Normandy: Hill 112: The Battle of the Odon

by Tim Saunders

This WWII military history and battlefield guide examines a pivotal conflict of the Battle of Normandy—including detailed maps and illustrations. Over a month after the D-Day landings, the Allies were still confined to the Normandy peninsula. The German line was anchored by the medieval town of Caen, which the British were supposed to have occupied on D-Day. The key to capturing Caen was Hill 112, known to the Germans as Kalverienberg, or "Mount Calvary". Under pressure from Churchill, Montgomery launched a major offensive. Unfortunately, German reinforcements began arriving in the Caen area. The British now faced four SS divisions and the Tigers of the 502nd SS Heavy Panzer Regiment. An all-out Allied effort, including heavy bombers and naval bombardment, was required to secure the final victory. This volume details all the action around Hill 112, with numerous illustrations and maps complementing the lively text.

Genres: World War II

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2000

About the author

Tim Saunders MBE MA (1956 - ????) served in the British Army as an officer in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and The Rifles for over 30 years before leaving to become a full time military historian. In his second career he brings together the overlapping spheres of writing, battlefield guiding and military history film making. His intuitive knowledge of warfare and soldiers that is abundantly clear from his insightful and entertaining writing is a result, of his military training, service across the world and his operational experience.
Tim's portfolio of work is wide, with videos from Vikings to WW2 being made with Battlefield History TV and Pen & Sword Digital, variously as presenter, director and editor, His books, now totalling more than twenty title, however, are mainly focused on the Napoleonic Wars and the battles of the Second World War
Tim lives on the edge of the Army's Salisbury Plain Training area and often finds himself writing to the accompaniment of the sound of real tanks and gunfire.

Reviews

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable book by Tim Saunders, on the post-D-Day Normandy campaign (I’ve read a couple of others by him, on similar territory!.

I’m always worried, esp’ at the outset of, that the sheer detail in a book such as this is going to overwhelm me (and in all honesty I think I retain very little of the densely packed info’ presented). But, in the end, I’m very often carried along. Such is the case here. So Saunders must be doing something right!

Hill 112 is a piece of high ground Monty’s forces battled the Germans - many of the latter being SS units - for, both sides ranting and needing the commanding position it gave. So it became a hotly contested and bloody battleground. We have Tiger-phobia, massed artillery, air superiority (Allied, of course), naval bombardments. All sorts!

I feel like I’ve read about this Hill 112 action before? Poss in another book by Saunders? Or perhaps in a book by another author? Either way, the story of the back and forth action seems quite familiar! But I don’t mind reading about the same thing multiple times. In fact I like it. That way one can gradually accrue knowledge on a subject.

This account is detailed, well written, and liberally illustrated with both wartime photos, some more recent images of the terrain as it is now, and quite a few maps. There’s also a glossary of acronyms and initialisms. Despite this latter feature there are still instances of abbreviated terms used in the body of the text that are missing from the glossary!

I enjoy the use Saunders makes of primary sources. They help make the action more vivid. But I also enjoyed the higher level ‘command and control’ aspects. Reading this has made me want to learn more about Monty’s D-Day and Normandy campaign. He’s often criticised (perhaps mostly because of Arnhem?), but his plan of pinning German forces in place so the Americans could break out was very successfully and effective.

Anyway, if you have a strong interest in the Normandy campaign, as I certainly do, then this is definitely worth reading.

[jm mouland-begbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating account

Very well written with articles and influences from both sides. I found it very interesting as have a relative who was killed in 1at July 1944 at the start of Operation Epsom.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but not on the same level as Major How's take on the fighting.

[Aidan Muers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent in detailing every moment and day of the battle, as well individual heroes, role of each regiment and the armoured struggle.

[MR PAUL SPENCER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Detailed

Enjoyed the book lots of detail and the battle well explained worth the read for sure and a description of how to trace the battle fields