One the great criticism of Operation Neptune was the failure to take Caen.
Often overlooked when Morgan planned Slapstick in 1943,which became Overlord, Caen was always a D day target, that was never changed that is why when Montgomery briefed the Allied commanders on 15th May.
It was highlighted Caen being a target on D day itself, see from the Maps showing D Day objectives, also a map showing the predicted advances in stages of Overlord.
So why wasn’t it achieved?
When Morgan proposed his plan in 1943, the basis of taking Caen on day one was British and Canadians would be facing approximately 20 to 30 Divisions in France, not the 60 that were in the area.
Allied intelligence as good as it was, though were aware of German units, they completely failed in picking up that the Germans had moved Divisions closer to beach heads, they totally missed the 352nd Infantry Division doubling the number of defenders at Omaha and Juno.
They also missed reinforcements to the 716th Division sector North of Caen, including half of the infantry and the anti tank battalion of the 21st Panzer Division, there could not be a “dash inland “ to seize Caen. The Germans were already there in force.
The landings at Sword
Though initially the landings were on time, the weather played a huge part in delays with Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units clearing paths, the unexpected rise in tides also but more pressures on the teams to clear the obstacles ready for Armour to land.
The infantry units landed almost to time, but were delayed for armoured support, which landed 2 hours later than planned, 185 Brigade moved out at 1230 PM. The Suffolk’s within the hour came across the defence position called “Hillman” this was meant to have been damaged or rendered ineffective by allied bombardment. It wasn’t the Suffolk’s would spend the next 7 hours trying to clear Hillman at heavy cost.
The Royal Norfolk’s were forced to make a wide detour around Hillman, A and B company, who lead this flanking maneuver, was fired upon by German machine guns from this position and sustained casualties. Eventually, with the remainder of the battalion they took a even wider detour around the left flank, running into another defensive position called “ Rover”
This stronghold was dominated by a single building and would delay the Norfolk’s even further, Royal Norfolks’ advance, was reduced literally to a crawl at times.
The 2nd King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, supported by tanks and an anti-tank battery, advanced as far as Lebisey wood, barely three miles from the city, astride the last of three main ridges between Caen and the coast.
Around the same time the the 21st Panzer Division launched the only German armoured attack in D Day.
By the time this was stopped there would be no further advance towards Caen on D Day.
The biggest single reason why the British and Canadians advance was so slow was because the Germans committed the necessary resources to stop them.
German doctrine required the commander to determine a point of main effort. In summer 1944 in Normandy the Germans decided, after a war game, that they would put their main effort against Caen.
On D Day itself the German local Commander General Marcks organised the armoured counter attack from Caen. In the following days two more Panzer Divisions were brought up between Caen and Bayeux.
The Germans would continue to reinforce the Caen sector through out June, bringing a whole SS Panzer Corps and about 100 heavy Tiger tanks to face the British and Canadians.
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