouen, which contain on its outskirts the headquarters of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Kurt Meyer, the division's commander, has split his Hitler Youth soldiers into two battlegroups, code-named Granville and Mouen. The British troops and vehicles are advancing on such a narrow front that their columns are backed up by as much as six miles. When a small force of Tiger and Panther tanks rumble into action, the British armored vehicles found it almost impossibloe to maneuver effective in the narrow confines of the battle field.

During the early hours of June 28, a battle group of the 1st SS Panzer Division, Kampfgruppe Frey, arrives at the front and is placed under the command of the 12th SS Panzer Division. At 0810, General Friedrich Dollmann, the 7th Army commander, orders SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser to divert the II SS Panzer Corps, to counterattack south of Cheux. Hausser replies that no counterattack can be launched until the following day, as so many of his units have yet to reach the front. A Battle Group of the 12th SS, supported by the tanks of the 4th Company, 22nd Panzer Division, attacks along the railway embankment toward Mouen. In a battle that lasts for hours, the Germans break through the forward positions of the British. The main action is in the area of the cornfield. The British knock out 2 Panthers and 4 Mark IVs. The 43rd Wessex Division is sent to follow up, mop up, and then hold the 6-mile deep and 2-mile wide Scottish Corridor.

The German command is thrown into disarray by Dollmann's sudden death, when Rommel and Gerd von Rundstedt (OB West) are en route to a conference with Hitler and out of touch with the situation. It is not until 1500 that Hausser is appointed commander of the 7th Army, with Willi Bittrich replacing him as commander of II SS Panzer Corps. Hausser is advised to retain control of the Corps until the following morning. Pending the return of Rommel to Normandy, Hausser is also the ranking commander in the invasion area. At 1700 the command structure is changed again; the 7th Army under Hausser will be responsible for the invasion front facing the American army, while the Panzer Group West (General Geyr von Schweppenburg) is to be responsible for the invasion front facing the Anglo-Canadian forces.

In order to stem the British advance, a full corps attack by the II SS Panzer Corps on the 'Scottish Corridor' is planned for the 29th. The 10th SS Panzer Division is to strike at the Gavrus bridgehead over the Odon and hit the flank of the 11th Armored Division on Hill 112, while the 9th SS Panzer Division in line northward against le Valtru and the bottleneck at Cheux aided by the 2nd SS Panzer and Panzer Lehr Divisions. The opposite flank of the Corridor will be simultaneously attacked by the 1st SS Panzer Division, which is arriving from Belgium, aided by the 12 SS Panzer Grenadier Division and the 21st Panzer Division.