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FONTAINE-LE-PIN/POTIGNY
Calvados
- 10 km north of Falaise
"Naprzod!", the revenge of the Polish soldiers
After the liberation of Caen, General Montgomery launched two great
operations which objective is Falaise. On 7 August 1944, Totalize
started out. The British, the Canadians and the Poles attacked under
cover of darkness. On 8 August, both tanks of the 4th Canadian Armoured
Division and the 1st Polish Armoured Division pierced the German lines.
But the Germans used the hedgehog defense tactics in the towns, and
daring counter-attacks; the Canadians lost 43 tanks on hill 111. In
the night of 9-10 August, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of
Canada of the 10th Infantry Brigade took hill 195, north of Potigny.
On 13 August, the Canadians established a bridgehead on the river
Laize at Clair-Tison. On 14, General Montgomery went on towards Falaise
with the Offensive Tractable. After heavy preliminary artillery
shelling of the German lines, General Maczek launched his 1st Armoured
Division towards Potigny and Fontaine-le-Pin. The Polish captured
Assy, the next day the 8th Chasseur pushed back the Germans of the
89th Infantry Division out of Potigny. The 24th Lanciers advanced
towards Ussy, where several Tiger tanks of the SS Panzer-abteilung
102 withdrew and allowed the Poles to liberate Fontaine-le-Pin.
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Argyll and Sutherlands Higlanders stele
Fontaine-le-Pin
Stele
in memory of the soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherlands Higlanders
of Canada Regiment, who captured hill 195, on 10 and 11 August
1944. This regiment liberated Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives with tanks
of the South Alberta Regiment, on 19 August.
Situation : Paris road, 500 meters
north-east of the town
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1st Polish Armoured Division plaque - A. Inglis plaque -
R. Hemmings plaque - Internment plaque - Civilian and military
casualties plaque
Potigny
Several
plaques commemorate the battle of Normandy and World War Two.
The first one is dedicated to soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured
Division who liberated the town in August 1944, the second one
to Major John Alexander Inglis, RAF pilot shot down on 12 June
1944. A third plaque was inaugurated in 1997for the Internment
Day. The last one honours civilian and military casualties in
World War Two.
Situation : on the War Memorial
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Liberation stele
Fontaine-le-Pin
Stele commemorating
the liberation of the town by the Allied troops on 14 August 1944.
Situation : on the place in front of the
church
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