Launch of Jupiter

On the morning of July 10th, the 130th Brigade, supported by the 9th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), jumped off at 05:30. The objectives for 5th Dorsets this morning were the towns of Les Dauns and Eterville, along with the ruins …

1944-07-10

HOD2

On the morning of July 10th, the 130th Brigade, supported by the 9th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), jumped off at 05:30. The objectives for 5th Dorsets this morning were the towns of Les Dauns and Eterville, along with the ruins at Chateau de Fontaine. After quickly securing the farm complexes at Les Dauns, the British encountered stiff resistance from the 2/22 SS in the horseshoe wood and the ruins of Chateau de Fontaine. Here the West Countrymen had their first taste of the bitter task of digging out a well trained and entrenched enemy yard by yard. Meanwhile on the left flank, the 4th Dorsets were charged with taking Eterville, where1/22 SS was dug in the town, its surrounding orchards, and the ridge overlooking the town. The Dorsets quickly entered the village, but fighting broke down to bloody, house to house fighting. The highly volatile battle caught the attention of the commander of the 5th Coy 12th SS Panzer Division, who violated his company boundaries and charged into the maelstrom, adding further chaos to an already tenuous situation. At 07:45 a message at HO was received that Dorsets had entered Eterville and taken the town. ln reality, Dorsets would spend the rest of the day and into the night trying to wrest control of the town from the SS.

Eterville, France

Operation Jupiter was an offensive by VIII Corps of the British Second Army on 10 to 11 July 1944 during the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. The objective of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, was to capture the villages of Baron-sur-Odon, Fontaine-Étoupefour, Chateau de Fontaine and to recapture Hill 112. An attached brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division would take Éterville, Maltot and the ground up to the River Orne and then the tanks of the 4th Armoured Brigade, supported by infantry, would advance through the captured ground and secure several villages to the west of the River Orne. It was hoped that the initial objectives could be captured by 9:00 a.m., after which the 4th Armoured Brigade would exploit the success.

Wikipedia: Operation Jupiter (1944)

German

British