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Normandy 1944: The Fight for Point 103, Tilly-sur-Seulles and Vilers Bocage
The story of the fighting in Normandy by the veteran formations brought back by Montgomery from the Mediterranean to spearhead the invasion.
This is the story of the fighting in Normandy by the veteran desert formations brought back by Montgomery from the Mediterranean in order to spearhead the invasion; 50th Infantry and 7th Armoured divisions, plus 4th Armoured Brigade. Heavily reinforced by individuals and fresh units, their task beyond the beaches was to push south to Villers Bocage with armour on the evening of D Day in order to disrupt German counter-attacks on the beachhead.
Difficulties on 50th Division’s beaches and lost opportunities allowed time for the 12th Hitlerjugend SS Panzer Division and the equally elite 130th Panzer Lehr Division to arrive in Normandy, despite delays of their own caused by allied fighter bombers. The result was 4th Armoured Brigade’s thrust south encountered opposition from the start and was firmly blocked just south of Point 103 after an advance of less than 5 miles.
A major counter-attack by Panzer Lehr failed, as did a renewed British attempt, this time by the vaunted 7th Armoured Division, which was halted at Tilly sur Seulles. From here the fighting became a progressively attritional struggle in the hedgerows of the Bocage country south of Bayeux. More and more units were drawn into the fighting, which steadily extended west. Finally, an opportunity, via the Caumont Gap, to outflank the German defences was taken and 7th Armoured Division reached Villers Bocage. Here the County of London Yeomanry encountered the newly arrived Tigers of Michael Wittmann, with disastrous results. The Desert Rats were forced to withdraw having lost much of their reputation.
There then followed what the battalions of 50th Division describe as their ‘most unpleasant period of the war’, in bitter fighting, at often very close quarters, for the ‘next hedgerow’.
This is the story of the fighting in Normandy by the veteran desert formations brought back by Montgomery from the Mediterranean in order to spearhead the invasion; 50th Infantry and 7th Armoured divisions, plus 4th Armoured Brigade. Heavily reinforced by individuals and fresh units, their task beyond the beaches was to push south to Villers Bocage with armour on the evening of D Day in order to disrupt German counter-attacks on the beachhead.
Difficulties on 50th Division’s beaches and lost opportunities allowed time for the 12th Hitlerjugend SS Panzer Division and the equally elite 130th Panzer Lehr Division to arrive in Normandy, despite delays of their own caused by allied fighter bombers. The result was 4th Armoured Brigade’s thrust south encountered opposition from the start and was firmly blocked just south of Point 103 after an advance of less than 5 miles.
A major counter-attack by Panzer Lehr failed, as did a renewed British attempt, this time by the vaunted 7th Armoured Division, which was halted at Tilly sur Seulles. From here the fighting became a progressively attritional struggle in the hedgerows of the Bocage country south of Bayeux. More and more units were drawn into the fighting, which steadily extended west. Finally, an opportunity, via the Caumont Gap, to outflank the German defences was taken and 7th Armoured Division reached Villers Bocage. Here the County of London Yeomanry encountered the newly arrived Tigers of Michael Wittmann, with disastrous results. The Desert Rats were forced to withdraw having lost much of their reputation.
There then followed what the battalions of 50th Division describe as their ‘most unpleasant period of the war’, in bitter fighting, at often very close quarters, for the ‘next hedgerow’.
- GenresWorld War IIHistory
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 26, 2021
29 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Tim Saunders
179 books11 followersTim 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 11, 2023
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Normandy campaign in 1944 that the British struggled to reach their inland objectives on D-Day and beyond. But how and why that was the case requires careful explanation. In Battle for the Bocage, Tim Saunders narrates a detailed story of men learning to fight in a hostile and unfamiliar environment while under intense pressure.
Saunders makes the argument that the British army on D-Day was not as veteran as usually stated. Moreover, those men that had fought in the desert war were unprepared for what awaited them in Normandy. That is worth remembering as Saunders takes us into D-Day where chaos ensued on the beaches and the invading force slipped behind Montgomery’s ambitious timetable. As they overcame the beach defences and pushed inland into bocage country, the British met with congested narrow roads, snipers, anti-tank guns, well-placed machine-gun positions and numerous other obstacles, not to mention they were often facing SS troops with better tanks who were intent on counter-attacking at every opportunity. Saunders notes that the Germans had their problems too: command problems, poor deployment at times, mechanical issues, and general disarray as might have been expected when under incessant naval gunfire, artillery, and air attacks with bombs and rockets. Nevertheless, despite all that and considerable losses, the Germans maintained a capable defence for many days after D-Day. Both sides wore down, physically and psychologically, but Saunders highlights that the British could rest and recover while replacements entered the lines, luxuries not afforded to the Germans. The British also learned on the job, developing better tactics, but even then, by 19 June, when they captured Tilly, the British 50th Division was played out and Saunders’ narrative ends. Along the way, he covers notable events such as the actions at Tiger Hill and Essex Woods, and Wittman’s infamous, spectacular attack on a British column with Tigers on 13 June. Saunders’ book concludes with appendices for Orders of Battle, an extract from 8 Armoured Brigade’s Operation Order, a chronology of the 101st Schwere Panzer Battalion’s route to Normandy, a note on Tiger reliability, a Situation Report from 7th Armoured Division, and a comparison of British and German ranks.
Battle for the Bocage is a comprehensive account of the British army’s efforts on D-Day and the following fortnight as they became entangled in the Normandy hedges. Saunders narrates the action from top to bottom but with an emphasis on those doing the fighting. He deploys a wide range of sources and is ably supported by an array of excellent photographs and maps. There are times, however, where he becomes a commentator, letting his selected quotes do too much of the work. Moreover, Saunders sometimes drifts to include topics that distract from his narrative when a simple note would have sufficed. That said, anyone wanting to know about the British army in Normandy will find this a more than useful book.
Saunders makes the argument that the British army on D-Day was not as veteran as usually stated. Moreover, those men that had fought in the desert war were unprepared for what awaited them in Normandy. That is worth remembering as Saunders takes us into D-Day where chaos ensued on the beaches and the invading force slipped behind Montgomery’s ambitious timetable. As they overcame the beach defences and pushed inland into bocage country, the British met with congested narrow roads, snipers, anti-tank guns, well-placed machine-gun positions and numerous other obstacles, not to mention they were often facing SS troops with better tanks who were intent on counter-attacking at every opportunity. Saunders notes that the Germans had their problems too: command problems, poor deployment at times, mechanical issues, and general disarray as might have been expected when under incessant naval gunfire, artillery, and air attacks with bombs and rockets. Nevertheless, despite all that and considerable losses, the Germans maintained a capable defence for many days after D-Day. Both sides wore down, physically and psychologically, but Saunders highlights that the British could rest and recover while replacements entered the lines, luxuries not afforded to the Germans. The British also learned on the job, developing better tactics, but even then, by 19 June, when they captured Tilly, the British 50th Division was played out and Saunders’ narrative ends. Along the way, he covers notable events such as the actions at Tiger Hill and Essex Woods, and Wittman’s infamous, spectacular attack on a British column with Tigers on 13 June. Saunders’ book concludes with appendices for Orders of Battle, an extract from 8 Armoured Brigade’s Operation Order, a chronology of the 101st Schwere Panzer Battalion’s route to Normandy, a note on Tiger reliability, a Situation Report from 7th Armoured Division, and a comparison of British and German ranks.
Battle for the Bocage is a comprehensive account of the British army’s efforts on D-Day and the following fortnight as they became entangled in the Normandy hedges. Saunders narrates the action from top to bottom but with an emphasis on those doing the fighting. He deploys a wide range of sources and is ably supported by an array of excellent photographs and maps. There are times, however, where he becomes a commentator, letting his selected quotes do too much of the work. Moreover, Saunders sometimes drifts to include topics that distract from his narrative when a simple note would have sufficed. That said, anyone wanting to know about the British army in Normandy will find this a more than useful book.
March 30, 2024
Great Details
Loved the book great details of the route travelled great incite into the struggle of the 50th Division.
The level of explanation is brilliant and to think picking strawberries in the heat of battle.
Loved the book great details of the route travelled great incite into the struggle of the 50th Division.
The level of explanation is brilliant and to think picking strawberries in the heat of battle.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews