Episode 440
Battle of Verrières Ridge
Thu, 2018-Jul-19 01:09 UTC
Length - 2:27
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Thursday, 19 July 2018 is Battle of Verrières Ridge.
The Battle of Verrières Ridge was a series of engagements fought as part of the Battle of Normandy, in northwestern France, during the Second World War. The main combatants were two Canadian infantry divisions—with additional support from the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade—against elements of three German SS Panzer divisions. The battle was part of the British and Canadian attempts to break out of Caen, and took place from 19–25 July 1944, being part of both Operation Atlantic (18–21 July) and Operation Spring (25–27 July).
The immediate Allied objective was Verrières Ridge, a belt of high ground which dominates the route from Caen to Falaise. The ridge was occupied by battle-hardened German veterans, who had fallen back from Caen and entrenched to form a strong defensive position. Over the course of six days, substantial Canadian and British forces made repeated attempts to capture the ridge. Strict German adherence to defensive doctrine, as well as strong and effective counterattacks by Panzer formations, resulted in heavy Allied casualties for little strategic gain.From the perspective of the Canadian 1st Army, the battle is remembered for its tactical and strategic miscalculations — the most notable being a highly controversial attack by The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada on 25 July. This attack—the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the 1942 Dieppe Raid—has become one of the most contentious and critically analysed events in Canadian military history.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:09 UTC on Thursday, 19 July 2018.
For the full current version of the article, search Wikipedia for Battle of Verrières Ridge.
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