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{{short description|Series of engagements, part of the Battle of Normandy, World War II}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|partof = Operations [[Operation Atlantic|Atlantic]] and [[Operation Spring|Spring]]
| image = Verrieres-under-fire.jpg
|image_upright = 1.23
|caption = Canadian soldiers under fire near [[Fleury-sur-Orne]] in the early hours of 25 July 1944
|date = 19–25 July 1944
|place = Verrières Ridge, {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Caen]], [[Normandy]], [[France]]
|result = [[Nazi Germany|German]] defensive victory
|combatant1 = {{flag|Canada|1921}}
|combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
|commander1 = {{flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[Guy Simonds]] {{flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[Charles Foulkes (Canadian Army officer)|Charles Foulkes]]
|commander2 = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Günther von Kluge]] {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Josef Dietrich|Sepp Dietrich]] {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Kurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)|Kurt Meyer]] {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Wilhelm Bittrich]]
|strength1 = 2 Infantry Divisions, 1 Armoured Brigade
|strength2 = 2 Panzer Divisions remnants of 1 Panzer Division 1 Infantry Division
|casualties1 = 800 killed{{ref|casualties|[a]}} 2,000 wounded or captured
|casualties2 = 1,226 men{{ref|casualties|[a]}} 11 Panzer IV tanks and 10 Sturmgeschütz III
|notes = {{note|casualties|[a]}} Discussed in detail in [[#Casualties|''Casualties'']]
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Normandy}}
}}

The '''Battle of Verrières Ridge''' was a series of engagements fought as part of the [[Invasion of Normandy|Battle of Normandy]], in [[Calvados (department)|Calvados]], during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The main combatants were two [[Canada|Canadian]] infantry divisions—with additional support from the [[2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade|Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade]]—against elements of three [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] [[Panzer]] divisions. The battle was part of the [[United Kingdom|British]] and Canadian attacks 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 [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] objective was Verrières Ridge, a belt of high ground which dominates the route from Caen to [[Falaise, Calvados|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.<ref name=Jarym76>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 76.</ref>

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.<ref name="Bercuson223">Bercuson, p. 223.</ref><ref name="Zuehlke168">Zuehlke, p. 168.</ref><ref name="Copp1999a">Copp (1999a).</ref> 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.

==Background==
Verrières Ridge lies {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the city of Caen, overlooking broad plains and dominating the land between Caen and Falaise. Although an important [[D-Day]] objective for [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces, the Allied push inland was halted short of Caen and positional warfare ensued until the first week of July.<ref>Zuehlke, p. 163.</ref> On 9 July, [[Operation Charnwood]] captured the northern half of the city but the [[I SS Panzer Corps]] maintained defensive positions in the remainder of Caen.<ref>Van Der Vat, p. 155.</ref> A week later, [[Operation Goodwood]] renewed the British offensive and Caen finally fell on 19 July; by this time the city had been destroyed.<ref>Van Der Vat, p. 157.</ref> The next Anglo-Canadian goal was the town of [[Falaise, Calvados|Falaise]] but Verrières Ridge—now strongly defended by the I SS Panzer Corps—stood in their path.<ref name=Jarym75>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 75.</ref> Elements of the British Second Army secured part of the adjacent [[Bourguébus]] Ridge and managed to gain a foothold on Verrières Ridge but were unable to dislodge its German defenders.<ref name=Copp45>Copp (1992), p. 45.</ref>

==Forces involved==
[[File:Geography of Verrieres.png|thumb|{{center|The geography of Verrières Ridge and the surrounding area}}]]
The Canadian II Corps ([[Lieutenant-General (Canada)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Guy Simonds]]) assigned two infantry divisions and one armoured brigade to the assault on the German positions around Verrières. The [[3rd Canadian Infantry Division|Canadian 3rd Infantry Division]]—having suffered many casualties during the first six weeks of the Normandy campaign—was given a supporting role.<ref>Bercuson, p. 220.</ref> The main effort was to be made by the fresh, though relatively inexperienced, [[2nd Canadian Infantry Division|Canadian 2nd Infantry Division]], along with the tanks of the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade.<ref name=Bercuson222>Bercuson, p. 222.</ref><ref>D'Este, p. 205.</ref> Additional forces were later made available in the shape of three divisions from the [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|British I Corps]]: the [[51st (Highland) Infantry Division (United Kingdom) (World War II)|51st (Highland) Division]], the [[Guards Armoured Division]], and the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|British 7th Armoured Division]].<ref name="Jarymowycz">Jarymowycz (1993), p. 78.</ref> Despite having significantly more combat experience than their Canadian counterparts, the British units played a minor part in the battle.<ref name=Copp45/><ref>Bercuson, p. 221.</ref><ref>Jarymowycz (2001), p. 128.</ref>

While British forces had been attacking Caen, elements of the I SS Panzer Corps, part of [[Army Group B]] (''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' [[Günther von Kluge]]) had turned Verrières Ridge into their main defensive position along the Anglo-Canadian front.<ref name="Bercuson223"/><ref name="JarymowyczTank132">Jarymowycz (2001), p. 132.</ref> Although not particularly high, the ridge's topography meant that advancing forces would be exposed to fire from German positions across the River Orne, from the ridge and from the nearby German-held industrial hamlet of [[Saint-Martin-de-Fontenay|St. Martin]].<ref name="O'Keefe">O'Keefe</ref> The [[12th SS Panzer Division|12th SS]] and [[1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler|1st SS Panzer Divisions]] held the ridge supported by artillery, dug-in [[Tiger I|Tiger tanks]] and mortar emplacements.<ref name=Jarym77>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 77.</ref> The [[9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen|9th SS Panzer Division]] was held in reserve.<ref name=Jarym77/> Further support was available from the [[272nd Grenadier Infantry Division]] (a force composed mainly of Russians and Poles that had been raised in 1943), the [[116th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|116th Panzer Division]] and a battalion of Tiger tanks.<ref name= Jarym76/>

==Battle==
===Attack of Calgary Highlanders===
In a follow-up to Operation Goodwood on 19 July, the [[Calgary Highlanders]] attempted to take the northern spur of Verrières Ridge but German [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] fire limited their progress.{{refn|Calgary Highlanders Official Battle Honours, Calgary Highlanders Regimental Museum.<ref>Henry</ref>|group="Note"}} Tanks from the [[Sherbrooke Hussars|Sherbrooke Fusiliers]] were sent to support the battalion and eliminated several machine-gun positions on either side of Point 67.<ref name="Copp1999a"/> The Highlanders eventually managed to dig in, despite accurate return fire.<ref name="Copp1999a"/> Over the next few hours, they strengthened their position and the 5th and 6th Canadian Infantry Brigades made repeated attempts to exploit the gains.<ref name="Copp1999a"/> Against a tenacious German defence and minor infantry and tank counter-attacks, the Canadians were broadly repulsed with heavy casualties.<ref name="Copp1999a"/> Simonds rapidly prepared a new offensive for the following day, with the goals of capturing both the eastern side of the Orne river and the main slopes of Verrières Ridge.<ref name="Copp1999a"/><ref name="JarymowyczTank132"/>

===Operation Atlantic===
{{Main|Operation Atlantic}}

[[File:Lieutenant-General Guy G. Simonds.jpg|thumb|upright|{{center|Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, the senior Canadian commander for the battle, during an inspection tour after [[Victory in Europe Day|VE]]-Day.}}]]
The next attack took place on 20 July as part of [[Operation Atlantic]]. It was led by the [[South Saskatchewan Regiment]], with supporting units from the [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada]].<ref name="Copp1999a"/> In the early hours of 20 July, the Camerons secured a position in [[Saint-André-sur-Orne]] but were quickly pinned down by German infantry and tanks.<ref name="Copp1999a"/><ref>Bercuson, p. 220</ref>

At the same time, the South Saskatchewan Regiment moved directly up the slopes of Verrières Ridge, supported by tanks and [[Hawker Typhoon]] ground attack aircraft.<ref name="Copp1999a"/> The Canadian attack faltered in torrential rain, which rendered air support useless and turned the ground into mud.<ref name="Bercuson223"/> Counter-attacks by two {{lang|de|Panzer}} divisions threw the South Saskatchewans back past their support lines and their supporting battalion—the [[The Essex Scottish Regiment|Essex Scottish]]—came under attack.<ref name="Zuehlke166">Zuehlke, p. 166.</ref>

The Essex Scottish lost over 300 men as it tried to hold back the advance of the 12th SS Panzer Division, while to the east the remainder of I SS Panzer Corps engaged British forces in [[Operation Goodwood]], the largest armoured battle of the campaign.<ref name="Bercuson223"/><ref>BBC: People's War</ref><ref>Van Der Vat, p. 159.</ref> By the end of the day, the South Saskatchewans had taken 282 casualties and the ridge was still in enemy hands.<ref name="Copp1999a"/>

Despite these setbacks, Simonds was adamant that Verrières Ridge should be taken and sent in the [[Black Watch of Canada]] and the Calgary Highlanders to stabilise the precarious Allied position.<ref name="O'Keefe"/> Minor counter-attacks by both battalions on 21 July managed to contain Dietrich's armoured formations and by the time the operation was called off, Canadian forces held several footholds on the ridge, including a now secure position on Point 67.<ref name="Zuehlke166"/><ref name="Bercuson224">Bercuson, p. 224.</ref><ref name=Copp47>Copp (1992), p. 47.</ref> Four German divisions still held the ridge. In all, the actions around Verrières Ridge during Operation Atlantic accounted for over 1,300 Allied casualties.<ref name="Zuehlke166"/>

===Operation Spring===
{{Main|Operation Spring}}

[[File:Operation Spring.png|thumb|{{center|The start lines of [[Operation Spring]], showing layout of divisional and battalion forces for both sides{{image reference needed|date=December 2022}}}}]]
With the capture of Caen on 19 July, an Anglo-Canadian breakout had become strategically feasible.<ref name="O'Keefe"/><ref name="Bercuson224"/> In the American sector, [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Omar Bradley]]—commander of the U.S. 1st Army—had been planning his own breakout (codenamed [[Operation Cobra]]) and Simonds too began preparing a new offensive, codenamed [[Operation Spring]].<ref name="Bercuson224"/> Spring was originally conceived by Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery]] as a "holding attack", designed to tie down German forces while Cobra was under way.<ref name="Jarym76"/> On 22 July, with Operation Atlantic having failed to achieve its aims, Simonds changed the objective of Operation Spring to a breakout offensive.<ref name=Copp46>Copp (1992), p. 46.</ref> With Verrières Ridge taken, Simonds could launch armour and artillery attacks from its southern flank to push the Germans further back.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/> This would clear the Caen-Falaise road and his two British armoured divisions could then advance south to Falaise.<ref name=Copp46/>

Operation Spring was scheduled in four timed phases. The Calgary Highlanders would attack Bourguébus Ridge and [[May-sur-Orne]] to secure the flanks of the main thrust, which was to be a move on Verrières Ridge by the Black Watch, along with armoured support from the British 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/><ref name="Jarym77"/> The plan called for the offensive to start on 23 July but poor weather led to a postponement for 48 hours.<ref name=Copp47/> Taking advantage of this respite, the I SS Panzer Corps reinforced the ridge with an additional four battalions, 480 tanks and 500 guns.<ref name="Jarymowycz"/><ref name="Copp1999b">Copp (1999b).</ref> Allied Intelligence learned of this reinforcement through [[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]] signals intercepts and advised Simonds's headquarters.<ref name="O'Keefe"/><ref name="Copp1999b"/>

On 25 July, two days later than originally planned owing to the weather, Operation Spring was launched. The Black Watch were scheduled to begin their attack at about 05:30 from an assembly area at Saint-Martin, {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Caen.<ref name="O'Keefe"/> The Canadians ran into heavy German resistance on the Saint-Martin road and did not arrive at their assembly area until close to 08:00. By that time, the Black Watch's two highest-ranking officers had been killed and command fell to Major Phil Griffin.<ref name="Copp1999b"/> At 08:30, he met with 5th Brigade commander, Brigadier General W. J. Megill and despite the non-arrival of most of their promised armoured support, the decision was taken for the attack to proceed.<ref>Copp (1992), p. 55.</ref>

At 09:30, as the Canadian infantry regiments advanced up the ridge, they were easy targets for the well-entrenched German machine gun nests and mortar pits, supported by tanks, [[8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41|{{convert|88|mm|in|2|abbr=on}} anti-tank gun]]s, and {{lang|de|[[Nebelwerfer]]}} rocket artillery.<ref name="O'Keefe"/><ref name="Copp1999b"/> To make matters worse, the Black Watch communications were knocked out within minutes of the start of their assault.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/> Very few members of the Black Watch Regiment managed to make it to the crest of the ridge and those who did were subjected to an even heavier bombardment as they ran into the counter-attacking forces of the 272nd Infantry Division and the 9th SS {{lang|de|Kampfgruppe Sterz}}.<ref name="Bercuson225">Bercuson, p. 225.</ref><ref>Jarymowycz (1993), pp. 83, 134.</ref> Of the 325 men that left the assembly area, 315 were killed, wounded or captured.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/><ref name="Bercuson225"/> The Black Watch lost all its senior commanders, including Major Phil Griffin, with two companies virtually annihilated.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/><ref>Stacey (1960), p. 192.</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Verrières Ridge Spring Counterattack.png|thumb|{{center|German counter-attacks in the aftermath of [[Operation Spring]], 25–26 July 1944{{image reference needed|date=December 2022}}}}]]
All of the gains made by the Black Watch and Calgary Highlanders were lost to German counterattacks, which inflicted heavy losses on the Highlanders and the previously unscathed Black Watch support company.<ref>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 82.</ref> The Black Watch had to be reformed after Verrières Ridge, having sustained more casualties than any Canadian infantry battalion since the disastrous 1942 [[Dieppe Raid|raid on Dieppe]].<ref name="Bercuson226">Bercuson, p. 226.</ref>{{refn|The Essex Scottish Regiment suffered heavier losses over the course of the entire war, although many of these were taken in the Dieppe Raid, to which the Black Watch contributed only a company.<ref name="Bercuson226">Bercuson, p. 226.</ref>|group="Note"}}

The central area of the ridge near Verrières Village was eventually taken and held by the [[Royal Hamilton Light Infantry]].<ref name="Copp1999b"/><ref>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 79.</ref> The east side was also taken, but subsequently lost, although two British armoured brigades were able to secure significant footholds near the positions of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.<ref>Jarymowycz (2001), p. 135.</ref>

The failure to capture the ridge had little effect on the overall Allied position, as the success of Operation Cobra was so overwhelming that the Germans diverted significant resources, including two ''Panzer'' divisions, from the ridge in their attempt to keep Bradley's forces boxed in.<ref name="Bercuson226"/><ref name="Jarymowycz_2">Jarymowycz (1993), p. 84.</ref> With German defences weakened, subsequent Commonwealth attacks on the ridge were successful; [[Operation Totalize]] finally managed to wrest the position from its SS defenders on 8 August.<ref name= Jarym87>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 87.</ref><ref name=Bercuson228>Bercuson, pp. 228–229.</ref>

===Casualties===
Allied casualty figures for the battle as a whole were not produced but can be inferred by examining the two operations. The accepted toll for Operation Atlantic is 1,349, with about 300 fatalities.<ref name="Copp1999a"/><ref name=Bercuson222/> Operation Spring's losses were about 500 killed with a further 1,000 captured or wounded.<ref name="Zuehlke168"/><ref name="O'Keefe"/> Working from these figures, historians estimate around 800 Canadian dead and 2,000 wounded or captured.<ref>Jarymowycz (1993), p. 81.</ref> The Canadian dead are buried in [[Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery]], between Caen and Falaise.<ref name="O'Keefe"/>

The Canadian Official Historian [[Charles Perry Stacey|Charles Stacey]], and military historian Michael Reynolds, wrote that German casualty figures for individual operations are difficult to determine. Stacey attributes this to the gradual degradation of the German logistics chain, leaving incomplete records, and Reynolds wrote that units sometimes over-reported their losses, in the hope of receiving more reinforcements.<ref name=Stacey270>Stacey (1960), pp. 270–271.</ref><ref name= Reynolds198>Reynolds, p. 198.</ref>

German losses for the battle were significantly fewer than those suffered by the Canadians. According to Reynolds, between 16 July and 1 August, the 1st SS Panzer Division lost 1,092 men killed, wounded or captured—along with 11 [[Panzer IV|''Panzer'' IV]] tanks and 10 [[Sturmgeschütz III|''Sturmgeschütz'' III]] self-propelled guns—in fighting across all its fronts including at Verrières. Over a similar period, he estimates the 12th SS Panzer Division—in all sectors—suffered only 134 casualties.<ref name=Reynolds198/> Many of the German fallen are buried at [[La Cambe German war cemetery]].

==Historiography and controversy==

[[File:Monty and Simonds.jpg|thumb|{{center|Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery|Montgomery]] (third from right) talking with Simonds (second from right) at [[II Canadian Corps]] Headquarters in Normandy, 20 July 1944}}]]
The Battle of Verrières Ridge, although given no particular prominence in [[Military history of Germany|German military history]], is one of the First Canadian Army's most scrutinised actions.<ref name=Jarym75/> The matter was first brought to public attention by Stacey, who wrestled with the question of how to present the battle in the Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War and was required to make minor changes to the narrative of the battle by Simonds. When Stacey was writing the history, as senior historian of the Historical Section of the Canadian Army, Simonds was the [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]] of the Canadian Army and so was effectively Stacey's superior.<ref>Stacey (1980), pp. 1–293.</ref>

The report on Operation Spring by Simonds was released after the war and blamed its failure on "11th hour reinforcement" of German lines and "strategically unsound execution on the part of Major Phillip Griffin and the Black Watch".<ref>Simonds, pp. 67–68.</ref> Declassified wartime documents show that Simonds, along with several others in the Allied high command, had likely been notified on 23 July of a massive German build-up on the ridge.<ref>Copp (1992), p. 50.</ref> Some historians, including David O'Keefe and [[David Bercuson]], accused Simonds of being careless with the lives of his men.<ref name="O'Keefe"/><ref name="Bercuson226"/> [[Terry Copp]] and [[John A. English]] wrote that given the amount of pressure under which all Allied commanders were to break out from Normandy, Simonds probably had little choice in the decision he made.<ref name= Bercuson228/><ref>Copp (1992), p. 61.</ref>
{{Quote box
|width = 35%
|align = right
|quote = The action of the Black Watch was most gallant but was tactically unsound in its detailed execution.
|source = General Guy Simonds, official Operation Spring report, January 1946<ref>Simonds, p. 68.</ref>}}
Operation Spring succeeded in its later-defined objective of a "holding attack" and aided the overwhelming success of Operation Cobra by tying down powerful German formations, which might otherwise have been in the American sector, and that precluded any immediate inquiry into its failure.<ref>Simonds, p. 65.</ref> The German commander of the Normandy Sector, Günther von Kluge, was at the Canadian front on 25 July, instead of the American front, where the eventual breakout occurred.<ref name=Jarym87/><ref>Bercuson, p. 227.</ref> The Battle of Verrières Ridge had little overall effect on British attempts to break out of Caen, as significant resources were transferred to the American front in the aftermath of Cobra to exploit Bradley's success. The ridge eventually fell to the general Allied advance.<ref name="Jarymowycz_2"/><ref name =Bercuson228/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group="Note"}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
===AV media===
* {{cite AV media |last=O'Keefe |first=D. |year=2007 |url=http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=90177 |title=Black Watch: Massacre at Verrières Ridge |work=Documentary |location=Toronto |publisher=History Television, Alliance Atlantis Communications |access-date=20 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927074345/http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=90177 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}

===Books===
* {{cite book |last=Bercuson |first=D. |title=Maple leaf Against the Axis |year=2004 |publisher=Red Deer Press |location=Ottawa |isbn=0-88995-305-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mapleleafagainst0000berc }}
* {{cite book |last=D'Este |first=C. |title=Decision in Normandy |year=1983 |publisher=Konecky & Konecky |location=New York |isbn=1-56852-260-6}}
* {{cite book |first1=Major L. F. |last1=Ellis |first2=Captain G. R. G. Allen |last2=with Allen [[Royal Navy|R. N.]] |first3=Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. |last3=Warhurst |first4=Air Chief-Marshal Sir James |last4=Robb |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=J. R. M. |editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler |series=History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series |title=Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy |volume=I |year=1962 |publisher=[[HMSO]] |location=London |edition=Naval & Military Press 2004 |isbn=1-84574-058-0 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book |last=Jarymowycz |first=R. |title=Tank Tactics; from Normandy to Lorraine |year=2001 |publisher=Lynne Rienner |location=Boulder, Colorado |isbn=1-55587-950-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Stacey |author2=Bond, Major C. C. J. |series=Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War |volume=III |title=The Victory Campaign: The operations in North-West Europe 1944–1945 |publisher=The Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery Ottawa |year=1960 |oclc=606015967 |url=http://www.dnd.ca/dhh/collections/books/files/books/Victory_e.pdf |first=Colonel C. P. |access-date=20 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912012732/http://www.dnd.ca/dhh/collections/books/files/books/Victory_e.pdf |archive-date=12 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |title=A date with History: Memoirs of a Canadian Historian |last=Stacey |first=C. P. |year=1980 |publisher=Deneau |location=Ottawa |oclc=256072152}}
* {{cite book |last=Van der Vat |first=D. |title=D-Day; The Greatest Invasion, A People's History |year=2003 |publisher=Madison Press |location=Toronto |isbn=1-55192-586-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Zuehlke |first=M. |year=2001 |title=The Canadian Military Atlas |publisher=Stoddart |location=London |isbn=978-0-7737-3289-6}}

===Journals===
* {{cite journal |last=Copp |first=T. |author-link=Terry Copp |title=Fifth Brigade at Verrières Ridge |year=1992 |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=1 |issue=1–2 |pages=45–63 |url=http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=cmh |access-date=19 May 2014 |issn=1195-8472 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Copp |first=T. |year=1999a |title=The Approach To Verrières Ridge |journal=Legion Magazine |issue=March/April 1999 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Canvet Publications |url=http://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/03/the-approach-to-verrieres-ridge/ |access-date=19 May 2014 |issn=1209-4331 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518175230/http://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/03/the-approach-to-verrieres-ridge/ |archive-date=18 May 2014 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Copp |first=T. |year=1999b |title=The Toll of Verrières Ridge |journal=Legion Magazine |issue=May/June 1999 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Canvet Publications |url=http://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/05/the-toll-of-verrieres-ridge/ |access-date=19 May 2014 |issn=1209-4331 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174729/http://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/05/the-toll-of-verrieres-ridge/ |archive-date=18 May 2014 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Jarymowycz |first=R. |title=Der Gegenangriff vor Verrières: German Counterattacks during Operation 'Spring': 25–26 July 1944 |year=1993 |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=75–89 |url=http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=cmh |access-date=19 May 2014 |issn=1195-8472 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Simonds |first=G. |year=1992 |url=http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1388&context=cmh |title=Operation Spring |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=1 |issue=1–2 |pages=65–68 |access-date=19 May 2014 |issn=1195-8472 }}

===Websites===
* {{cite web |author=Platingman |title=Verrières Ridge |work=WW2 People's War: An Archive of World War Two Memories, Written by the Public, Gathered by the BBC |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/99/a2805699.shtml |access-date=19 May 2014 |oclc=854608690 |date=4 July 2004 }}
* {{cite web |last=Anon |title=Verrieres Ridge, Falaise Gap, 1944 |work=Canada at War |url=http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=34 |access-date=19 May 2014 |archive-date=10 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210071004/http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=34 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |last=Henry |first=M. |title=The Campaign in Northwest Europe: Hill 67 |year=2014 |work=Calgary Highlanders Museum |url=http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/history/highlanders/1939-45/hill67.htm |access-date=19 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531143520/http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/history/highlanders/1939-45/hill67.htm |archive-date=31 May 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
* {{cite web |last=Scislowski |first=S. |url=http://www.mapleleafup.net/histories/scislowski/verrieres.html |title=Verrières Ridge: A Canadian Sacrifice |work=Maple Leaf Up |access-date=19 May 2014 }}
* {{cite web |last=Webb |first=G. |title=Juno Beach Centre: Normandy, France |publisher=Juno Beach Centre Association |location=Burlington (Ontario) |url=http://www.junobeach.org/ |access-date=19 May 2014 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Granatstein |first=J. L. |title=The Last Good War: An Illustrated History of Canada in the Second World War, 1939–1945 |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/lastgoodwarillus0000gran |url-access=registration |quote=The Last Good War. |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |access-date=19 May 2014 |location=Vancouver |isbn=1-55054-913-8}}
* {{cite web |author=The Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies |title=Canadian Military History Article Index |year=2014 |url=http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/archived-articles/ |access-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219174438/http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/archived-articles/ |archive-date=19 February 2014 }}

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Battle of Verrières Ridge}}
{{Portal|Canada}}
* [http://www.mapleleafup.org/histories/scislowski/verrieres.html Verrières Ridge, a Canadian Sacrifice]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927074345/http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=90177 Black Watch Regiment at Verrières Ridge, History Television]
* [http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=34 Canada at War, Operation Atlantic & Verrières Ridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210071004/http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=34 |date=10 February 2012 }}

{{World War II}}
{{Battle of Normandy}}

{{featured article}}
{{coord|49.1104|-0.3324|type:event_region:FR|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verrieres Ridge}}
[[Category:Operation Overlord|Verrieres Ridge]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Canada|Verrieres Ridge]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Germany|Verrieres Ridge]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1944|Verrieres Ridge]]
[[Category:Military history of Canada during World War II]]
[[Category:Land battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:July 1944 in Europe]]
[[Category:1944 in France]]
[[Category:Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada]]

Battle of Verrières Ridge - Revision history

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