Background Second Battle of the Odon

the norman town of caen d-day objective 3rd british infantry division, landed on sword beach on 6 june 1944. capture of caen, while ambitious , important d-day objective assigned corps. operation overlord called british second army secure city , form front caumont-l Éventé south-east of caen, protect left flank of first army @ west end of bridgehead , occupy ground suitable airfields tactical air forces. caen , surroundings give second army jumping-off point advance southwards capture falaise, swing right advance on argentan , touques river. terrain between caen , vimont promising mobile operations being open , dry. since allied forces outnumbered germans in tanks , mobile units, battle of manoeuvre advantage.

hampered congestion in beachhead delayed deployment of armoured support , forced divert effort attacking held german positions along 9.3 mi (15.0 km) route town, 3rd division unable assault caen in force, , advanced no further lebisey wood. operation perch pincer attack , xxx corps began on 7 june, intention of encircling caen east , west. corps attacked southwards orne bridgehead halted 21st panzer division, after advancing short distance , attack xxx corps bogged down in front of tilly-sur-seulles, west of caen against defences of panzer-lehr division.

from 7–14 june, xxx corps attacked manoeuvre behind panzer-lehr division. 7th armoured division pushed through gap in german front line caused success of 1st infantry division , occupied villers-bocage on road caen west. vanguard of 7th armoured division withdrawn town 17 june panzer-lehr division had been forced , xxx corps had taken tilly-sur-seulles. operation intended until 19 june, when severe storm descended upon english channel, lasted 3 days , delayed allied build-up. of convoys of landing craft , ships @ sea driven ports in britain; towed barges , other loads, including 2.5 mi (4.0 km) of floating roadways mulberry harbours lost , 800 craft stranded on normandy beaches until july.

in operation epsom (first battle of odon, 26–30 june), viii corps advance southwards on left flank of xxx corps, west of caen, across river odon , orne, capture high ground near bretteville-sur-laize, south of caen. attack preceded operation martlet (also known operation dauntless) xxx corps, secure western flank of viii corps, capturing high ground of rauray spur. german defenders managed contain offensive in vicinity of hill 112 committing of armoured units, including 2 panzer divisions of ii ss panzer korps, newly arrived in normandy , intended counter-offensive against british , american positions around bayeux.

operation jupiter (10–11 july) attack viii corps, capture baron-sur-odon, fontaine-Étoupefour, château de fontaine , take rest of hill 112. following capture of these objectives, viii corps take Éterville, maltot , ground river orne. tanks 4th armoured brigade supported infantry, advance through captured ground , secure several villages west of river orne. hoped first phase objectives captured 9:00 a.m. on first day , elements of 4th armoured brigade start second phase. opening phase successful battle hill 112 went on day , village of maltot changed hands several times.

on 14 july, general bernard montgomery sent military assistant london brief director of military operations that,

the real object muck , write off enemy troops.... activities on eastern flank designed forces in west while ensuring firm bastion maintained in east. @ same time ready take advantage of situation gives reason think enemy disintegrating.

the first army had attacked down west coast of cotentin peninsula made little progress there or further inland in july. discovery infantry reinforcements , panzer-lehr division had reached american front, made important british operations @ east end of front continued, prevent more transfers before first army resumed offensive on 19 july.