Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrieres-Bourguebus Ridges: Volume I: Operations Goodwood and Atlantic, July 18–22, 1944

Arthur W. Gullachsen

Apr 2022 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Bruce Mann

About this audiobook

South of the Norman city of Caen, the twin features of the Verrieres and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored formation in Normandy: the I. SS-Panzerkorps "Leibstandarte." The resulting battles of late July and early August 1944 saw powerful German defensive counterattacks south of Caen inflict tremendous casualties, regain lost ground, and at times defeat Anglo-Canadian operations in detail. These defeats and the experience of meeting an enemy with near-equal resources exposed a flawed Anglo-Canadian offensive tactical doctrine that was overly dependent on the supremacy of its artillery forces. Furthermore, weaknesses in Allied tank technology inhibited their armored forces from fighting a decisive armored battle. Confronted with the full force of the Panzerwaffe, Anglo-Canadian doctrine at times floundered. In response, the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery units pummeled the German tankers and grenadiers, but despite their best efforts, ground could not be captured by concentrated artillery fire alone. This is a detailed account of the success of I. SS-Panzerkorps' defensive operations, aimed at holding the Verrieres-Bourgebus ridges in late July 1944.

About the author

Arthur W. Gullachsen is an assistant history professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. He has published articles online on the Canadian Army with the Canadian Military History Journal and has provided professional development material for the US Army on the Normandy campaign.

Bruce Mann is an award-winning voice artist and actor. He was born in the UK and now lives in California. His awards include several AudioFile Earphones Awards, two Audie nominations, and an AudioFile Excellence Award.