Operation Totalize (also spelled Operation Totalize in recent British sources) was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from 8 to 9 August 1944. The intention was to break through the German defenses south of Caen on the eastern flank of the Allied positions in Normandy and exploit success by driving south, to capture the high ground north of the city of Falaise. The goal was to collapse the German front and cut off the retreat of German forces fighting the Allied armies further west. The battle is considered the inaugural operation of the First Canadian Army, which had been activated on 23 July.
In the early hours of 8 August 1944, II Canadian Corps launched the attack using mechanized infantry. They broke through the German front lines and captured vital positions deep in the German defenses. It was intended that two fresh armored divisions would continue the attack but some hesitancy by these two comparatively inexperienced divisions and German armored counter-attacks slowed the offensive. Having advanced 9 mi (14 km), the Allies were halted 7 mi (11 km) north of Falaise and forced to prepare a fresh attack.
Caen had been an objective of the British forces assaulting Sword Beach on D-Day. The German defenses were discovered to be strongest in this sector and most of the German reinforcements sent to Normandy were committed to the defense of the city. Positional warfare ensued for the next six weeks. Several attempts by British and Canadian forces to capture Caen were unsuccessful until 9 July, when all of the city, north of the Orne River, was captured during Operation Charnwood. Between 18 July and 20 July, British forces launched Operation Goodwood to outflank the city to the east and south, while Canadian forces mounted Operation Atlantic to cross the Orne River and clear the remaining portions of the city. Although Operation Goodwood was halted with many tank losses, the two operations secured a bridgehead 6 mi (9.7 km) wide and 3 mi (4.8 km) deep south of the Orne.
The Germans retained their hold on the commanding terrain of the Verrières Ridge 5 mi (8.0 km) south of the city. The British and Canadian attacks launched around Caen (in part to distract the Germans from the western part of the front, where the First United States Army was preparing to break out of the Allied lodgment) had caused the Germans to defend Verrières ridge with some of their strongest and most determined formations, including elements of three SS Panzer divisions of the I SS Panzer Corps.
Within 48 hours of the end of Operation Goodwood, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division launched an attack against the "formidable" German defenses on Verrières Ridge. The Canadians suffered over 1,300 casualties and territorial gains were minimal. From 25 July to 27 July, another attempt was made to take the ridge as part of Operation Spring. Poor execution resulted in around 1,500 Canadian casualties. The Battle of Verrières Ridge had claimed upwards of 2,800 Canadian casualties. While the ridge remained in German hands, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division gained a foothold on the ridge between the village of Verrières to St.Martin-de-Fontenay, which would allow the troops to assemble free of German observation while they prepared to launch Totalize.
On 25 July, the American First Army began Operation Cobra, which after the first two days, broke through the German defenses south of St Lo. By the end of the third day of the operation, American forces had advanced 15 mi (24 km) south of the Cobra start line at several points. On 30 July, US forces captured Avranches, at the base of the Cotentin peninsula. The German left flank had collapsed and within 24 hours, units of the US Third Army entered Brittany and advanced south and west through open country, almost without opposition. The 1st SS, 9th SS and 116th Panzer divisions were shifted westward from Verrières Ridge to face this new threat.
General Bernard Montgomery (commanding the ground forces in Normandy), wanted an attack on the eastern flank of the front to capture Falaise, intending that such a move would precipitate a general German collapse. The First Canadian Army (Lieutenant General Harry Crerar), held this part of the Allied front. It consisted of the British I Corps, responsible for the extreme eastern flank of the Allied lines and II Canadian Corps (Lieutenant General Guy Simonds) south of Caen. The II Canadian Corps, which was to launch Operation Totalize consisted of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, 1st Polish Armoured Division, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and the British 33rd Armoured Brigade.
The German defenses on Verrières Ridge remained very strong. The forward infantry positions were well dug-in, with wide fields of fire. The main concentration of one hundred 75 mm and 88 mm anti-tank guns was deployed around the villages of Cramesnil and Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil 3 mi (4.8 km) behind the German forward positions, to halt any breakthrough by tanks along the Caen–Falaise road. The front line and defenses in depth were held by the 89th Infantry Division, 85th Infantry Division (recently arrived from Rouen) and the remnants of the 272nd Grenadier Infantry Division (severely depleted by the Canadians in Operation Atlantic). The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend with an attached heavy Tiger tank battalion, with fifty tanks, was in reserve a further 3 mi (4.8 km) back. Some of the infantry were commanded by the German LXXXVI Korps but most of the sector (and the 12th SS Panzer Division) was under the command of the I SS Panzer Corps, which had arrived in the area during Operation Goodwood.
Simonds knew that infantry assaults supported by massed artillery had failed to overcome the German forward lines in Operation Atlantic and Operation Spring. During Operation Goodwood, a bombardment by aircraft of RAF Bomber Command had assisted British tanks to break through the German front but they had then suffered many casualties from intact German defenses arrayed in depth beyond the bombing. Infantry had been unable to follow up quickly enough to support the leading tanks or to secure ground behind them (so that follow-up units were also slowed). To solve the tactical problem presented by the terrain and the deep defenses, Simonds proposed a radical solution, the first large attack by mechanized infantry.
Some Canadian and British infantry divisions had been temporarily equipped with M7 Priest self-propelled guns for the D-Day landings, which had been replaced by towed 25-Pounder field guns. Simonds had the Priests converted into Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carriers, which would allow infantry to follow the tanks closely on any terrain. Permission was first requested from the Americans, from whom the M7s had been borrowed, to convert them into APCs.
Simonds made air power fundamental to his plan for breaking through the German defense zones. The preliminary aerial bombardment called for RAF bombers to saturate the German defenses on both flanks of a 4 mi (6.4 km)-wide corridor along the axis of the Caen–Falaise road, during the night of 7 August. During the early hours of 8 August, two attacking forces of tanks and armored personnel carriers would advance along the corridor. West of the road under the 2nd Canadian Division were the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. East of the road, under the 51st (Highland) Division were the 154th (Highland) Brigade and the 33rd Armoured Brigade. These two columns would bypass the front-line defenders and capture the main German anti-tank defenses around Cramesnil and Saint-Aignan de Cramesnil at dawn.
The second phase would follow immediately. While the remaining four infantry brigades of the 2nd Canadian Division and 51st (Highland) Division cleared up the isolated German forward defenses and the 3rd Canadian Division and 49th (West Riding) Division (I Corps) began subsidiary attacks to widen the base of salient captured in the first phase, the 4th Canadian Armoured Division and 1st Polish Armoured Division would move up the corridor to Cramesnil and prepare to advance further south. To prepare for their attack, bombers of the US Eighth Air Force would bombard the German reserve positions at Hautmesnil. The ultimate objective was the high ground north of Falaise, 15 mi (24 km) beyond the start line.
During the evening of 7 August 1944, the attacking forces formed up in six columns, four vehicles wide, comprising tanks, Kangaroo APCs, half-tracks, self-propelled anti-tank guns and Mine flail tanks. At 23:00, Bomber Command commenced the bombardment of German positions along the Caen front. At 23:30, the armored columns began their advance behind a rolling barrage. Movement was slow at first, many APC drivers became disoriented by the dust caused by the vehicles. Several vehicles became stuck in bomb craters. Simonds had arranged several methods for the columns to maintain direction; some vehicles were fitted with radio direction finders, the artillery fired target-marking shells, Bofors 40 mm guns fired bursts of tracer in the direction of the advance. In spite of all these measures, there was still confusion. Several vehicles collided or were knocked out.
The attack broke through the German defenses in several places. By dawn, the attacking columns from the 51st (Highland) Division had reached their intended positions. The infantry dismounted from their Kangaroo APCs within 200 yd (180 m) of their objectives at the villages of Cramesnil and Saint-Aignan de Cramesnil, rapidly over-running the defenders. The columns from the 2nd Canadian Division were delayed by fog and unexpected opposition on their right flank but by noon on 8 August, the Allied forces had captured Verrières Ridge. The novel methods used by Simonds ensured that the attackers suffered only a fraction of the loss which would have been incurred in a normal "dismounted" attack. The Allies were poised to move against Cintheaux, 2 mi (3.2 km) south of their furthest penetration but Simonds ordered a halt, to allow field artillery and the 4th Canadian and 1st Polish armored divisions to move into position for the second phase of the operation.
SS General Kurt Meyer, commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division, had already ordered infantry from various formations shattered by the bombers and by the armored attack, to occupy Cintheaux. He also moved forward two battlegroups from his division, consisting of assault guns, infantry and Tiger tanks, positioning them across the Canadian front. Shortly after midday, he ordered these two battlegroups to counter-attack the leading Allied troops. At this point, the Allied offensive plan called for additional bombardment by the Eighth Air Force, before the 4th Canadian Armoured Division and the 1st Polish Armoured Division pushed south towards Falaise on either side of the Caen–Falaise Road.
The counter-attack by the 12th SS Panzer Division failed but placed Meyer's tanks north of the target area that the Eighth Air Force bombarded, ready for the second phase of the Allied attack. Spared the effects of the bombing, the tanks slowed the advance of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, preventing a breakthrough east of the road. West of the road, the German infantry at Cintheaux held up the Canadian armored formations. Neither division (both on their debut) pressed their attacks as hard as Simonds demanded and laagered (took up defensive positions) while vehicles and troops were supplied and rested when dark fell.
To restore the momentum of the attack, Simonds ordered a column from the 4th Canadian Armoured Division to seize Hill 195, just to the west of the main road, halfway between Cintheaux and Falaise. Worthington Force with B, C and HQ companies of the Algonquin Regiment supporting 52 tanks from the British Columbia Regiment, bumped into the rear of Halfpenny Force fighting the SS in Bretteville-le-Rabet, went round them and lost direction. When dawn broke on 9 August, Worthington Force was 4.5 mi (7.2 km) to the east of Hill 195 at Hill 140, halfway between Estrees-la-Campagne and Mazieres. They held their ground against German armored counter-attacks during 9 August but suffered many casualties, including most of their tanks. By 17.00 hours what remained of Worthington Force had either been captured or forced to withdraw. Because the column was on Hill 140, the wrong objective, other units sent to reinforce went towards the wrong hill. Eventually, another force captured Hill 195 in a model night attack on 10 August but the Germans had been given time to withdraw and reform a defensive line on the Laison River. By 11 August, the Anglo-Canadian offensive had ended.
The early phases of the assault had been a great success, despite many casualties in the two Allied armored divisions in their attempt to push towards Falaise. Formations of four divisions of the First Canadian Army held positions on Hill 195, directly north of Falaise. At the same time, Allied forces managed to inflict upwards of 1,500 casualties on the Germans. Major General Rod Keller was removed from his command of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, after having been badly wounded when his headquarters were hit by American bombs. Keller's poor performance in Totalize lost him the confidence of General Crerar and he received no further command positions for the remainder of the war. Simonds and Crerar mounted a follow-up offensive, Operation Tractable, which took place between 14 and 21 August. On 21 August, the Falaise Pocket was closed when Canadian and Polish units made contact with US troops from the south, ending Commonwealth participation in the Battle of Normandy.
Sources
Books
Bercuson, David (2004) [1996]. Maple Leaf Against the Axis. Red Deer Press. Cawthorne, Nigel (2005). Victory in World War II. Arcturus.
Copp, Terry (2004) [2003]. Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Delaforce, Patrick (2003) [1994]. The Polar Bears: From Normandy to the Relief of Holland with the 49th Division. Sutton Publishing.
D'Este, Carlo (2004) [1983]. Decision in Normandy: The Real Story of Montgomery and the Allied Campaign. Penguin Books.
Hart, Stephen (2004). Road to Falaise. Battle Zone Normandy. Sutton.
Reid, Brian (2005). No Holding Back. London: Robin Brass Studio.
Reynolds, Michael (2001) [1997]. Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy. Da Capo Press.
Roy, Reginald (1984). 1944 – The Canadians in Normandy. Macmillan of Canada.
Stacey, C. P.; Bond, C. C. J. (1960). The Victory Campaign: The operations in North-West Europe 1944–1945. Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. III. The Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery Ottawa.
Trew, Simon; Badsey, Stephen (2004). Battle for Caen. Battle Zone Normandy. Cheltenham: The History Press.
Van der Vat, Dan (2003). D-Day; The Greatest Invasion, A People's History. Madison Press.
Wilmot, Chester (1997) [1952]. The Struggle For Europe. Wordsworth Editions.
Zuehlke, Mark (2001). The Canadian Military Atlas: Canada's Battlefields from the French and Indian Wars to Kosovo. Stoddart.
Journals
Perrun, Jody (January 2003). "Best-Laid Plans: Guy Simonds and Operation Totalize, 7–10 August 1944". The Journal of Military History. 67 (1): 137–173.
Further Reading
Maczek, Stanisław (2006) [1944]. "The First Polish Armoured Division in Normandy". Canadian Military History. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 15 (2): 51–70.
Napier, S. (2015). Armoured Campaign in Normandy June–August 1944. Stroud: The History Press.
Perrun, J. C. (1999). Missed Opportunities: First Canadian Army and the Air Plan for Operation Totalize, 7–10 August 1944 (PDF) (MA). Ottawa: Carleton University.
 |
| Operation Totalize: The Plan. |
 |
| Operations, 28th Canadian Armoured Regiment, 9 August 1944. |
 |
| Operation Totalize, 7-10 August 1944. |
 |
| In previous operations, Allied armor had suffered from a lack of infantry support on their attacks. Simonds devised a plan to allow supporting infantry to accompany his tanks on their night march. Commonwealth units had been removing the 105mm armed American Priest self-propelled gun from units due to ammunition shortages and had rearmed the artillery units with the towed 25 pdr guns. This left approximately 100 Priests in the vehicle park. The guns were removed and Simonds ordered salvaged armor plates to be welded to the Priests existing armor to create a fully tracked armored personal carrier capable of stopping bullets and splinters and keeping up with the Shermans and Fireflies of the armored divisions. These new vehicles were called Kangaroos since they carried infantry safely in their "pouch." However, the infantry often referred to these improvised carriers as Defrocked Priests. A Kangaroo typically carried ten men and all their kit plus a crew of two, however, twenty men could be crammed in. |
 |
| 'Priest' Kangaroo armored personnel carriers with troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division aboard, on the evening of 7 August 1944 prior to the launch of Operation Totalize. |
 |
| 'Priest' Kangaroo armored personnel carriers, with troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division aboard, on the evening of 7 August 1944, prior to the launch of Operation Totalize. Note the driver's vision aperture in the open position, with the driver seated above on the top of the upper front plate. |
 |
| 'Priest' Kangaroo armored personnel carriers, carrying troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, with tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, on the evening of 7 August 1944, moving to their start line prior to the launch of Operation Totalize. |
 |
| A rear view of troops ‘embussed’ (loaded) in a ‘Priest’ Kangaroo. Note the thickness of the upper left-side additional armor plating, and the ‘absence’ of the basic pioneer tools, except for a lone shovel, on the engine compartment top plates. This particular vehicle, saw service as the No. 4 gun, “F” Troop, 43rd Field Battery, 12th Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, before conversion to that of a ‘Priest’ Kangaroo armored personnel carrier. |
 |
| One of the 36 'Priest' Kangaroo armored personnel carriers, allocated to the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, for Operation Totalize, carrying troops of the 7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 154th (Highland) Infantry Brigade. Note the 'HD 69,' chalked onto the outside armored plate welded over the opening left by the removal of the gun, which was used as a means of identifying what unit a 'Kangaroo' was carrying, for movement control purposes. The number '69,' being the Arm-of-Service serial used by the 7th Argyll's, within 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. Also of note, the sign in the lower right-hand corner of the photo, was used to indicate the location of the 7th Argyll's battalion headquarters, when in a static location. |
 |
| Two of the 36 ‘Priest’ Kangaroos with side armor plates, allocated to the British, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (both of which appear to be empty), traveling ‘down’ the SINATRA route. This route had been cleared from the 154th (Highland) Infantry Brigade’s rear assembly area, forward to the brigade’s start line, by the British 274th Field Company, Royal Engineers, of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, prior to the launch of Operation TOTALIZE. |
 |
| Upon conversion, the majority of the ‘Priest’ Kangaroo armored personnel carriers, retained the markings of the artillery regiments, with which they had served as self-propelled guns, as can be seen in this photo. The markings above (‘D1’) and below (‘43’) the right-hand headlamp, indicate that this vehicle saw previous service as No. 1 gun, “D” Troop, 44th Field Battery, 13th Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. |
 |
| Directly below the ‘allied recognition star,’ which is painted on the right side of the fighting compartment, can be seen two pairs of grip bars, which were used to gain access to the vehicle, with another two pairs mounted on the left side, in the same position. |
 |
| A column of 'Priest' Kangaroos, carrying troops of the 7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 154th (Highland) Infantry Brigade (although the chalked 'HD' is barely visible beside the number '69'), moving toward their 'forming up point' for the start of Operation Totalize. |
 |
| Two of the 36 'Priest' Kangaroos, allocated to the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (both of which appear to be empty), traveling 'down' the Sinatra route. This route had been cleared from the 154th (Highland) Infantry Brigade's rear assembly area, forward to the brigade's start line, by the British 274th Field Company, Royal Engineers, of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, prior to the launch of Operation Totalize. Note the use of the Highland Division's 'HD' and the number '49,' which was the Arm-of-Service serial used by the 274th Field Company, on the route marker (Sinatra), in the lower right-hand corner of the photo. |
 |
| Military Policeman of the Traffic Regulation Squadron (1st Polish Armoured Division) regulating road traffic at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Sherman tanks of the 1st Polish Armoured Division moving along a road at dawn throwing up clouds of dust as they speed forward at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. The front tank is named "Jessie". |
 |
| Officers of the 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade (1st Polish Armoured Division) studying a map on a mask of their Jeep at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Sherman tanks of the 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade (1st Armoured Division) moving to the battle at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Cromwell tanks of the "A" Squadron, 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment (1st Polish Armoured Division) at the beginning of Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Canadian troops searching German prisoners captured during the early stages of Operation Totalize, in the vicinity of Tilly-la-Campagne, France. |
 |
| Second Lieutenant Jerzy Januszajtis, a Polish Army Film Unit cameraman, filming from the top of a Sherman tank of the 1st Polish Armoured Division at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. He is using a De Vry camera fitted with a sling. |
 |
| Second Lieutenant Jerzy Januszajtis, a Polish Army Film Unit cameraman, filming from the top of a Sherman tank of the 1st Polish Armoured Division at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. He is using a De Vry camera fitted with a sling. |
 |
| Sherman tanks of the 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade (1st Polish Armoured Division) in line at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Sherman tanks of the "B" Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment (10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade, 1st Polish Armoured Division) at the starting point at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. Note a steel rope on the barrel of the nearest Sherman Firefly used to attach camouflage netting to conceal the 17 pounder gun and make the tank to resemble a regular Sherman tank with 75 mm gun. |
 |
| Cromwell tanks of the 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment (1st Armoured Division) use a hedge for cover during the Operation 'Totalise', August 1944. |
 |
| A Cromwell tank and jeep pass an abandoned German PAK 43/41 gun during Operation 'Totalize', 8 August 1944. |
 |
| The same German Pak 43 anti-tank gun as seen in the previous photo, knocked out by the Royal Air Force a few days earlier, in the path of advancing tanks of the 1st Polish Armoured Division at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| The same German Pak 43 anti-tank gun as seen in the previous photo, knocked out by the Royal Air Force a few days earlier, in the path of advancing tanks of the 1st Polish Armoured Division at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| One of the Sherman tanks of the 1st Polish Armoured Division leaving a starting point while others still waiting for the order to advance at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Cromwell tanks of the "A" Squadron, 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment (1st Polish Armoured Division) at the start of Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| A soldier of the 1st Polish Armoured Division enjoying a hurried meal before setting off for the battle at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Sherman tanks of the "C" Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment (10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade, 1st Polish Armoured Division) assembled for the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. Note that all regimental markings are painted over. |
 |
| Sergeant McVay of the Black Watch, 51st Highland Division (second from the left) sharing a joke with soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division before setting off for the attack on the Caen hinge at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', 8 August 1944. Sergeant McVay was a resident of Whitby, North Yorkshire. |
 |
| A column of Cromwell tanks of the 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment (1st Polish Armoured Division) moving towards enemy positions at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Troops of the 1st Armoured Regiment (10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade, 1st Polish Armoured Division) aboard a Regimental HQ truck making for the front at the beginning of the Operation 'Totalize', south of Caen, 8 August 1944. |
 |
| Canadian Shermans preparing to advance during Operation Totalize. |
 |
| Canadian soldiers hold a Nazi flag that they'd captured south of Hautmesnil, France on August 10, 1944. |
No comments:
Post a Comment