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  BREAKOUT FROM JUNO

  FIRST CANADIAN ARMY AND THE NORMANDY CAMPAIGN, JULY 4-AUGUST 21, 1944

  MARK ZUEHLKE

  BREAKOUT FROM

  JUNO

  Copyright © 2011 by Mark Zuehlke

  First U.S. edition 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800 -893-5777.

  Douglas & McIntyre

  An imprint of D&M Publishers Inc.

  2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201

  Vancouver BC Canada V5T 4S7

  www.douglas-mcintyre.com

  Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

  ISBN 978-1-55365-325-7 (cloth)

  ISBN 978-1-55365-972-3 (ebook)

  Editing by Kathy Vanderlinden

  Copyediting by Ann-Marie Metten

  Jacket photograph by Lt. Ken Bell, Canada. Dept. of National Defence, Library and Archives Canada, 1967-052 NPC, PA-132727

  Maps by C. Stuart Daniel/Starshell Maps

  Map 8 based on sketch by Lt. Ken Gartley in “Battle Accounts Algonquins, 6–12 August,” 145.2A1013(DI), DHH, DND, and base map Potigny, 2nd ed., scale 1:25,000, 1944 Mar. (France 1:25,000 ; sheet no. 40/14 S.W.) (GSGS : 4347), grid ref 1449

  Photos used with permission from Library and Archives Canada

  We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

  THE CANADIAN BATTLE SERIES*

  On to Victory: The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands, March 23–May 5, 1945

  Operation Husky: The Canadian Invasion of Sicily, July 10–August 7, 1943

  Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign, September 13–November 6, 1944

  Holding Juno: Canada’s Heroic Defence of the D-Day Beaches, June 7–12, 1944

  Juno Beach: Canada’s D-Day Victory: June 6, 1944

  The Gothic Line: Canada’s Month of Hell in World War II Italy

  The Liri Valley: Canada’s World War II Breakthrough to Rome

  Ortona: Canada’s Epic World War II Battle

  OTHER MILITARY HISTORY BOOKS BY MARK ZUEHLKE

  The Canadian Military Atlas: Four Centuries of Conflict from New France to Kosovo (with C. Stuart Daniel)*

  Brave Battalion: The Remarkable Saga of the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) in the First World War

  The Gallant Cause: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939

  For Honour’s Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace

  * Available from D&M Publishers Inc.

  And so I have decided the time has come to have a real “show down” on the eastern flank.

  —General Bernard Law Montgomery, July 14, 1944

  Forward, men! We’ve got to keep going!

  —Major Philip Griffin, Black Watch Regiment of Canada, July 25, 1944

  It was just a job to do because I realized that they were out to get me. If I didn’t stop them, well, I guess that’s the basics, isn’t it, of war? You get the other guy before he gets you … I was never a killer or anything, never wished to kill anyone, but I know I did.

  —Private Albert Clare Huffman, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

  [ CONTENTS ]

  Preface

  Acknowledgements

  Maps

  INTRODUCTION A Formidable Array

  PART ONE: BATTLE FOR CAEN

  1 Little Short of Hell

  2 A Murderous Beating

  3 Hopeless Situation

  4 Day of Revenge

  5 A Terrible Dream

  6 Most Successful Operation

  7 Little Excuse for It

  PART TWO: THE RIDGES

  8 Offensive Spirit

  9 Expensive Victories

  10 Greenhorners

  11 We Need Help

  12 Not a Pleasant Picture

  13 Desperate Move in the Dark

  14 Violence of Battle

  15 A Stone Wall

  16 Simple Plans

  PART THREE: TOTALIZE

  17 Sheer Slaughter

  18 Jaws Dropped

  19 The Fullest Success

  20 Many Anxious Moments

  21 That’ll Be a Tough One

  22 Come What May

  23 What a Stupid Place

  PART FOUR : THE GAP

  24 Without a Hitch

  25 The Mad Charge

  26 A Molten Fire Bath

  27 Guns Chattering

  28 A Little Wild

  29 A Hellhole

  EPILOGUE: The Normandy Campaign in Memory

  APPENDIX A: Principal Commanders in the Normandy Campaign

  APPENDIX B: The Canadian Army in the Normandy Campaign (Combat Units Only)

  APPENDIX C: Canadian Infantry Battalion (Typical Organization)

  APPENDIX D: Canadian Army, German Army, and Waffen-SS Order of Ranks (Lowest to Highest)

  APPENDIX E: Army Decorations

  Notes

  Bibliography

  General Index

  Index of Formations, Units, and Corps

  About the Author

  PREFACE

  THE MONTHS OF July and August 1944 saw the greatest cataclysm of combat on the western European front during all of World War II. More than 2.5 million Americans, Britons, Canadians, Poles, and Germans locked in unrelenting battle within the narrow confines of a small part of Normandy. Here in the blood-soaked farm fields, bocage, woods, towns, and cities, soldiers fought with a desperate fury. Both sides knew the war was being decided in this conflict. When it ended, the Allies advanced towards victory, while the Germans could only delay that inevitability for as long as possible.

  Yet these two months—generally considered the crux of the Normandy Campaign—have always languished in the shadows of World War II history, eclipsed by that longest of days, June 6, 1944. D-Day, the great all-or-nothing gamble of the amphibious invasion of Normandy, is without doubt the climactic event of the western Allies’ war on Germany. Had the Canadians failed at Juno Beach, or the British at Gold and Sword, or the Americans at Utah and Omaha, World War II may have had a different outcome. And so, perhaps rightfully, it is the invasion that captures the popular imagination.

  Despite the violence of the fight to gain the sand and stave off the hard counterattacks that followed from June 7 to 12, the long series of offensive operations in July and August were more costly. Throughout attempts to break free of the beaches and surge into the French heartland, victory was never assured and proved repeatedly elusive—each Canadian win often reversed by a grim and bloody defeat.

  Perhaps that is why this campaign is seldom accorded its unique and rightful place. Breakout from Juno is the first major account of First Canadian Army’s operations over the course of these two months. Generally, this part of the army’s story has been encompassed in accounts running from June 6 to the closing of the Falaise Gap on August 21. A few writers have focused only on one or two specific army operations—Operation Totalize, for example. The result is that much of the scope and significance of the fighting during those forty-eight days has been abbreviated, diminished, and, finally, lost.

  One of the most daunting tasks in telling this story was managing the wealth of historical information available. The Canadian Army generated masses of reports, after-actions accounts, and interviews with office
rs and the occasional other rank to build a record of events. Failures, such as the disastrous July 25 Black Watch attack at Verrières Ridge, were extensively analyzed to determine what went wrong, how such a debacle could be prevented in future, and who, if anyone, was ultimately to blame. All of this information has greatly informed this book.

  But historical records are not enough to bring history to life. For that I turned, once again, to the voices of the veterans. With so few still living and able to discuss their experiences, this book depends more on accounts hunted down in archives and a host of other sources. As before, the task is then to blend official accounts with the personal story. The battlefield is a place of chaos. Often exhausted and disoriented when they were young men fighting for their lives in a foreign land, old soldiers struggled to place a certain incident into the mosaic of an extended campaign. Many times it was access to extensive historical records that enabled a veteran’s unique experience of a few brief moments to be situated in time and place. These personal stories also informed and, in some cases, corrected the “official” accounts.

  The Canadian Battle Series recognizes and honours the experiences and sacrifices of our soldiers during a time when a generation was called upon to step forward in the cause of world freedom. World War II was, as Studs Terkel has written, “the last good war.”1 But it was also a time when many young soldiers from all parts of our sprawling nation went into combat one day after another with only the scantest hope that they and their friends would live to see loved ones and home again.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  RESEARCHING THIS BOOK, as is true for each Canadian Battle Series volume, is not a singular exercise. Many people contribute enthusiastically with their knowledge, time, and memories. Veteran Charles Goodman and I exchanged a series of e-mails and telephone calls discussing some little-documented periods of the South Saskatchewan Regiment’s experiences. It was fortunate he was there and could shed light on those events. Other veterans sent correspondence or provided interviews. Everyone is listed in the bibliography.

  Over the years, Ken MacLeod has gathered a large collection of audio and video interviews with veterans. These include luminary figures, such as Major General George Kitching, but also many soldiers of lower ranks. Ken has graciously shared the entire collection.

  In France, we were fortunate to stay at the Priory in Gouvix (a beautiful old mansion spared destruction when Bomber Command was unable to locate the village due to low cloud and smoke from nearby bomb strikes). Host David Brewer was always able to help with directions to and from various battle sites. The Juno Beach Centre hosted a book signing that was well received.

  Back at home, I was able to call upon two other friends in Normandy to answer questions that arose while I was writing. Paul Woodadge, a D-Day historian and tour guide, helped me sort out the terrain of Bourguébus and Verrières Ridges and offered other helpful advice. Philippe Guérin also brought to bear his considerable knowledge of the campaign, including tracking down the name of the French Resistance guide who was killed while helping the Regina Rifles patrol into Vaucelles on July 18.

  Once again my Dutch colleague, Johan van Doorn, was a great help with assembling the massive spreadsheets required to identify every relevant document at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa that related to the campaign. Many would have been missed without his fine organizational mind. It was a pleasure for us to link up with him and Anneke in Normandy for a few short hours.

  At Library and Archives Canada itself, Paul Marsden also helped with accessing files, and the staff in the records room were always supportive and willing to ensure that someone from far away was not unnecessarily delayed in doing so. It was a similar story at the Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence. Carol Reid at the Canadian War Museum’s archives scoured the collection and provided a good number of interviews with veterans and other material. Staff at Special Collections, University of Victoria, were also very helpful with ensuring that I was able to get digital copies of every interview I sought.

  Research and writing of this book was greatly assisted by a British Columbia Arts Council grant.

  I remain indebted to Scott McIntyre at D&M Publishers Inc. for his unfailing support of the Canadian Battle Series. These are difficult days in the publishing industry, both in Canada and worldwide. Yet Scott remains committed to ensuring that the entire series continues to be available to readers. Kathy Vanderlinden was once again welcome company through the editing process, always a tough job. C. Stuart Daniel of Starshell Maps again stepped forward to provide those so necessary maps. Agent Carolyn Swayze continues to help keep this writing career on course with a steady hand to the financial and business detail tiller.

  In the inanimate realm, thanks to Serena, the U.K. voice of Garmin GPS, for its sometimes extraordinary ability to keep us on course along the many narrow byways and lanes of the Normandy countryside. When in doubt, there’s always another roundabout to circle around until you’re sure.

  Back in the animate realm, I sincerely and gratefully thank my partner, Frances Backhouse, for sharing with me this journey across the vast landscape of a nation’s history of war and also down those Norman byways and lanes. We have stood on a lot of battlefields together over the years, and I hope we continue to do so for many years to come.

  [ INTRODUCTION ]

  A Formidable Array

  MAJOR LOCHART “LOCHIE” Fulton scanned a killing ground. Morning sunlight graced golden wheat fields between the Royal Winnipeg Rifles’ start line and three large hangars on the southern edge of Carpiquet airfield. Arrayed in a tidy west-to-east row, the hangars were the regiment’s objective. Fulton had no eye for the beauty of the day. He saw only a mile of open ground, absent any cover. The waist-high wheat—uncut this summer because of war—offered no concealment. The long, wide, flat ridge that was Hill 112 stood just to the east. German artillery observers up there waited to zero in field guns and mortars the moment his men moved into the open. West of the airfield, the tower of the Abbaye d’Ardenne provided another perch from which fire could be directed against them.1 Fulton was helpless to prevent this fire. He could only lead ‘D’ Company into the wheat, where the dying would once again begin.

  Since Fulton had scrambled out of a landing craft onto the sand of Juno Beach that morning of June 6, 1944, there had been so much dying. By day’s end the Canadians had been six miles inland at a cost of 340 dead and another 574 wounded from a total force of 14,500 men.

  The Canadian advance had been the deepest achieved by Allied forces on D-Day. But it still left them four miles short of their final objective—Carpiquet airfield. The next day a few got within a mile before a fierce German counterattack threw them back. A bloody six-day battle had ensued. The fate of the invasion hung in the balance, as three German panzer divisions tried to drive the Canadians back into the sea. Had they succeeded, the two British beaches on either flank of Juno—Gold and Sword—would have easily been rolled up. Then the American beaches to the west could be eliminated at the Germans’ leisure. Holding Juno cost the Canadians 196 officer and 2,635 other rank casualties. Of these, 72 officers and 945 other ranks died. The casualties left the Canadians incapable of further offensive action until this summer day of July 3.

  After the brilliant success of the landings and days spent fending off counterattacks, the Allied invasion had stalled. Caen, a city of about 54,000, had been the main British D-Day objective. Despite repeated assaults through June, it still remained in German hands. The Americans had fared only marginally better. After quickly linking their Utah and Omaha beachheads, the American drive inland mired in the nightmare maze of hedgerows (bocage) that bordered every Norman farm field and roadside. It took them until June 17 to isolate the Cotentin Peninsula in Brittany, a vital first step in what was to have been a quick dash to secure the major port of Cherbourg. Another nine days had passed before the city was reached, and three more were required before the German defences were completely que
lled. The Allies had hoped to seize an intact port through which to move the majority of their supplies and men. Instead, they won a port that been systematically rendered useless by demolitions.

  Now dependent on bringing all their supplies across the beaches, the Allies faced a supply crisis. Adding to their woes was the damage the ingenious artificial harbours—“Mulberries”—had suffered during a four-day storm that had begun on June 19. The storm destroyed the American Mulberry at Omaha Beach and severely damaged the one at Arromanches-les-Bains, which served the British and Canadians. Hundreds of landing craft had also been wrecked.

  At the end of June, 861,838 Allied troops were crammed into a beachhead bursting at the seams with men, vehicles, and supplies.2 Adding to the congestion were nine British and Canadian Spitfire squadrons from 2nd Tactical Air Force and six American P-47 Thunderbolt squadrons operating from ad hoc landing strips.3

  Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) demanded a breakout. Its staff officers grew increasingly critical of the overall ground commander, General Bernard Law Montgomery, for failing to deliver one—particularly on the British front facing Caen. Montgomery, however, was a victim of a plan that had worked too well.

  With its key crossings over the Orne River, Caen was like a cork bottling up the British-Canadian force. A series of roads radiated from Caen into the French interior. Paris lay just 149 miles distant. Possessing Caen would threaten the capital. Yet winning Caen itself was not enough. To gain sufficient elbow room for manoeuvre, the surrounding countryside must also be taken—especially the ground to the southeast, where Carpiquet airfield stood.