Battlefield Normandy - The battle of Authie D-DAY + 1

by Panzer
After the first two objectives of D-DAY were captured, it was time for the Canadians to
focus on Caen and the Carpiquet airfield.
During the 7th of June 1944, the Canadian third army would clash with the 12th SS Hitlerjugend
for the first time.
We last left the Canadians when the 7th and 8th Canadian Infantry brigades secured the
Elm objective after a hard day of fighting for the French coastal towns along the invasion
beaches.
The 8th brigade, which had landed on Juno beach on June 6 was given a pause as the 9th
Infantry brigade took over the advance towards the Caen Bayeux road and adjacent railway
line.
The 7th Infantry brigade was still in the line.
During the evening of the 6th, the Canadians managed to reach as far as Villons-les-Buisson
and Cainet.
On the German side, it was only at 16h00pm, that German high command released more reinforcements
in the form of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler youth, the rest of the 21st Panzer
division and the Panzer Lehr Division.
The German’s had already lost one day to react and counterattack the allies and their
bridgeheads.
On the left of the Canadian flank was the 9th Infantry brigade.
They were to push up towards Authie and eventually Carpiquet.
The 7th Brigade on the right of the Canadian’s battlefront was tasked to secure Norrey-en-Bessin
and the neighbouring villages along the Caen-Bayeux road and railway line.
Opposing the Canadians were members of the 12.
SS Hitlerjugend Division and the 21th Panzer Division.
Both were armoured divisions tasked with counterattacking the allied troops in order to push them back
towards the sea.
During the early morning of June 7th, often stated as D-DAY +1, the North Nova Scotia
Highlanders of the 9th Brigade and the Regiment de la Chaudière of the 8th brigade, came
under attack by members of the 21st Panzer Division.
The Chaudières lost the size of a platoon.
They did however manage to capture a handful of men of the 192nd Panzer Grenadier Battalion.
At dawn, the Recce troop of the 27th Canadian Armoured regiment, or Sherbrooke Fusiliers
followed by C company of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders started their assault on Buron.
C company of the North Nova Scotia’s were supported by the machinegun company of the
Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa.
Several tank destroyers and Anti-Tank guns were also made available for the attack on
Buron, Authie and Carpiquet.
The three remaining companies of the North Nova Scotia’s together with the tanks of
the Sherbrooke Fusiliers followed behind the initial assault force.