Tim Saunders - Hill 112: The Key to defeating Hitler in Normandy

Hill 112

The Key to Defeating Hitler in Normandy

Tim Saunders

First published in Great Britain in 2022 by

PEN & SWORD MILITARY

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

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Barnsley

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Copyright Tim Saunders, 2022

ISBN 978-1-39901-047-4

ePUB ISBN 978-1-39901-048-1

Mobi ISBN 978-1-39901-048-1

The right of Tim Saunders to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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I would like to thank Pen & Sword for firstly allowing an unknown army officer to write his debut book on Hill 112 in the Battleground series more than twenty years ago and now allowing me to revisit the subject armed with, dare I say, both more skill and more information. Regarding the latter, the opening of archives in Eastern Europe where many documents produced by the I and II SS Panzer Corps were captured at the end of the war has allowed a wider examination of the battle armed with the knowledge of what both sides in the battle were trying to achieve.

In accessing and understanding this new material I must thank my friend and colleague Richard Hone whose generous knowledge of the Wehrmacht and its equipment is second to none and has enabled me to develop greater depth regarding German aspects of the battles on Hill 112. Fellow author and battlefield guide Frank Baldwin has generously provided me with help on artillery matters, as have Keith Brigstock and archivists from the Royal Artillery Historical Trust, the latter particularly for their help with the often disregarded British anti-tank regiments.

Early in my career as a military historian I was serving in 43rd Wessex Brigade. This was at a time when veterans, both British and German, regularly attended commemorations on Hill 112 run by the then mayor of Esquay, Antoine Lepeltier who was responsible for the construction of the memorial mound. It was built with contributions from various associations including those of the Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg. Sadly, the spirit of reconciliation was watered down when their divisional signs had to be removed in accordance with local law. Nonetheless, seeing old enemies sharing memories and being able to join in conversations was a rare treat.

In the acknowledgements to the first iteration of this book, I thanked the various regimental museums and veterans of the fighting on Hill 112 for their help and stories. Sadly, more than twenty-odd years on, some of those museums have closed and many of the veterans are no longer with us, but I still greatly appreciate their time, effort and comradeship during trips to Normandy and Hill 112.

Tim Saunders

Warminster, 2021

Hill 112 was and is known as the Cornerstone of Victory and allegedly Rommel himself or at least a German general was heard to say He who holds Hill 112 holds Normandy. However, when viewed at a distance from virtually every direction, the question is how could this insignificant-looking feature apparently be so important to the soldiers of 1944? To walk around the broad plateau is, however, to understand. To the north there is a fine view over the Allies approach across the ridge with the N13 Caen-Bayeux road, Carpiquet airfield, still marked today by the aircraft hangars, and the Odon Valley, known then as Death Valley. To the east one looks down into the bowl where the city of Caen lies. Then it was largely confined to its medieval footprint, but now with urbanization climbing up the slopes and spilling onto the plain it is gradually swallowing up peripheral villages, which are themselves much expanded. To the west there are views across to Mont Pinon at a distance of almost 20 miles marked by a modern TV transmitter, and in-between much ground could be observed to advantage with an artillery telescope. Walking up to the gap between the woods on the crest of the plateau is a revelation, and the question of Hill 112s significance is laid out before the traveller. To the south, the view over the ground to the River Orne, its crossings and wooded valley is detailed but beyond lies the open country down to Falaise, across which the British and Canadians strove to gain for more than a month. Nowhere else on the Normandy battlefield was fought over for five weeks; it was the fulcrum of fighting on the Second Army front and for the two SS Panzer Corps that denied Hill 112 to the Allies for so long. In short, the feature was too important for either side to let the other occupy and benefit from its spectacular views.

At the foot of Hill 112s northern slope is the River Odon. In summer it is more of a stream than a river, but running west to east in a deep channel at the bottom of a narrow, steep-sided, wooded valley it was a significant obstacle, and seizing and holding a crossing would provide a vital gateway to the high ground of Hill 112 beyond.

In the first battle, at the high-water mark of Operation EPSOM, this gateway was forced by the Argylls and 4th Armoured Brigade but they were unable to hold the crest of Hill 112 and fell back to the northern rim of the plateau. They were withdrawn back to the Odon Valley when the might of II SS Panzer Corps threatened and the feature was occupied by 10th Frundsberg SS Panzer Division.

In the second battle, being committed to taking Hill 112 en route to the River Orne and its bridges, 43rd Wessex Division was given a herculean task. The Germans were extremely sensitive about the bridgehead held by the British across the Odon at the end of Operation EPSOM and regarded Hill 112 as their vital ground in preventing an Allied break-out on their eastern flank. Thus, in Operation JUPITER the West Countrymen faced elements of no fewer than four SS panzer divisions and the attentions of Tiger tanks from two battalions during the bitter fighting on 10 July 1944.

In those five weeks there were intense periods of fighting on Hill 112 and in the surrounding villages that rivalled and indeed exceeded those casualties suffered on the D-Day beaches including Omaha, while at other times, with neither side holding the crest of the hill, a nervous quiet reigned. These periods were, however, always punctuated by sudden death or wounds from artillery and mortars. On both sides there was a constant flow of casualties into medical chains and burials in the burgeoning number of wayside cemeteries.