![]() ![]() The next day the Germans attacked the brigade box, arranged for all-round defence, in the Battle of the Island. After six hours, Hinde ordered a withdrawal to a more defensible position on a knoll west of Villers-Bocage. The Germans then attacked the town and were repulsed, losing several Tigers and Panzer IVs. In fewer than 15 minutes numerous tanks, anti-tank guns and transport vehicles were destroyed, many by SS- Obersturmführer Michael Wittmann. The leading elements advanced eastwards from the town on the Caen road to Point 213, where they were ambushed by Tiger I tanks of the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. Under the command of Brigadier William "Loony" Hinde, the 22nd Armoured Brigade group reached Villers-Bocage without serious incident on the morning of 13 June. British commanders hoped that the appearance of a strong force in their rear would force the Panzer-Lehr Division either to withdraw or to be surrounded. Seizing the opportunity to bypass the German Panzer-Lehr Division blocking the direct route south in the area of Tilly-sur-Seulles, a mixed force of tanks, infantry and artillery, based on the 22nd Armoured Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division, advanced through the gap in a flanking manoeuvre towards Villers-Bocage. On the right flank of the British Second Army, the 1st US Infantry Division had forced back the German 352nd Infantry Division and opened a gap in the German front line. On 9 June, a two-pronged British attempt to surround and capture Caen was defeated. In the days following the D-Day landings on 6 June, the Germans rapidly established strong defences in front of the city. The Allies and the Germans regarded control of Caen as vital to the Normandy battle. ![]() After one day of fighting in and around the small town of Villers-Bocage and a second day defending a position outside the town, the British force retreated. The battle was the result of a British attempt to improve their position by exploiting a gap in the German defences west of the city of Caen. ![]() The Battle of Villers-Bocage took place during the Second World War on 13 June 1944, one week after the Normandy Landings, which had begun the Western Allies' conquest of German-occupied France. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |