Hell on Hill 112

by Georges Bernage

Following the failure at Villers-Bocage and a further failure at the end of June 1944 facing Hill 112 at the end of Operation Epsom (the “Battle of the Odon”), Monty relaunched an attack against Hill 112, southwest of Caen, on 10 July 1944. In doing so, he sought to go around the D-Day objective of the capital of lower-Normandy via the south which, at that time, was still held by the Germans. However, as had been the case at Villers-Bocage, British troops failed again at this strategic area against the formidable Tiger tanks. Under artillery barrages, this high ground was fiercely contested at the cost of terrible losses on both sides. Hill 112 would become a veritable “Norman Verdun”, a battle of destruction reminiscent of the hell of the Great War. Richly illustrated, this album presents a precise historical text recounting the operations hour by hour with numerous testimonies, and provides a real film of the fighting accompanied by period photos as well as battlefield equipment, tank profiles and then-and-now photos that make it a real guide to this battlefield.

This book quickly went out of print following its publication in 2008 and this is a long-awaited reprint of a very important battle.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2019

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a bit heavy on large illustrations and small fonts composed in A4 format, this is nevertheless a solid chapter in Monty's battles around Caen, with a passionate then-and-now walk.