Operation Totalise
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Current revision
Note: In North American texts, this often appears as "Operation Totalize".
During World War II, Operation Totalise (Allies, 1944) was a ground attack on 7 August, 1944 by British, Canadian and Polish forces to breakout from the Normandy beachhead along the Caen-Falaise road. Although the attack failed in its objective, it did serve as a spoiling attack, disrupting German forces massing for the Operation Lüttich attack.
Operation Bluecoat, a British operation begun on 30 July, caused several German armoured units to be committed, leaving only the reinforced 12th SS Panzer Division defending the Caen area. General Montgomery ordered II Canadian Corps, reinforced by the 51st Highland Division and 1st Polish Armoured Division, to advance on Falaise. The main German defenders of the Canadian sector were the 85th Infantry Division who had recently moved into position.
The operational plan called for a night attack without preliminary artillery bombardment. Aircraft of Bomber Command were to attack the flanks first, with artillery remaining silent until the attackers had crossed the Start Line.
Though they did not reach Falaise, Allied troops advanced eight miles and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy for 560 dead and 1,600 wounded.
Notable facts
Totalise was the first operation in history commanded by a Canadian army-level headquarters; First Canadian Army became operational on the Continent just days before.
Totalise featured several tactical innovations.
- Night attacks were fairly uncommon in the Second World War, but the disparity of effective range of German and Allied tank and anti-tank weapons made daylight attacks costly. As an aid to navigation in a risky nighttime operation, "artificial moonlight" was used with light anti-aircraft units firing tracer parallel to the route of advance. Radio frequencies were also used to assist in station keeping.
- Under the direction of General G.G. Simonds, GOC of II Canadian Corps, the Canadian Army pioneered the use of armoured, full-tracked armored personnel carriers in this battle. When the self-propelled guns of the Third Canadian Infantry Division were withdrawn to restore the regiments to their pre-Invasion war establishment, the now-redundant (M7 Priests) had their guns removed and the vehicles fitted as APCs, known as Kangaroos. The vehicles helped shelter assault troops from the effects of shellfire.
Operation Totalise was followed by Operation Tractable.
Sources
- No Holding Back by Brian Reid is the best account of this battle to date. ISBN 1896941400