Villers-Bocage

On June 12th, the Second British Army was still searching for a soft spot in the German defenses around Caen. An attempt was made to exploit a gap between the 352nd German Division, driven back from 'Omaha' by the American …

1944-06-12

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On June 12th, the Second British Army was still searching for a soft spot in the German defenses around Caen. An attempt was made to exploit a gap between the 352nd German Division, driven back from 'Omaha' by the American forces, and the 'Panzer Lehr', defending Caen. Good progress was made by the 7th Armored Division; it reached Villers Bocage, but the push came to a halt when the Division's leading elements were ambushed by Tiger tanks of the 501st SS heavy Tank battalion, just outside the small market town. Soon, twenty tanks were lost, including a reported ten credited to the German Tank ace Michael Wittmann alone! After the ambush, the 7 Armoured withdrew to a more secure position. The Second British Army had just lost its best chance of capturing Caen that month.

Villers-Bocage, France

The Battle of Villers-Bocage took place during the Second World War on 13 June 1944, one week after the Normandy Landings, which had begun the Western Allies' conquest of German-occupied France. The battle was the result of a British attempt to improve their position by exploiting a gap in the German defenses west of the city of Caen. After one day of fighting in and around the small town of Villers-Bocage and a second day defending a position outside the town, the British force retreated.

Wikipedia: Battle of Villers-Bocage

German

British

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available