Operation Bluecoat was an attack by British Second Army at the Battle of Normandy during World War II, from 30 July 1944 to 7 August 1944. The geographical objectives of the attack were to secure the key road junction of Vire and the high ground of Mont Pinçon. Strategically, the attack was made to support the American exploitation of their breakout on the western flank of the Normandy beachhead. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... July 30 is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Flag of Normandy Normandy (in French: Normandie, and in Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region in northern France. ... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. ... Lieutenant-General Dempsey Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey GBE KCB DSO MC (15th December 1896 - 5th June 1969) was commander of the British Second Army during the D-Day landings in World War II. After graduating from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1915 Dempsey joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment. ... Paul Papa Hausser (October 7, 1880 - December 21, 1972) was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high rank of Lieutenant General in the inter-war Reichswehr, after retirement from regular Army he became the father (thus the nickname “Papa”) of the Waffen-SS and one of its most... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders General-Lieutenant Miles Dempsey, British 3rd Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Hans von Luck, German 21st Panzer Division Strength 28,845 Unknown Casualties 630 Unknown German defense at Ouistreham. ... This article is about the beach codenamed in WWII. For other uses, see Juno Beach (disambiguation) Combatants Canada Germany Commanders Major-General R.F.L. Keller, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Strength 15,000[1] 7,771 Casualties 340 dead, 739 other casualties... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss, German 352nd Static Infantry Division Strength 24,970 Unknown Casualties 400 altogether Unknown This article is about a World War II invasion. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Norman Cota Clarence R. Huebner U.S. 1st Infantry Division U.S. 29th Infantry Division Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division Strength 43,250 Unknown Casualties 3,336 1,200 The build-up of Omaha Beach: reinforcements of men and equipment moving inland. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Raymond O. Barton Theodore Roosevelt Jr U.S. 4th Infantry Division Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division German 709th Infantry Division Strength 32,000  ? Casualties 700 Unknown American assault troops move onto Utah Beach, carrying full equipment. ... Pegasus Bridge before its replacement Pegasus was the name given to a bridge over the Caen canal, near the town of Ouistreham. ... Pointe du Hocs location Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by 9th Air Force bombers. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Richard Winters unknown Strength 13 60+ Casualties 4 dead, 6 wounded 15 dead, 12 prisoner, Wounded unknown The Brécourt Manor Assault (June 6, 1944) during Operation Chicago of the Normandy Invasion of World War II is often cited as a classic example of small... During World War II, Operation Chicago was carried out by the Allies in 1944. ... The Battle of Villers-Bocage (June 13, 1944) was an unusual clash between the British and Germans in northern France during World War II. Michael Wittmann, an SS-Obersturmführer, led a unit of six PzKpfw VI Tiger tanks of the 501st Battalion to secure the N175 road near Villers... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders J. Lawton Collins Friedrich Dollman Strength Unknown 40,000 Casualties 2,800 killed, 5,700 missing, 13,500 wounded 39,000 captured The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II, it was fought immediately after the successful Allied... Combatants Allied Powers Nazi Germany Commanders Lieutenant General Richard OConnor SS General Paul Hausser Strength 1 armoured division 3 infantry divisions 1 armoured brigade 2 SS Panzer Divisions 5 Panzer battlegroups Casualties British VIII Corps 4,020 12th SS Panzer Regiment 324 25th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 383 26th... Operation Goodwood was an Allied military operation of World War II from July 18 to 20 July 1944 taking place in Normandy some weeks following D-Day. ... During World War II, Operation Atlantic (Allies, 1944) was a Canadian offensive, part of the British great breakout tentative (Operation Goodwood) during the Battle of Normandy, on June 19th. ... During World War II, Operation Spring (Allies, 1944) enabled to secure territory gains around Caen and its surroundings during the Battle of Normandy, after Operation Goodwood. ... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders General Omar Bradley, General George S. Patton SS General Paul Hausser Strength 8 infantry divisions, 4 armoured divisions 2 infantry divisions, 11 infantry battlegroups, 2 Panzer Divisions, 1 Panzergrenadier Division Casualties Unknown Unknown Operation Cobra was the codename for the World War II operation planned... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Hans von Kluge Strength 5 infantry divisions, 3 armoured combat commands 3 Panzer Divisions, 2 infantry divisions, 5 panzer or infantry battlegroups Casualties N/A N/A Operation Lüttich was a counterattack launched by German forces on the left flank of the... Combatants First Canadian Army Germany Commanders Lieutenant General Guy Simonds SS General Kurt Meyer Strength 2 infantry divisions, 2 armoured divisions, 2 armoured brigades 3 infantry divisions, 1 SS Panzer Division During World War II, Operation Totalise (Allies, 1944) was a ground attack on 7 August 1944 by British, Canadian... Operation Tractable was a military operation commanded by II Canadian Corps in Normandy in August 1944. ... Combatants North: United Kingdom Canada Polish Army in the West South: United States Free French Forces Nazi Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Omar Bradley Guy Simonds George Patton Günther von Kluge Walter Model Strength unknown 150,000 Casualties Canadian: 18,500 Polish: 2,300 U.S and French: unknown 10... This article is about the Second World War battle for Brest. ... The Liberation of Paris in World War II took place in late August 1944 after the battle of Normandy. ... The British Second Army was extant in both World Wars. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... July 30 is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Vire is a commune and a canton of the département of Calvados, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ...

Situation

On July 25, the American army broke out of the beachhead, in Operation Cobra. With Operation Goodwood, the British and Canadian troops had caused the bulk of the German forces to be concentrated south of Caen. This prevented further progress south to be made here, and so the armour of the British Second Army under Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey,was switched westward towards Villers-Bocage adjacent to the American army. Originally, he planned to attack on August 2, but the speed of events forced him to advance the date. July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders General Omar Bradley, General George S. Patton SS General Paul Hausser Strength 8 infantry divisions, 4 armoured divisions 2 infantry divisions, 11 infantry battlegroups, 2 Panzer Divisions, 1 Panzergrenadier Division Casualties Unknown Unknown Operation Cobra was the codename for the World War II operation planned... Operation Goodwood was an Allied military operation of World War II from July 18 to 20 July 1944 taking place in Normandy some weeks following D-Day. ... The British Second Army was extant in both World Wars. ... Lieutenant-General Dempsey Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey GBE KCB DSO MC (15th December 1896 - 5th June 1969) was commander of the British Second Army during the D-Day landings in World War II. After graduating from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1915 Dempsey joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment. ... Villers-Bocage is the name of several communes in France: Villers-Bocage, in the Calvados département, in Normandy, and the site of the Battle of Villers-Bocage Villers-Bocage, in the Somme département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Initially, only two German infantry divisions held the intended attack frontage, south and east of Caumont, although they had laid extensive minefields and constructed substantial defences. They also occupied ideal terrain for defence, the bocage. Caumont is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Caumont, in the Aisne département Caumont, in the Ariège département Caumont, in the Eure département Caumont, in the Gers département Caumont, in the Gironde département Caumont, in the Pas-de... Bocage is a French word referring to a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, with tortuous side-roads and lanes bounded on both sides by banks surmounted with high thick hedgerows limiting visibility. ...

The Attack

A preliminary bombardment by over 1,000 bombers was supposed to prepare the way for the attack. The weather was poor, and many of the bombers could not find their targets. When the attack followed up, many units were held up by minefields and steep gullies, but in the centre, the attackers gained five miles.

On the next day (July 31), units of British 11th Armoured Division captured a bridge over the River Soulevre intact, and broke up the first German armoured units sent to counter-attack. July 31 is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... British 11th Armoured Division: The Black Bull. ...

British forces were now only five miles from Vire, but this was on the American side of the boundary between the British and American armies, and the British attack was diverted south-east. This gave the German Seventh Army time to regroup, and move SS Panzer Divisions to reinforce their defences. Vire is a commune and a canton of the département of Calvados, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... The German Seventh Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ...

End of the Operation

The British advance was held up by these reinforcements. British VIII Corps also had to protect its own eastern flank, because British XXX Corps had not maintained the same rate of advance. (The Corps commander, Gerard Bucknall was dismissed on August 2 and the commander of 7th Armoured Division, George Erskine, relieved of command the next day.) The advance was brought to a temporary halt on August 4. The British VIII Corps was an army corps formation that existed during World War I and World War II. World War I The VIII Corps was first formed at Gallipoli during World War I. The main British battle front was at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. ... The XXX Corps was an infantry corps in the British Army. ... Lieutenant-General Gerard Corfield Bucknall, CB, MC (1894 - 1980) was a British Army officer and corps commander during World War II. In 1914, during the First World War, Bucknall was commissioned in The Middlesex Regiment with whom he served in France with some distinction. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ...

After renewed efforts, Vire fell to British and American forces on August 6. On the same day, British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division captured Mont Pinçon. August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division first formed in 1908. ...

Results

Operation Bluecoat drew substantial forces away from the projected German counter-attack at Avranches, and contributed substantially to the later encirclement of the German forces at the Falaise Pocket. Avranches is a commune of Normandy, France, in the Manche département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Combatants North: United Kingdom Canada Polish Army in the West South: United States Free French Forces Nazi Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Omar Bradley Guy Simonds George Patton Günther von Kluge Walter Model Strength unknown 150,000 Casualties Canadian: 18,500 Polish: 2,300 U.S and French: unknown 10...

Forces

British
British Second Army The British Second Army was extant in both World Wars. ...

British VIII Corps

British 15th (Scottish) Division

British Guards Armoured Division

British 11th Armoured Division

British 6th Guards Armoured Brigade

British XXX Corps

British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division

British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

British 7th Armoured Division

British 8th Armoured Brigade

German
initially present: German Fifth Panzer Army The British VIII Corps was an army corps formation that existed during World War I and World War II. World War I The VIII Corps was first formed at Gallipoli during World War I. The main British battle front was at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. ... The British 15th (Scottish) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. ... The Guards Armoured Division was formed on 17 June 1941. ... British 11th Armoured Division: The Black Bull. ... The 6th Guards Brigade was a First and Second World War British Army Brigade. ... The XXX Corps was an infantry corps in the British Army. ... The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division first formed in 1908. ... // British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division History This formation was sent to France in 1940 as a Territorial Army division, and was involved in the evacuation at Dunkirk. ... The 7th Armoured Division (known as the Desert Rats) of the British Army was the most famous unit of its type in British service during World War II. It was a regular division in the Middle East, designated the Mobile Division at first, renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) in September... The 8th Armoured Brigade was a Second World War British Army brigade. ... 5. ...

German XLVII Panzer Corps (part)

German 276th Infantry Division

German 326th Infantry Division

reinforcements: German Seventh Army The German Seventh Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ...

II SS Panzer Corps

9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen

10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg

German 21st Panzer Division

1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (part)

The II.SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. // Formation - Kharkov The II.SS-Panzerkorps was formed in July 1942 in Bergen in The Netherlands as SS-Panzer-Generalkommando. ... The official cuff title worn by men of 9. ... The 10. ... The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the Battles of El Alamenein (1942) and Normandy (1944) during World War II. Created as 5th Light Division or 5th Light Afrika Division in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoc collection of smaller... The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German for Adolf Hitlers Bodyguard Regiment) was a unit of the SS. It was a Waffen SS security and combat formation which saw action on both the Eastern and Western fronts during World War II. As its name suggested, the Leibstandarte started life in...

Notable Actions

• Night attack by 5th DCLI on Les Plessis Grimoult, south of Mont Pinçon.
• Destruction of most of a Squadron from 6th Guards Tank Brigade by Jagdpanthers from 654 schwere Panzerjägerabteilung

The Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry was the 32nd Regiment of Foot of the British Army. ... The Jagdpanther (Hunting Panther) was a tank destroyer built by Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. ...

References

• UK MoD Brochure on Normandy
• Jary, Sydney '18 Platoon'
• Delaforce, Patrick 'The Black Bull'
• Delaforce, Patrick 'The Fighting Wessex Wyvern'
• The Struggle For Europe, Chester Wilmot, Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1997

Links

• Operation Bluecoat at memorial-montormel.org
• History of 11^th armoured division at memorial-montormel.org
• D-Day Tanks Website
• Les Plessis Grimoult (French website