Wittmanns Final Battle

To prevent the Germans from making an orderly withdrawal in the face of the American advance, the Allied land commander, General Montgomery, ordered the Canadian army to break through south of Caen and advance on Falaise in what they called …

1944-08-07

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To prevent the Germans from making an orderly withdrawal in the face of the American advance, the Allied land commander, General Montgomery, ordered the Canadian army to break through south of Caen and advance on Falaise in what they called Operation Totalize. Lieutenant General Guy Simonds needed to move fast with his Canadian II Corps but also had to be careful of the German anti-tank guns that were deployed in depth between his men and their objective. As a result, Simonds invented the Kangaroo, a M7 Priest with its gun removed that was used to move his infantry forward quickly and safely. Under the cover of darkness on August 8, and with no artillery support, the attack got under way. The Canadians broke through the Germans lines and captured vital positions but were forced to stop when their inexperienced reinforcements were delayed because of German counter-attacks. The famed German tank commander Michael Wittmann, much feared by the Allies, added to Simonds problems. Little did they know that by the end of the battle Wittmann would be dead.

Potigny, France

Michael Wittmann was a German Waffen-SS tank commander during the Second World War. He is known for his ambush of elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, during the Battle of Villers-Bocage on 13 June 1944. While in command of a Tiger I tank, Wittmann destroyed up to fourteen tanks and fifteen personnel carriers, along with two anti-tank guns, within the space of fifteen minutes. The news was picked up and disseminated by the Nazi propaganda machine and added to Wittmann's stature in Germany.

Wikipedia: Michael Wittmann

German

Canadian

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified