The Scottish Corridor

After the set back of Operation Perch at Villers-Bocage, Montgomery launched a new offensive with VIIIth British Corps in order to outflank Caen on the right. On June 26, Operation Epsom began with an infantry attack; the 15th Scottish Division …

1944-06-26

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After the set back of Operation Perch at Villers-Bocage, Montgomery launched a new offensive with VIIIth British Corps in order to outflank Caen on the right. On June 26, Operation Epsom began with an infantry attack; the 15th Scottish Division was ordered to reach the Odon river and open the way for the 11th Armoured Division. On the German front lines, the 26.SS PanzerGrenadier Regiment and the 12.SS Panzerpionier Battalion were progressively annihilated despite fanatical Resistance by the Waffen-SS and several attempted armored counter-attacks. Losses were heavy on both sides. On the 27th, the British captured the Tourmauville bridge, allowing the tanks of 11th Armoured Division to cross the Odon and advance towards Hill 112. But the timely arrival on the battlefield of II.SS Panzer Korps, composed of two SS panzer divisions, stopped the British offensive; the front was now locked on Hill 112 for several weeks.

Tourmauville, France

Operation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a British offensive in the Second World War between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the German-occupied city of Caen, an important Allied objective, in the early stages of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of north-west Europe. Preceded by Operation Martlet to secure the right flank of the advance, Operation Epsom began early on 26 June, with units of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division advancing behind a rolling artillery barrage. Air cover was sporadic for much of the operation, because poor weather in England forced the last-minute cancellation of bomber support. Accompanied by the 3ist Tank Brigade, the 15th (Scottish) Division made steady progress and by the end of the first day had overrun much of the German outpost line, although some difficulties remained in securing the flanks. In mutually-costly fighting over the following two days, a foothold was secured across the River Odon and efforts were made to expand this, by capturing tactically valuable points around the salient and moving up the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. By 30 June, after German counter-attacks, some of the British forces across the river were withdrawn and the captured ground consolidated, bringing the operation to a close.

Wikipedia: Operation Epsom

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