Burgundy, France
Operation Houndsworth was the codename for a British Special Air Service operation during the Second World War. The operation carried out by 'A' Squadron, 1st Special Air Service between 6 June and 6 September 1944, was centred on Dijon in the Burgundy region of France. Their objective was to disrupt German lines of communication, coordinate the activities of the French Resistance and prevent German reinforcements moving to the Normandy beachheads, especially the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. Brecourt, France
The Brecourt Manor Assault took place on June 6th, 1944, and served as a significant battle during the Normandy Invasion of World War 2. The Germans had a battery of M102 105mm Howitzers from the 1st BN, 6th Parachute Regiment and were defended by a light infantry company armed with MG42 machine guns and fortified by a complex system of trench lines. Using these advantages, the German battery began firing onto causeway exit two leading off Utah Beach – effectively disrupting the landing effort of Allied forces. It was Easy Company of the 101st Airborne division that led the assault on Brecourt Manor in order to facilitate freedom of movement for allied forces 3 miles north of their position. It was D-Day, June 1944, would be the first combat experience for the men of Easy Company. Beltot, France
The Battle of Beltot on 11 June 1944, occurred as a part of the Battle of Caen during World War II. The British 7th Armored Division was sent to hedgerow country to probe the German western flank, and it faced the superior firepower of elite panzer divisions holding Caen. The 7th Armored Division moved to clear the town of Beltot, engaging in house-to-house fighting as the British troops flushed the Germans out of their strongpoints. They later discovered several wounded US Army prisoners-of-war after two German troops surrendered to them, and the British destroyed a Tiger I tank during a German counterattack before evacuating the American wounded. With Beltot in British hands and the American wounded being evacuated, the British were one step closer to taking Caen. St. Mere Eglise, France
The Germans took St Mere Eglise on June 18th 1940 and the next four years passed relatively peacefully, soldiers were billeted in the town and a swastika flew over the town hall. During 1943 the number and quality of the occupying troops decreased. By the time of D-day the town was occupied by Austrian anti aircraft gunners, driving wood burning trucks. During 1944 there were frequent allied air raids on the town and the night of June 5th - 6th was no different. A house in the square caught fire, possibly caused by one of the marker flares dropped by the pathfinders. The inhabitants formed a chain with buckets from the pump in the square. At this point parachutes were seen in the night sky and began landing in and around the town. It was the 82nd airborne division. The Germans opened fire and ordered the locals into their houses. The Austrians left and only a few Germans continued the fight. The town was taken by members of the 505th led by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward C. Krause. El Alamein, Egypt
The Battle of Alamein, or more correctly the Second Battle of El Alamein, marked a significant turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. The battle lasted from October 23 to November 3, 1942. Following the First Battle of El Alamein, which had stalled the Axis advance, General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Commonwealth`s Eighth Army from Claude Auchinleck in August 1942. Success in the battle turned the tide in the North African Campaign. By July 1942 the German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel had struck deep into Egypt, threatening the British Commonwealth forces` vital supply line across the Suez Canal. Faced with overextended supply lines and lack of reinforcements and yet well aware of massive Allied reinforcements arriving, Rommel decided to strike at the Allies while their build-up was still not complete. This attack on 30 August 1942 at Alam Halfa failed, and expecting a counterattack by Montgomery´s Eighth Army, the Afrika Korps dug in. After six more weeks of building up forces the Eighth Army was ready to strike. 200,000 men and 1,000 tanks under Montgomery made their move against the 100,000 men and 500 tanks of the Afrika Korps. Rostov, Russia
An important shipping port in southern Russia, Rostov fell to the Germans in November 1941. The Soviet 37th army quickly counterattacked and punched through the overextended and winter-weary German lines to the north, forcing the 1st Panzer Army out. The Battle of Rostov resulted in the first major German withdrawal of the war. Wallendar, Germany
The 2nd Rangers crossed the Rhine on March 24, 1945 at Wallendar, Germany in pursuit of retreating German forces. German forces harassed the advancing Allied units while withdrawing. Decimated by 5 years of war, the streets of Wallendar are covered with rubble and impact craters creating intense battle over difficult terrain with blown-out buildings providing cover. The Americans are attempting to take the German city on this map of urban combat.
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