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GRENTHEVILLE
Calvados
- 4 km south-east of Caen
The breakthrough of the 11st Armoured Division tanks
“We are enthusiastic about your plan...”, so answered
General Eisenhower to the announcement of General Montgomery's offensive
west of the river Orne. The Operation Goodwood got
massive air support. On 18 July, at 7:30 a.m., the B24 of the 8th
US Air Force dropped a large area from Grentheville to Bourguebus.
The Germans were in hell, the first front line held by the 16th Luftwaffen-Feld-Division
is crushed. Around 9 a.m. tanks of the 11st Armoured Division moved
toward Le Mesnil Frementel, the C Squadron of the 2nd Fife and Forfar
Yeomanry lost 18 Sherman in front of Cagny. At 11:30 a. m. Le Mesnil
Frementel was captured and a hundred grenadiere of the 21st Panzer-Division
were taken prisonners. Facing German selfpropelled antitank guns and
artillery, the British - tanks of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and
the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry - bypassed Grentheville to the west
and the east. Around midday the Germans were overwhelmed and started
to withdraw into Soliers. The 3rd Battery of the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung
200 held the town till 3 p.m.. The British entered Grentheville at
the end of the afternoon.
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11st Armoured Division stele
