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BOURGUEBUS
Manche
- 4 km south of Caen
The 11st Armoured Division blindée broke through
Mid-July 1944, the German High Command knew a major offensive was
going to be launched east of Caen. On 18 July at dawn, the Allied
bombers stormed the German first lines. The 11st Armoured Division
under General Roberts assaulted at 8 am. The tanks of the 29th Armoured
Brigade crossed the railway Caen/Troarn, then the N13 road. The C
Squadron of the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry lost nearly all its tanks
moving east of Cagny. Le Mesnil Frementel is taken in the middle of
the morning. The 2nd FFY is fired by anti-tanks ambushed in Frenouville,
and stopped dead in front of Bourguebus by German 88 mm. In the beginning
of the afternoon the 23rd Hussars failed in the same place. The situation
became hard when a battalion of the Leibstandarte Adolph Hitler Panzer
Regiment 1 counterattacked, the British pulled back with heavy losses.
In the evening of 18 July the 11st Armoured Division had more than
120 tanks destroyed. On 19 July the attack is renewed, Soliers is
taken. At 5 pm the Cromwell of the 5th Royal Tank Regiment aimed the
ridge of Bourguebus, but they are repelled by Panzergrenadiere of
the Leibstandarte and Tiger of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503. On
20 July at dawn the B Squadron entered Bourguebus, where a Tiger is
destroyed. The town is finally liberated but stayed under German artillery
fire.
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Liberation stele
