Operation Spring

The Battle of Verrières Ridge was a series of engagements fought as part of the Battle of Normandy, in Calvados, during the Second World War. The main combatants were two Canadian infantry divisions—with additional support from the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade—against elements of three German SS Panzer divisions. The battle was part of the British and Canadian tacks south of Caen, and took place from 19 to 25 July 1944, being part of Operation Atlantic (18–21 July) and Operation Spring (25–27 July). The immediate Allied objective was Verrières Ridge, a belt of high ground which dominates the route from Caen to Falaise. The ridge was occupied by battle-hardened German veterans, who had fallen back from Caen and entrenched to form a strong defensive position. Over the course of six days, substantial Canadian and British forces made repeated attempts to capture the ridge. Strict German adherence to defensive doctrine, as well as strong and effective counterattacks by Panzer formations, resulted in many Allied casualties for little tactical gain.From the perspective of the First Canadian Army, the battle is remembered for its tactical and strategic miscalculations—the most notable being a highly controversial attack by The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada on 25 July, in which 315 of its 325 soldiers were killed, wounded or captured. This attack—the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the 1942 Dieppe Raid—has become one of the most contentious and critically analysed events in Canadian military history. While failing to achieve its original objective, an important strategic result of the Battle of Verrières Ridge was to aid the overwhelmingly successful Operation Cobra, by tying down powerful German Panzer formations that might otherwise have been moved to counter-attack Cobra.

Rocquancourt (French pronunciation: [ʁɔkɑ̃kuʁ] ) is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Castine-en-Plaine.

Castine-en-Plaine (French pronunciation: [kastin ɑ̃ plɛn], literally Limestone in Plain) is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2019 by merger of the former communes of Hubert-Folie, Rocquancourt and Tilly-la-Campagne.

Fontenay-le-Marmion (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃tnɛ lə maʁmjɔ̃] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Hubert-Folie (French pronunciation: [ybɛʁ fɔli] ) is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Castine-en-Plaine.

Tilly-la-Campagne (French pronunciation: [tiji la kɑ̃paɲ] ) is a former commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Castine-en-Plaine.

The canton of Ifs is an administrative division of the Calvados department, northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Ifs.

Ifs (French pronunciation: [if] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Bourguébus (French pronunciation: [buʁɡeby]) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Saint-Martin-de-Fontenay (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ maʁtɛ̃ də fɔ̃tnɛ] ) is a commune in the Calvados department, region of Normandy, northwestern France.

May-sur-Orne (French pronunciation: [mɛ syʁ ɔʁn] , literally May on Orne) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a result of the Norman conquest of England, the dukes of Normandy were usually also kings of England, the only exceptions being Dukes Robert Curthose (1087–1106), Geoffrey Plantagenet (1144–1150), and Henry II (1150–1152), who became king of England in 1154. In 1202, Philip II of France declared Normandy forfeit to him and seized it by force of arms in 1204. It remained disputed territory until the Treaty of Paris of 1259, when the English sovereign ceded his claim except for the Channel Islands; i.e., the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, and their dependencies (including Sark). In the Kingdom of France, the duchy was occasionally set apart as an appanage to be ruled by a member of the royal family. After 1469, however, it was permanently united to the royal domain, although the title was occasionally conferred as an honorific upon junior members of the royal family. The last French duke of Normandy in this sense was Louis-Charles, duke from 1785 to 1792. The title "Duke of Normandy" continues to be used in an informal manner in the Channel Islands, to refer to the monarch of the United Kingdom.