Operation Windsor

The attack was originally intended to take place during the later stages of Operation Epsom, to protect the eastern flank of the main assault but was postponed for a week.Caen was an Operation Overlord goal for I Corps of the Anglo-Canadian Second Army, which landed forces on two Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944, to capture the city and the Carpiquet area.[4][5] For the next three weeks, positional warfare took place around Caen as both sides attacked and counter-attacked for minor tactical advantage on the Anglo-Canadian front and as part of a strategic intent to force the Germans to keep their most powerful armoured units away from the US First Army, as it captured Cherbourg and then pushed southwards through the bocage towards St.[6] From 26–30 June, the Second Army conducted Operation Epsom, with the VIII Corps which had recently arrived from Britain, to outflank Caen from the west and seize the high ground across the Orne near Bretteville-sur-Laize to the south.[13] On the evening of 3 July, the battleship HMS Rodney bombarded the buildings around Carpiquet from the Bay of the Seine at 26,200 yd (24,000 m) range, with fifteen shells from its 16 in (410 mm) guns.[16] The Sherbooke Fusiliers broke through the German minefields and attacked Chateau-St-Louet and Gruchy before withdrawing but the defensive positions of SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 26 remained intact and continued to fire on the North Shores.The battalion moved forward into Carpiquet village, which was occupied by the Chaudières and The North Shore, who attacked German strong points bypassed in the initial assault.[22] The survivors of the RWR were ordered to "execute a sweeping attack by the lower ground around the enemy's left flank", with tank and artillery support, under the impression that the 43rd Division had reached Verson, although this position could not prevent a counter-attack from the south-east.[23] Shortly after midnight, the first of the SS counter-attacks began and although thirteen tanks had been lost the previous day, the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment and the mortars of the Cameron Highlanders defeated the attack and inflicted many casualties.The success of the German defenders in maintaining their hold on the airfield, except for the north end and Carpiquet village, left the Canadians in a salient which was counter-attacked several times.