"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, the twin features of the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944 - taking them was crucial if it was to be successful in its attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armoured formation in Normandy: the I. SS-Panzerkorps ""Leibstandarte."" The resulting battles of late July and early August 1944 saw powerful German defensive counterattacks south of Caen inflict tremendous casualties, regain lost ground and at times defeat Anglo-Canadian operations in detail.
Viewed by the German leadership as militarily critical, the majority of its armored assets were deployed to dominate this excellent tank country east of the Orne river. These defeats and the experience of meeting an enemy with near-equal resources exposed a flawed Anglo-Canadian offensive tactical doctrine that was overly dependent on the supremacy of its artillery forces. Furthermore, weaknesses in Allied tank technology inhibited their armored forces from fighting a decisive armored battle, forcing Anglo-Canadian infantry and artillery forces to further rely on First World War ""Bite and Hold"" tactics, massively supported by artillery. Confronted with the full force of the Panzerwaffe, Anglo-Canadian doctrine at times floundered. In response, the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery units pummelled the German tankers and grenadiers, but despite their best efforts, ground could not be captured by concentrated artillery fire alone.
This is a detailed account of the success of I. SS-Panzerkorps' defensive operations, aimed at holding the Vèrrieres-Bourgebus ridges in late July 1944.
AUTHOR: Arthur W. Gullachsen teaches at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario as an Assistant Professor in the History Department. He is an alumni of the University of Western Ontario and graduated with a PhD in history in 2016. He has published articles online on the Canadian Army with the Canadian Military History Journal and has provided professional development material for the U.S. Army on the Normandy campaign. He has previously published An Army of Never-Ending Strength: Reinforcing the Canadian Army in North-West Europe 19441945."
By:
Arthur W. Gullachsen
Introduction by:
Russell Hart
Imprint: Casemate Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781636240022
ISBN 10: 163624002X
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 01 March 2022
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified
Introduction: The Fighting East of the Orne 18-31 July 1944 Chapter 1: The German way of war in Normandy, Summer 1944 Chapter 2: The I. SS-Panzerkorps south of Caen 17 July 1944 Chapter 3: Operation Goodwood: The Attack of the Leibstandarte against the British 8th Corps 18 July 1944 Chapter 4: Operation Atlantic Day 1: The 272. Infantrie Division is pushed back 18 July 1944 Chapter 5: The Leibstandarte and Hitlerjugend hold the line: Days 2 and 3 of Operation Goodwood: 19-20 July 1944 Chapter 6: Atlantic Day 2: The Canadian Infantry Divisions advance 19 July 1944 Chapter 7: Atlantic Day 3: The Leibstandarte and 2. Panzer Division Counterattack, 20 July 1944 Chapter 8: Atlantic Day 4: The Defeat of the 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade 21 July 1944 Conclusion Bibliography Appendices 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/ Russell Hart is Professor of History at Hawai'i Pacific University. He is the author of Clash of Arms: How the Allies Won in Normandy, 1944 and Guderian: Panzer Pioneer or Mythmaker?
Reviews for Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps' Defence of the Verrières-Bourguebus Ridges: Vol. I
This is an excellent work that adds to the history of the Normandy Campaign. It also gives the armchair historian points to ponder. -- A Wargamers Needful Things Unlike most contemporary works that focus as much on personalities, weapons systems, small-units actions or grand strategy as they do on actual battles, Gullachsen has chosen instead to do what few other military historians have attempted - conduct a critical analysis of the successful defense of the Verrieres-Bourguebus Ridges by SS General Sepp Dietrich's legendary I. SS-Panzerkorps. --Douglas E. Nash, Author of From the Realm of a Dying Sun Trilogy
