introduction
The Battle of Normandy was one of the most effective and largest campaigns of World War Two. Without the hearts of the courageous men who fought, it might have ended differently. From the well trained troops to the well thought out plans of D-Day, Capriquet and others, this was a battle for destiny with many hardships along the way.
The battle plan
After D-Day, the invasion took place on the beaches of Normandy on June sixth nineteen forty-four. The Canadian, British, and Polish troops had made hopeful plans to march inland from the beachhead of Sword and Juno to claim back the territory taken by the German Nazis. One of the British Generals, Bernard Montgomery, was expecting that in just a few weeks they would have their armies marching east crossing France. Lamentably, the fight took much longer than predicted; the whole summer was filled with gruesome fighting against the well-prepared Nazi panzer armoured units. The Canadians, British, and Polish Divisions were in charge of the eastern part of Normandy. Their main objective was to capture the city of Caen and advance towards the German Brigades. As for the Americans, their department was on the western side of Normandy and they had intentions to connect the gap by going around to meet up with the Canadian and British armies, trapping the Germans in the centre.
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The action
The very first week after the successful D-day, the Canadian Brigade set out towards the city of Caen. On the way they ran into some fierce opposition from the 12ss Nazi panzer division. At the end of this crusade dozens of Canadian soldiers were murdered and taken as prisoners. Although this was a devastating part of the battle, they had to proceed. On the fourth of July, Operation Windsor, which was the plan to assault the Carpiquet Airport just on the border of the City of Caen’s, was put into action under the direction of General Dempsey. The battle was long and tragic, many Canadian lives were lost, and the battle to this day is known as the “Graveyard of the North Shores”, since this was the battle that had the most amounts of casualties in the entire Campaign. "I am sure that at some time during the attack every man felt he could not go on", a recollection of one of the North Shore soldiers. "Men were being killed or wounded on all sides and the advance seemed pointless as well as hopeless. I never realized ... how far discipline, pride of unit, and above all, pride in oneself and family, can carry a man even when each step forward meant possible death." Luckily, the Allies were successful; capturing this land was an event of the campaign that is difficult to forget. This battle surely was one of the greatest in World War II, the sacrifice, the loss, and service is definitely unforgettable.
Outcome
Throughout the summer months, the Canadian army, which was assisted by the British and Polish, continued to fight battle after battle with mass amounts of artillery. The allies would assault strategic high points just south of Caen, like Vaucelles, Bourguebus Ridge and Verrieres Ridge. The Borrage countryside was the passage way toward the city of Caens. In a way the land took side with the Germans, making it difficult for the allies to break through the strange boxy farmland and tall bushes. With the defence using powerful tiger tanks, and planting camps around the strange terrain, it made advancing extremely difficult.
In early August, the Americans finally won over the enemy lines in the West and were circling towards the East, trekking around the rest of the German army. After this victory, the Allied Forces in Eastern France launched a large pincer movement, which involved the Canadians, the British and Polish to move south and head towards the town of Falaise.
The Falaise Gap, where the Germans were quietly retreating back to Germany, was closed by the Allies on the 20th of August, by linking up the American and Canadian armies who came from the West and the East.
The last days of battle was a barrage of confused German soldiers along with desperate fighting. Soon the battle came to an end on August thirtieth nineteen forty-four. The Canadian allies were able to help capture 150,000 German soldiers. It was hard to believe for many, yet this battle had finally ended.
In early August, the Americans finally won over the enemy lines in the West and were circling towards the East, trekking around the rest of the German army. After this victory, the Allied Forces in Eastern France launched a large pincer movement, which involved the Canadians, the British and Polish to move south and head towards the town of Falaise.
The Falaise Gap, where the Germans were quietly retreating back to Germany, was closed by the Allies on the 20th of August, by linking up the American and Canadian armies who came from the West and the East.
The last days of battle was a barrage of confused German soldiers along with desperate fighting. Soon the battle came to an end on August thirtieth nineteen forty-four. The Canadian allies were able to help capture 150,000 German soldiers. It was hard to believe for many, yet this battle had finally ended.
The sacrifice and length of time that was put into this battle was definitely an amazing and important part of World War ll. The amount of dedication and years of planning definitely payed off. The Allies were strong from the very beginning of D- day, throughout all the battles until the end of closing the Falaise Gap. Through the shell bombing, fighting, and exhaustion, the men still continued. “ We made mistakes. We weren’t all heroes,” the COPP has argued, “But on a balance, the achievements were absolutely enormous.” This battle surely takes us back to look upon the dedicated men that fought for freedom and peace.”
Ernest Coté
Ernest Coté was a Canadian soldier that served in the Royal 22 Regiment as a Platoon Commander. In 1944 D-Day, Ernest flew to Juno Beach after the first regiment of soldiers, exactly 4 hours after the massacre occurred. He declared, “We did not have it as bad as those who first hit the beaches”. When he arrived he saw the mass amount of carnage along Juno Beach.
He returned to Canada after the war and decided to stay in the military and he retired as a General. To this present day he claims one thing that stands out the most in the Normandy Campaign, was how organized the invasion was. He is proud of the men, and has both the unpleasant and good memories that remain with him to this day at his current age of 100.
He returned to Canada after the war and decided to stay in the military and he retired as a General. To this present day he claims one thing that stands out the most in the Normandy Campaign, was how organized the invasion was. He is proud of the men, and has both the unpleasant and good memories that remain with him to this day at his current age of 100.
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MLA formatting by BibMe.org.
"Causes of the Normandy Landing - D-Day." Causes of the Normandy Landing - D-Day. N/A. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dday-overlord.com/eng/causes_landing.htm>.
Clansey, Patrick. "HyperWar: Canada's Battle in Normandy [Chapter 1]." HyperWar: Canada's Battle in Normandy [Chapter 1]. Hyper War Foundation. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Normandy/Normandy-1.html>.
"D-Day and the Battle of Normandy." Veterans Affairs Canada. Canada.ca, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/historical-sheets/d-day>.
Foot, Richard. "Battle of Normandy." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Anthony Wilson Smith, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/normandy-invasion/>.
"Normandy Campaign Timeline - Legion Magazine." Legion Magazine. N/A, 7 May 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <https://legionmagazine.com/en/2009/05/normandy-campaign-timeline/>.
Scott, Joe, Dave Flitton, Charlie McBride, and James Wignall. Documentary. Polygram Video international, N/A. 1 Jan. 1994. Radio.
"THE NORMANDY CAMPAIGN." WarMuseum.ca. N/A. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/chrono/1931normandy_e.shtml>.
"The Battle of Normandy - D-Day - France.com." Francecom The Battle of Normandy DDay Comments. N/A, 31 May 2004. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. <http://www.france.com/a_profile_of_france/french_history_101/battle_normandy_d_day/>.
Warmington, Joe. "Canadian Veteran, 100, Returns to Mark D-Day." Toronto Sun. News Canada, 3 June 2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.torontosun.com/2014/06/03/canadian-veteran-100-returns-to-mark-d-day>.
"Www.canadiansoldiers.com." Www.canadiansoldiers.com. N/A. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/campaigns/northwesteurope/normandy.htm>.
John Whiteclay Chambers II. "Normandy, Invasion of." The Oxford Companion to American Military History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 4 Jan. 2015 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Images:
"Chuckles' Site." Chuckles Site. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://students.concordiashanghai.org/charles2018323/social-studies/world-war-two-battle-okinawa/>.
>Google images
MLA formatting by BibMe.org.