Marcelet (Calvados)
The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles
- Liberation: 28 June 1944
- Deployed units:
129th Infantry Brigade, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
5th Battalion Coldstream Guards, Guards Armoured Division
21. Panzer-Division
S.S.-Panzerregiment 26, 12. S.S. Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
- History:
On June 26, 1944, the British launched Operation Epsom, which was intended to break through the front west of Caen and secure control of the bridges over the Odon. The Marcelet sector, located on the left flank of the offensive, was assigned to the 44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade (15th Infantry Division). The Germans of the S.S.-Panzerregiment 26 of the 12th S.S. Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend offered fierce resistance to their adversaries, who struggled to advance. By mid-afternoon on June 27, they had partially withdrawn to the height of Marcelet, where they set up a provisional defensive line. But the Scots, who had suffered terribly during the fighting for the capture of Saint-Manvieu-Norrey, were unable to continue their advance towards Marcelet during the day. A counteroffensive was launched by elements of the 21st Panzer Division, but their momentum was halted by an artillery barrage launched by batteries of the 181st Field Regiment (15th Infantry Division).
On June 28, the Germans retreated eastward along a new defensive line near Carpiquet and abandoned the village of Marcelet. British patrols launched by the 129th Infantry Brigade of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division gained intelligence on the enemy’s position and noted the retreat: the brigade immediately captured and secured the village. A few days later, on July 4, Marcelet became one of the Allied bases for Operation Windsor, which aimed to capture Carpiquet and its valuable airfield.
Saint-Manvieu-Norrey map:
