THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

The June 2024 theme read is any book or books of your choice that covers D-Day or the Normandy Campaign 1944.

For this month's theme read I am going to be reading this book on the subject; "The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" by Stephen Napier.

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

splendid theme. I will definitely participate.

Has anyone read Sugar Sugar? I stumbled across it by accident- only one Rating on Goodreads. I believe it’s fiction wrt the liberation of Caen.

For the June theme, I choose the book "D-Day: The Air Battle" by Ken Delve.



"In the weeks and months leading up to D-DAY, the RAF and USAAF waged a concerted campaign against German fighter bases, troop depots, road and rail junctions and ammunition and fuel dumps: any target that would impede the German forces' ability to repel the liberating army. This book - the product of detailed research in original documents - tells the story of the D-Day air campaign, with the aid of 200 archive photographs."

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "The June 2024 theme read is any book or books of your choice that covers D-Day or the Normandy Campaign 1944."
As it happens I have just bought Nick Hewitt's Normandy: the Sailors' Story: A Naval History of D-Day and the Battle for France. Looking forward to reading it.

I'll make a start with something local, 50 Div In Normandy:: A Critical Analysis Of The British 50th (Northumbrian) Division On D-Day And In The Battle Of Normandy

I’ll be reading James Holland’s “Normandy ‘44 D-Day And The Battle For France”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Derek, I'm waiting for Nick Hewitt's book to be released here in Australia. I hope its an excellent account, keep us all posted.

Tom wrote: "I’ll be reading James Holland’s “Normandy ‘44 D-Day And The Battle For France”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6..."

A good book for the theme Tom!

Jonny wrote: "I'll make a start with something local, 50 Div In Normandy:: A Critical Analysis Of The British 50th (Northumbrian) Division On D-Day And In The Battle Of Normandy

[bookcover:50 Di..."

Excellent choice Jonny!

KOMET wrote: "For the June theme, I choose the book "D-Day: The Air Battle" by Ken Delve.



"In the weeks and months leading up to D-DAY..."

Nice one Komet!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The author mentioned this incident at Juno Beach - C Squadron, Fort Garry Horse, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade:

"Two tanks from LCT 313 were lost after launching, one fell into a shell hole after having deflated its canvas screen and another was swamped after the tank's motors failed. LCT 37 went all the way in to the beach, and two tanks drove off, but the LCT was then hit repeatedly by shell and mortar fire and drifted back out to sea. Three tanks were still aboard, one of which caught fire and drove into the water (flooding the engine) to extinguish the flames. From this half-submerged position, the tank began to fire 75mm HE (high explosive) in support of infantry until an AP (armour piercing) round struck the barrel of the 75mm gun, putting it out of action. The crew continued to fire their machine guns until the rising tide forced them to abandon their tank. The crews of the remaining two tanks swam to shore from the damaged landing craft to try and organize a tow for their tanks off the landing craft, but this was not successful and several crew members were killed in the process."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

I just finished “Masters of the Air” and I distinctly remember the build up for the invasion of D Day. I have started a new book called “The First Wave” two days ago.

Tate wrote: "I just finished “Masters of the Air” and I distinctly remember the build up for the invasion of D Day. I have started a new book called “The First Wave” two days ago."

"Masters of the Air" was an excellent read. I hope you enjoy "The First Wave", keep us all posted!

My grandfather was actually in D-Day. Don't remember much about what he said about it.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: ""The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The author mentioned this incident at Juno Beach - C Squadron, Fort Garry Horse, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade:

"Two tanks from LCT 313 wer..."

Interesting post Rick, thanks for that one. As my dad said, regardless of how you dress them up, tanks will always be tanks.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - On the recovery of battlefield damaged tanks and their refurbishment back in England:

"Any tanks being backloaded to workshops in the rear or even England had to be checked for any remaining limbs or organs after some tanks reached England with body parts inside, to the horror of the female drivers. To remove body matter, the insides of the tanks were cleaned with disinfectant, detergent and water; in extreme cases the interior was sprayed with a creosote-based solution, which could then be scraped off when hard."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

"The Story of D-Day: June 6, 1944" by Bruce Bliven Jr. was the first book I read about D-DAY in the mid-1970s (when I was a preteen). It helped to deepen what was then my growing interest in the Second World War.



It's incredible to think that we will soon be observing the 80th anniversary of the landings in Normandy. I cannot help but think of my late father, who was then a 19 year old GI whose unit (segregated) was stationed in Hull, England on June 6th, 1944.

Two weeks later, my Dad's unit would sail out of Southampton, England and arrive on Omaha Beach, where, he recalled shortly before his death in March 2019, seeing the bodies of dead GIs washed ashore from D-DAY.

I have the greatest respect for the Second World War generation, who, sadly, will soon be leaving us as their ranks grow smaller and smaller by the day. So much so, that it is probably unlikely that they will be an 85th anniversary D-DAY observance with the dwindling numbers of surviving Second World War veterans.

I decided to join the fun and started this one today:

Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day

I hope you enjoy the book Marc!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Prior to D-Day morale wasn't great in the 7th Armoured Division, some of it was due to widespread discontentment with the Cromwell tank:

"The Cromwell was regarded with deep suspicion as it was British made and must therefore be unreliable compared with the American-made Sherman tank that the division had used in North Africa and Italy. Having been in action since 1941, the 7th Armoured Division had been forced to use every type of British tank produced in the war so far, and the crews were far from impressed with the inferior products of the British tank industry. The Cromwell was small, cramped and had a slab-sided turret compared with the latest German tanks. These objections rather ignored the reality that the Shermans also had larger slab sides and that the Cromwell was faster and had a lower silhouette that the Sherman. Modifications did have to be made to the escape hatches of the Cromwells for them to work properly, however. Whilst being asked to use the new Cromwell, the veterans were also given the new 17-pounder Sherman, the Vc or Firefly, which seemed to contradict all that they were being told about the Cromwell. The Firefly was slower and a larger target that the Cromwells and as a troop of tanks could only move at the pace of the slowest tank, the Vc would slow the faster Cromwells down. There was much debate as to how the Sherman Vc should be used and it was finally decided to allot them one per troop of four tanks, the theory being that the Sherman Vc would hang back and knock out German tanks once they had been located by the tanks in front."

British Cromwell tank:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - An incident during Operation Perch - the fighting at Villers Bocage:

"The tank of the RHQ troop commander, Lieutenant John Cloudsley-Thompson, backed off the road into a farm and tried to engage the Tiger tank as it passed. The Tiger stopped and returned fire immediately; an 88mm shell penetrated the front of the Cromwell, passed between the wireless operator's and driver's heads, just missed the gunner's shoulder and then went between the lieutenant's legs before striking the engine where it exploded, spraying the inside of the tank with flaming fuel and shrapnel. The five occupants bailed out unhurt and hid in the bushes, under machine-gun fire."

Battle of Villers Bocage:
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/art...

'Aussie Rick' wrote: ""The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - An incident during Operation Perch - the fighting at Villers Bocage:

"The tank of the RHQ troop commander, Lieutenant John Cloudsley-Thomps..."

Lucky escape there Rick... not many crews managed to get out intact.

I've finished 50 Div In Normandy:: A Critical Analysis Of The British 50th (Northumbrian) Division On D-Day And In The Battle Of Normandy; fairly slight,but a good brief overview of the Division's activities in Normandy, and a fair assessment in my view. The author gave a good quote in respect of the British performance:

Major Roy Griffiths of the 9th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, attributed the struggles of the veteran divisions in Normandy not to morale, but to the difficult bocage country:

Some books I read after the war about morale of the troops who came back from the desert, that the reason why there was a slow advance in Normandy was because we were rather wary of and inexperienced in the Bocage country because we were so used to the wide open spaces of the desert. But no-one was experienced in the Bocage country.

There were these high hedges at the sides of the roads and no-one was experienced and the people who got the most stick, quite honestly, were the lads in the tanks, because they couldn’t see. They could see straight up the roads, but they couldn’t see over the high hedges and what was in the cornfields... It is true to say, that when we achieved our objectives we were never pushed off. What we took we held always and to say that morale was low in 50th Infantry Division or 7th Armd Div is absolutely arrant nonsense and it makes my blood boil.

There's also the citation for Stan Hollis's VC - the only one awarded on D-Day

Victoria Cross Citation for WO2 Stanley E. Hollis, August 17, 194

On D-Day during an assault on the Mont Fleury battery, CSM Hollis's Company Commander noticed that two of the pill boxes had been by-passed and tasked his CSM to ensure they were cleared. At short range the pill box machine gun opened fire. CSM Hollis instantly rushed box, firing his Sten gun. He jumped on top of the pill box, recharged the magazine, threw a grenade in through the door, fired his Sten gun into the box – killing two Germans and making the remainder prisoners. He then cleared several Germans from a neighbouring trench. By this action he undoubtedly saved his Company from being fired on heavily from the rear, and enabled them to open the main beach exit. Later, in Crepon, the Company encountered a field gun and machine gun. CSM Hollis was put in command of a party to cover an attack on the gun. Hollis pushed forward to engage with a PIAT. He was observed by a sniper who fired and grazed his right cheek and at the same moment the gun swung round and fired at point blank range at the assault party. CSM Hollis moved his party to an alternative position, by which time two of the enemy gun crew had been killed and the gun destroyed. He later found that two of his men had stayed behind and immediately volunteered to get them out. In full view of the enemy, who were continually firing at him, he went forward alone using a Bren gun to distract their attention from the stranded men. Under cover of his diversion, the two men were able to get back. Wherever fighting was heaviest CSM Hollis appeared, and in the course of a magnificent day's work he displayed the utmost gallantry and on two separate occasions his courage and initiative prevented the enemy from holding up the advance at critical stages.

A well-deserved Victoria Cross!

Lack of knowledge and experience about the bocage is also a factor mentioned in my current book.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The aftermath of Villers Bocage:

"There were recriminations at every level. The tank crews were shocked by their first battle in Normandy. Their fast Cromwells had been unable to manoeuvre in the bocage and were then found to be completely useless against the Tiger tanks. Tank commanders had been sniped at continuously as they stood in their turrets straining for better visibility of the countryside around them. None of the division's pre-invasion training had been conducted in terrain resembling the bocage. On the advance to Villers-Bocage, some men had inspected a knocked-out Panther tank and were awestruck: 'I took a good look and decided that I would examine no more of them as it was bad for my morale to see that thick sloping front and the length of the barrel of the gun.' "

Panther Tank - Normandy:
http://tank-photographs.s3-website-eu...

Panther Tank:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/ge...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The author mentioned heavy fighting involving the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) on the 11th of June 1944 that became known as the Black Day of the Hussars:

Black Day of the Hussars:
https://warchronicle.com/first-hussar...

Account of Personal Experiences in Action on Sunday 11 June 44:
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-w...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - An account from Operation Epsom:

During the afternoon, the tanks of the 23rd Hussars had worked their way south around and through Cheux for B and C squadrons to support the attack on Colleville. Just as the Churchills of the 9th RTR were knocked out as soon as they appeared over a ridge, so were the tanks of the Hussars. These were the regiment's first casualties:

Those who witnessed it will always remember the shock of seeing for the first time one of the regiment's tanks go up in flames. One moment an impregnable monster, with perhaps a crew containing some of one's best friends, forging irresistibly towards the enemy; the next a crack of terrific impact, a sheet of flame - and then, where there had been a tank, nothing but a helpless roaring inferno.

Operation Epsom:
https://www.gf9.com/hobby.aspx?art_id...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operati...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Another account from Operation Epsom which provides a vivid reminder what these tank crews suffered during the war and after:

"Sergeant Reay's tank was hit and burst into flames; the sergeant and his gunner jumped out with their clothes alight, only to land on a wire fence. Sergeant Reay rolled around on the ground to extinguish the flames, but he was badly burnt. A half-track from the supporting infantry of the 8th Rifle Brigade picked him up, but on the way to the Regimental Aid Post the half-track was struck and penetrated by an armoured piercing round that hit both his arms. Shipped back to England swathed in bandages, Reay was taken on 4 July to a specialist burns and plastic surgery unit at a hospital in Basingstoke. There he remained, in great pain and unable to see, for two days. A further operation was needed for an aneurism in his left arm as a result of injuries caused by the armour-piercing shell:

My face had begun to heal up and all the burnt skin had peeled off. I was walking down the corridor one morning, having all the dressings removed, when I caught sight of my reflection in a glass door. At first I thought there was someone standing behind me. There was this image, not a hair on his head, eyes all distorted, bottom lip hanging down over his chin, upper lip shrunk right up under his nose, or where his nose should have been, both cheeks in a hell of a mess and both ears missing. I made my way back to the ward and laid on my bed and cried my eyes out. For two days I didn't eat or talk to anyone ... not even my best friends. I didn't sleep for two days and nights trying to think things out. Then I came to a decision. I would make the best of a bad job. At least I was alive. There were lads in Normandy who would never make it out of their tanks.

As if the burns were not enough, Sergeant Reay's lower left arm had to be amputated and his right hand was crippled. The previous day, on the approach to Hill 112, Reay's tank had broken down. Contravening an unwritten rule that a sergeant stayed with his tank, Major Close had ordered him to take over the troop corporal's tank. Previously in England before embarking for the invasion, Sergeant Reay had declared that he had lost his nerve and wanted to leave the army. The response from the commanding officer, Colonel Silvertop, was that Reay had to 'carry on like the rest of us'."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

'Aussie Rick' wrote: ""The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Another account from Operation Epsom which provides a vivid reminder what these tank crews suffered during the war and after:

"Sergeant Rea..."

Certainly it wasn't his day.

"Sword Beach": recognition (at long last) for the efforts of the RN landing crews. Here's the long run in to the beach...

7,000 yards … Currey and Prior-Palmer looked ahead at the still, silent shore. The calmer inshore waters beckoned them closer and the swell rolling LCH 185 this way and that reminded them that every yard could make the difference between success and failure. The Aldis lamp blinked again. On the LCTs, the bridge crews noted the new instruction from 185: ‘Floater 5000’.

Things were moving quickly now. As they ploughed closer to the beach than originally intended, the sea pushed the group further east. The tide was running stronger than expected as well – Amer estimated it to be at least 1 knot running east-south-east. To give the DDs the best chance of making landfall at the right place, Currey ordered a correction further west. As they complied with his signal, each LCT began the struggle to turn – their twin right-handed screws made manoeuvres to starboard more laboured, their flat bottoms struggled for purchase in the sea, and the sterns kicked out as the vessels turned. The line started to waver, but each LCT held its position and started to re-form as they pressed on into the final few thousand yards. On the deck of X-23, Lyne watched as the LCTs passed about 1,000 yards west of him. The tall landing craft were obvious to him, but no one on board them saw the tiny speck of the submarine in the wallowing seas.

At 06:15, the group was as close as Stephenson could estimate to be 5,000 yards off the beach, and 185 slowed. On LCT 461, Lieutenant Commander Crichton, 14 LCT Flotilla’s commanding officer, and Major Derek Wormald, commander of A Squadron 13/18 Hussars, were squeezed into the tiny open bridge. Beside them, pressed variously against the chart table, the compass binnacle or the flag locker, Lieutenant Ramsey, the landing craft’s skipper, struggled to command his vessel and stay out of their way at the same time. All eyes were glued to 185, and as the three men watched, a square blue flag with a central white square was run up her mast. ‘Flag zero,’ muttered Crichton, and Ramsey quickly busied himself getting the vessel stopped

On board each of the landing craft the tank crews suddenly felt the vibration of the engines cease, and as the noise died away, the rumble of the distant guns of the bombardment squadron echoed in the distance. As some men clambered up the coaming to see outside their little prisons, the rattle of the heavy anchor chain came from the stern as it dropped into the sea. Then, from the bow, came the screech of metal as the ramp was lowered, the chains jangling and the hawsers screeching as they unwound from the winches. Men jumped from their viewpoints and clambered on to their tanks. Hurried goodbyes were shouted down the length of the deck, Mae West lifejackets were buckled on and cigarettes stubbed out. Captain Peter Lyon, the second in command of A Squadron, bade farewell to Sub Lieutenant Shan Somerset on the bridge of LCT 444 and returned to the tank deck. As he passed each tank he issued a tot of rum to his men, then clambered aboard his own. One by one the tank engines roared into life. At the bow, the landing craft crew pushed forward the special troughs for the tanks that would help guide them beyond the lip of the main ramp and safely into the water.

D-Day 1944: The deadly failure of Allied heavy bombing on June 6 by Stephen A. Bourque.



"Despite an initial successful attack performed by the Allied forces, the most crucial phase of the operation, which was the assault from the Eighth Air Force against the defenses along the Calvados coast, was disastrous. The bombers missed almost all of their targets, inflicting little damage to the German defenses, which resulted in a high number of casualties among the Allied infantry. The primary cause of this failure is that planners at Eighth Air Force Headquarters changed the aircraft drop times at the last moment, to prevent casualties amongst the landing forces, without notifying either Eisenhower or Doolittle. The book examines this generally forgotten event in detail, answering several fundamental questions: What was the AEAF supposed to accomplish along the Atlantic Wall on D-Day and why did it not achieve its bombardment objectives?

"Offering a new perspective on a little-known air campaign meant to support one of the most famous offensive actions of World War II, this volume is packed with illustrations, maps, and diagrams exploring in detail the features and the ramifications of this mission."

Jonny wrote: ""Sword Beach": recognition (at long last) for the efforts of the RN landing crews. Here's the long run in to the beach...7,000 yards … Currey and Prior-Palmer looked ahead at the still, silent shor..."

Great post Jonny - very atmospheric! I am looking forward to my copy of this book arriving one day soon.

"Sword Beach": one of Hobart's "Funnies" (awful term) go into action:

The DD tanks came ashore in small clusters, squeezing between the LCTs and LCAs. Standing on the hull of his tank, Lance Corporal Patrick Hennessey felt the tracks below him suddenly jar and then bite into the shelving sand of the shore. His crew jumped down to the corner struts of the canvas screen and watched as the water level dropped, agonizingly slowly, until the base of the screen was clear of the rolling surf. The struts were broken and the screen collapsed. The crew hurriedly jumped into their hatches and prepared for action.

Hennessey was already scanning for targets. Along with most of A Squadron he had come ashore on Queen White as planned and had begun the search for any familiar landmarks from the photographs he had studied so intently over the last few days. But there was no time for that now– spotting a weapon protruding from a house just ahead he shouted instructions over the intercom: ‘Seventy- five, HE. Action. Traverse right, steady.’ His gunner dutifully traversed the turret until the 75mm barrel was pointing towards the house. ‘On. Three hundred, white- fronted house, first- floor window, centre.’ The gunner and loader acknowledged, and after a final snatch of a look through his periscope, Hennessey called out, ‘Fire!’ With a sharp crash the gun fired, the recoiling breach rocking the tank backwards as the 75mm shell raced towards its target. Hennessey watched as a brief puff of flame followed by a cloud of smoke and dust erupted from the white house, then immediately began searching for another target.

"Sword Beach" - the first waves very definately ashore;

In just over twenty minutes nearly two entire battalions of infantry and more than a hundred armoured vehicles had come ashore on Queen Red and White Beaches. These units absolutely dwarfed the limited Axis presence on the beach, which was largely confined to the 150 or so men of 4 and 10 Companies sheltering in Skate, Cod and strongpoint 20A. While the nature of an amphibious assault tends to favour the defender– especially those in pre- prepared positions– the sheer weight of the landing at Sword meant that unless reinforcements arrived soon the strongpoints would quickly be surrounded and subdued. Already the East Yorks and South Lancs were nibbling at the edges of Cod, their men bravely overpowering the positions up against the outer wire and making their way further into the trench network while the tanks and AVREs pounded the strongpoint from the beach. In the 75mm bunker at Cod’s north- west corner, the crew heard only the briefest shriek of a shell and, for a fraction of a second, the crump of an explosion before their senses expired. An anonymous tank had managed to plant a shell straight through the open embrasure, silencing the gun that had already caused such chaos on Queen White.

Great posts Jonny, got me itching to read my copy as soon as it arrives!

Jonny wrote: "In the 75mm bunker at Cod’s north- west corner, the crew heard only the briefest shriek of a shell and, for a fraction of a second, the crump of an explosion before their senses expired...."

Very descriptive writing. Very interesting posts Jonny.

Just to paraphrase Komet's second choice of the month, here's Mr Fisher's overview of the effort over Sword:

Even if the skies had been clear over Sword that morning, the chances of the Third Bombardment Division successfully striking their targets were low. The Eighth Air Force was well practised at flying in large formations and laying carpets of bombs over a wide corridor, but trying to pinpoint individual strongpoints, especially when their formations might be flying 200 yards or more apart, was always going to be difficult. The cloud cover significantly altered their chances: relying solely on H2X radar was haphazard, and effectively useless when trying to hit specific targets. Technically described by the USAAF as the overcast bombing technique, it was with good reason that it was known among the crews as blind bombing. The change in orders to avoid bombing their own troops as they landed, and the uncertainty it created in the minds of the bomber crews, was the final nail in the coffin of the aerial bombardment. A total of 224 aircraft dropped 3,494 bombs in the thirty minutes before H- Hour on Sword Beach, but the vast majority fell into empty fields. Even those that hit their targets did little damage: 1,139 were 100lb HE bombs and 2,205 were 500lb HE bombs. While both were effective against targets in the open, the former was useless against concrete installations and the latter only marginally better. Thousand- pounders had a better chance against the Atlantic Wall, but only 150 were dropped– and most missed.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Fighting in the hedgerows of Normandy caused major problems for the Allied tanks but also at times for the Germans. This account covers a German tank column ambushed by American forces:

"A second column of tanks was destroyed on another tree-lined road north of Le Dézert when the first tank and last tanks were knocked out, trapping the remainder, which were then shot up one by one. The long, overhanging barrel of the Panther tanks apparently prevented the tanks from turning their turrets to fire back at the Americans. Bayerlein himself described the Panther tank as not being suitable for use in the bocage, unlike the Mark IV tanks."

The Panzer Lehr Counter-attack at le Désert:
https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.asp...

I read Joseph Balkoski’s Utah Beach and it was fantastic. It was an engaging read and I learned a lot.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Joseph Balkoski’s book on Utah Beach, Joseph!

Josh wrote: "I read Joseph Balkoski’s Utah Beach and it was fantastic. It was an engaging read and I learned a lot."

I agree, a really good read. His book on Omaha Beach is just as good, and his series on the 29th Infantry Division is really good reading as well.

Finished this one last night:

Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day

Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

After finishing that one, started this one:

The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day

Marc wrote: "Finished this one last night:

[book:Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, ..."

I hope that "The Devil's Garden" will be an interesting account, keep us posted Marc!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Fighting in the hedgerows:

Throughout June and the first half of July, most American infantry and armoured officers gained first-hand experience of the bocage and studied the problem of fighting in the hedgerows. The challenge was to combine the mobility and firepower of the separate arms so as to create a combined team that could rapidly fight its way through the hedges of successive fields. An example of the scale of the problem is described in this report from the history of the 17th SS Panzer Division:

At a range of 400-500 metres, an American tank cut a hole in the wall and hedgerow with its cutting spade. The tank commander went into a well-concealed firing position with his tank. An American tank drove through the gap, exhibiting no apparent concern, and out into the meadow. Three more of the same followed. As the fifth one showed itself in the gap, the right moment had come for the tank commander. The first round from his 75mm gun tore the turret off the American. The American tank stayed there, burning, and blocking the gap. The other four then fired in every direction, except at our panzer. Before they had figured out where their enemy was, the tank commander had knocked them all out.

The battle of the hedges:
https://normandy-victory-museum.fr/en...

Chilling post Rick; I've just been listening to James Holland and Al Murray's series of podcasts on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy; they go into the introduction of hedge cutters in some detail. Useful things.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Operation Goodwood and the effects of the RAF heavy bombers:

"As they were engulfed in the inferno, men simply disappeared, torn apart in the maelstrom of high explosives. Heavy Tiger tanks were overturned by the blasts and men cowered in their foxholes or under tanks wondering if they would be next:

As far as my company were concerned, two Tigers were completely neutralised, two others were so badly damaged that they could not be employed. All the tanks were completely covered with earth and the gun sights had been thrown completely out of alignment by the shock effect. Fifteen men of the company were dead, two further had committed suicide during the bombardments; another had to be sent to a mental hospital for observation. The psychological shock of these terrible exchanges remained with us for a long time.

The casualties amongst the infantry were far worse. The 16th Luftwaffe Field Division virtually ceased to exist, shallow infantry foxholes offering no protection to its infantry against the 500-pound bombs of the RAF."

Operation Goodwood:
https://www.gf9.com/hobby.aspx?art_id...

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "The 16th Luftwaffe Field Division virtually ceased to exist, shallow infantry foxholes offering no protection to its infantry against the 500-pound bombs of the RAF..."

Fighting without at least local air superiority has to be so demoralizing when coming under air attack.

It would have been indeed Mike!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Another account from Operation Goodwood covering the advance of British tanks:

"A second hedge just north of Le Mesnil Frementel was reached at about 0900 hours and searching for a gap caused a further delay. Once through this hedge the tanks of the 3rd RTR were in plain sight of the defended farmhouse and anti-tank gunfire began to strike the advancing tanks. The position was defended by panzergrenadiers of the 125th Regiment and Becker's 4th Batterie. Concerned by the firing coming from Le Mesnil Frementel, Major Close of the 3rd RTR radioed that he wanted to stop and shell the buildings but was told to keep going by the 29th Brigade HQ:

This wasn't the usual way to deal with defended villages and I felt most uncomfortable. We were crossing what was virtually a plain at this time and armour-piercing shot was coming from Cagny and Le Prieure. As the shot hurtled over the corn, you could see it rippling, leaving a wake like a torpedo. The paths were so clear that we were able to take evasive action.

Major Close ordered his tanks to fire into Le Mesnil Frementel while on the move. Attempting to bypass the position exposed the thinner armoured, more vulnerable sides of the Shermans to Major Becker's 4th Batterie of assault guns within the farm. The 3rd RTR experienced its first casualties, three Shermans being lost in quick succession."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier