Overview

"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 1944–1945."

Full Product Details

9781636240022

Table of Contents

Reviews

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

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

Author Information

Captain Arthur W. Gullachsen is the author of three previous books and is currently an Associate Professor in the RMC History Department at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. After joining the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in late 2006, he gained acceptance into the PhD Program in History at Western University in London, Ontario, graduating in 2016. A Second World War specialist, Captain Gullachsen’s areas of expertise include the study of the replacement of equipment and personnel losses as well as German armoured forces during the late war period. He is also interested in twentieth century airpower and seapower. He recently published both Bloody Verrières volumes with Casemate Publishing (2022 and 2023). 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?

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available