Operation Totalize

Operation Totalise
Part of World War II, the Battle of Normandy
A Cromwell tank and jeep pass an abandoned German PAK 43/41 gun during Operation Totalise, 8 August 1944.
Date August 8–August 13, 1944 Location Normandy, France Result Initial Allied Successes in capturing Verrières Ridge. German counterattacks and defences create strategic stalemate in the later portions of the offensive.
Belligerents
Canada Poland United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant General Guy Simonds	SS General Kurt Meyer
Strength
3 infantry divisions, 2 armoured divisions, 2 armoured brigades	3 infantry divisions, 1 SS Panzer division, 1 heavy tank battalion

Note: In North American texts, this often appears as "Operation Totalize".

Operation Totalise (Operation Totalize) was a Canadian-led offensive during the Battle of Normandy, from August 8–13, 1944. The offensive was the first in which the First Canadian Army (including the 1st Polish Armoured Division) fought as a unified force, acompanied by the British 51st (Highland) Division. Although initial successes were made near Verrières Ridge and the Falaise Road, strong German defences prevented an unchecked advance to Falaise itself.

Background

Caen had been a major objective of the earlier phases of Operation Overlord, and had been an objective of Sword Beach on D-Day itself. However, strong German defences prevented the capture of the Norman capital, and positional warfare ensued for the next six weeks. Several attempts by both British and Canadian forces to capture Caen in June were unsuccessful. On July 19, 1944, British forces were able to capture Caen as part of Operation Goodwood. Within 48 hours, forces of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division had launched an attack against the "formidable" German defences on Verrières Ridge. However, heavy casualties were taken with minimal gain, as three SS Panzer divisions of Sepp Dietrich's I SS Panzer Corps prevented major gains.

On July 25, another attempt was made to take the ridge, as part of Operation Spring. Poor timing across the entire Canadian front caused 1,500 casualties to be taken, with very little strategic gain made from July 25 to 27. However, the American breakout offensive, Operation Cobra, was highly successful. In the aftermath, two Panzer Divisions were shifted westward to deal with Omar Bradley's First US Army and George Patton's Third US Army. In total, however, the Battle of Verrières Ridge had claimed upwards of 2,800 Canadian casualties, while the ridge remained in German hands.

As a result of the successes of Cobra, the Verrières Ridge front remained lightly defended in early August. General Harry Crerar was ordered by Bernard Montgomery, commander of 21st Army Group, to once again try to breakout of the area south of Caen. On July 23, the First Canadian Army had become operational. However, only II Corps participated in the July 25 operations. By August 8, First Canadian Army consisted of two infantry divisions and two armoured divisions, and Totalise was considered the inaugural battle of the army. With additional support from the 2nd British Army, the entire 21st Army Group was prepared to assault Verrières Ridge in a drive for Falaise.

Offensive plan

Due to the failure of massed artillery barrage during previous offensives (Atlantic and Spring), Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds designed Operation Totalise around a massed heavy-bomber assault against a series of heavily fortified German positions on the night of August 7–8. In the pre-dawn hours of August 8, two infantry divisions (British 51st and Canadian 2nd) would advance across the left and right flanks of German defences along the Caen-Falaise Road, each supported by an armoured brigade. The infantry attack would move rapidly through the use of Kangaroo APCs, old M7 Priest self-propelled guns designed and converted by Simonds to carry infantry formations.

Once the infantry divisions had successfully outflanked German defences, the attack would resume with two armoured divisions (Polish 1st and Canadian 4th) would "leapfrog" over the already established bridgeheads, bypassing the heavy defences of the 12th SS Panzer Division in their drive for Falaise. Armoured breakthroughs would be aided by bomber support by the American Eighth Air Force, attacking German defenses in-depth while the armoured divisions captured the high-ground north of Falaise. From there, it was hoped that Falaise itself could be captured shortly after. This would enable British & Canadian forces to trap the German armies attempting to withdraw from the Falaise Pocket.

Infantry attacks

Map of Operation Totalise

Operation Totalise commenced late on August 7, with Armoured Personnel Carriers forming in six columns of vehicles. At 23:00, the heavy-bombers of the Royal Air Force commenced their bombardment of German positions along the entire Caen front. At 23:30, the advance began with attacks from the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and 2nd Canadian (Armoured) Brigade south across the western slopes of Verrières Ridge, while the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, with support from the British 33rd Armoured Brigade, attacked across the eastern-slopes. Initially, movement was slow, as many APC drivers became disoriented by the amount of dust caused by the massive number of vehicles. However, the attack succeeded in punching significant holes in the previously formidable German defenses that had been able to hold for weeks on end. By noon on August 8, Allied forces had captured Verrières Ridge, and were poised to move against the heavily defended town of Cintheaux.

However, Guy Simonds ordered a halt to the advance, as field artillery moved up from the rear, as well as the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division and the Polish 1st Armoured Division, for use in the second phase. During the temporary halt in offensive operations, Kurt Meyer moved two battle-groups of SS Panzer formations—consisting of assault guns, infantry, and Tiger tanks—forward, positioning them across the Canadian front.

German countermoves

Although the initial infantry assaults had gained significant ground, German resistance began to strengthen near Cintheaux. At this point, the offensive plan called for additional bombardment by the US Eighth Air Force, before the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division and the Polish 1st Armoured Division pushed south towards Falaise on either side of the Caen-Falaise Road. However, re-enforcements by a pair of Panzer Battlegroups began an immediate counterattack against British & Canadian forces.

While the counter-attack was unsuccessful, it did coincidentally place Meyer's tanks north of the target area that the US Eighth Air Force bombarded in preparation for the second phase of the Allied attack. These tanks, spared the effects of the bombing, slowed the advance of the Polish 1st Armoured Division, preventing a breakthrough east of the road. West of the road, German infantry at Cintheaux likewise held up Canadian Armoured formations. Neither Division (both in action for the first time) pressed their attacks as hard as Simonds demanded, and "laagered" when darkness fell.

To restore the momentum of the attack, Simonds ordered a column from the Canadian armoured division to seize Hill 195, just to the west of the main road halfway between Cintheaux and Falaise. The column lost direction and was caught at dawn east of the road by German 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. They held their ground during August 9 but suffered heavy casualties, including most of their tanks. The Canadians were forced to withdraw.

Because the column was so far from its intended objective, other units sent to relieve it could not find it. Eventually, another force captured Hill 195 in a model night attack on August 10, but the Germans had been given time to withdraw and reform a defensive line on the Laison River.

Canadian troops searching German prisoners captured during the early stages of Operation Totalize. Credit: Harold G. Aikman / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-162000

Aftermath

Although significant strategic successes had been made during the first phases of the assault, heavy casualties were taken by the two Allied Armoured Divisions, in their attempt to push towards Falaise. Formations of 4 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 already depleted German forces. Because of the failure to capture the overall objective of Falaise, Simonds and Crerar designed a follow-up offensive, Operation Tractable, which took place on August 14-21 1944. On August 21, the Falaise Pocket was closed by joint Allied forces, effectively ending the Battle of Normandy with a decisive Allied Victory.

References

• Bercuson, David (2004). Maple Leaf Against the Axis. Red Deer Press. ISBN 0-88995-305-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• D'Este, Carlo (2004). Decision in Normandy: The Real Story of Montgomery and the Allied Campaign. Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 0-14101-761-9. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Major Ellis, L.S. (2004). Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy, Official Campaign History Volume II. History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military. Naval & Military Press Ltd. ISBN 1-84574-058-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Hastings, Max (1999). Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, 1944. Pan Books. ISBN 0-33039-012-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Holmes, Richard (2004). The D-Day Experience from the Invasion to the Liberation of Paris. Carlton Books Ltd. ISBN 1-84442-805-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Meyer, Kurt (2005). Grenadiers: The Story of Waffen SS General Kurt "Panzer" Meyer. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-81173-197-9. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Reid, Brian (2005). No Holding Back. Robin Brass Studio. ISBN 1-896941-40-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors= and |origdate= (help)
• Whitaker, Brigadier General Denis (2004). Normandy: The Real Story (How Ordinary Allied Soldiers Defeated Hitler). Presidio Press. ISBN 0-34545-907-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors= and |origdate= (help)
• Wilmot, Chester (1997). The Struggle For Europe. Wordsworth Editions Ltd. ISBN 1-85326-677-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Zuehlke, Mark (2001). The Canadian Military Atlas: Canada's Battlefields from the French and Indian Wars to Kosovo. Stoddart. ISBN 0-77373-289-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors= and |origdate= (help)

External links

• Operation Totalise at memorial-montormel.org
• No Holding Back review at www.canadiansoldiers.com
• Canadian account of the action near Hill 195