The leading "Sherman" fell into the anti-tank trap set by the German sappers. The exploding mine raised a puff of black smoke, the tanks behind immediately stopped, and before the infantry on board could disperse around the tank, the concealed German anti-tank guns opened fire, and at the same time the MG-42 machine guns also roared, and the explosions of the "Iron Fist" came one after another, and the result of the battle was that the Canadians suffered heavy losses, while the Germans not only held the main defensive positions, but even some secondary positions.

In the face of the stubborn German defense, the Allies continued to intensify their strike fire on the area around Caen. Hundreds of attack planes in the air desperately bombed and strafed every moving target on the German positions. Allied infantry and tanks tried to break through the defensive positions near the city and managed to drive several "wedges" in some sectors.

However, the 12th SS Panzer Division, the 21st Panzer Division, and the Panzer Instructor, despite not having enough tanks, still launched an effective counterattack with infantry and re-stabilized the front. The troops that had been planned to come for reinforcements had still not arrived, and on the surface they were either held back by the fighting elsewhere or were held in the hands of their superiors for a second landing that did not exist. This was the reason why Li Mo did not send reinforcements to Normandy in order to convince the Allies that he had been deceived by them.

Even if Li Mo really recaptured Normandy Beach, he would only destroy the two or three hundred thousand Allied troops who landed, or he could not destroy them at all, because the Allied forces had more than 13,000 planes and thousands of warships, and it was still very easy for the Allied forces to retreat calmly from Normandy, so the choice faced by Li Mo could only be to lure the enemy deeper. Then gather and annihilate it, otherwise there is no choice.

The commander of the 4th Motor Transport Company, Squadron Leader of the 2nd Commando Squadron, Amy Maitre, wrote in the report:

"It has become a principle that replenishment operations to combat units can be carried out only at night. Due to the heavy losses of transport vehicles, the infantry and artillerymen, who had almost completely run out of ammunition, were eagerly waiting for supplies. At the end of the night's operation, the drivers were dragged out of their beds as soon as they fell asleep. They must act quickly. But in daytime operations, they are often gone."

By 14 June, the total number of personnel losses of the German 12th SS Panzer Division reached 2,550 men. They also have 58 Type IV tanks, 44 Leopard tanks and a total of 233 armored personnel carriers, armored reconnaissance vehicles and artillery observation vehicles, as well as 17 heavy anti-tank guns, according to battlefield reports. At this time, the heavy equipment losses of the division were not very serious.

After spending a few days, the 12th SS Panzer Division was ready for a new defense. The battle log of the 1st Battalion of the 25th Grenadier Regiment records some new facts:

"The division intercepted some of the other side's radio communications. This information indicates that the Allies were trying to capture Caen within 24 hours. Because the British planned that the operation, codenamed 'Epsom', would be carried out by General O'Connor's 8th Army. The plan of action was to break through the junction between the Panzer Instructor and the 12th SS Panzer Division from the west, and then encircle Caen from the flank. ”

Such detailed intelligence was enough for two divisions to be ready for the attack of the British. In a short period of time. The soldiers skillfully built a solid defense. The 25th Panzergrenadier Regiment reported to Meyer:

They have strengthened their former defensive positions. Infantry bunkers, machine-gun bunkers and anti-tank guns were deployed in the ruins of villages and towns, and various light and heavy weapons and even a "Leopard" tank were arranged in the bombed-out houses;

In piles of rubble or charred furniture, there are often well-camouflaged snipers. The configuration of the defensive support points has been carefully selected and camouflaged. Mines and anti-tank barricades were laid on important streets. The 26th Grenadier Regiment replenished part of the reserves. to strengthen the defense. Behind the 26th grenadier regiment. Tank No. IV of the 12th battalion of the 2nd Panzer Regiment had already entered the tank bunker and camouflaged it. On the main defensive front, which was not very wide, infantry weapons, tanks and artillery formed a strong defense.

On the morning of June 26, the British finally launched Operation "Epsom". A staff officer of the German 12th SS Panzer Division wrote: "It is already dawn. But there was still a quiet around, and Max Usche and I were still near Lorey and watched as the last tank rumbled into the assembly area, and then the British artillery began to intercept the fire first.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of British attack planes roared over our heads and fired rockets at Lore. A hellish battle began. Our tanks creaked into the forward positions. The counter-shock went smoothly at first, but was bogged down in a quagmire by the subsequent counteroffensive of the British army.

The British put in the Sherman tank with a 17-pounder gun, whose shells could penetrate the Leopard at 800 meters. The battle turned into a duel between tanks, some positions near Caen were broken through, and the city was gradually surrounded by pincer attacks. Caen was about to become Montgomery's trophy. Everyone around me watched the horrible sight as if they were fascinated. Red-hot steel flew over us with a sharp whistle. Everyone tried their best to keep their bodies low, their noses pressed against the damp ground"

During the daytime battles, at least 50 Allied tanks were destroyed by the Germans, but at the same time the infantry of the front-line defense also suffered heavy blows. Units that had suffered heavy losses in some positions had to retreat. The third class squad leader of Jockham-Rayley Caufee is a soldier of the reconnaissance company of the 25th Panzergrenadier Regiment. He recorded this desperate battle during the British attack on Caen:

"The support points were almost untenable, the grenadiers held the crumbling lines, mortar shells exploded on the treetops, heavy machine guns cut the positions like saw blades, and the tanks rushed over and rumbled through the trenches. It was then that the front began to waver, and it quickly spread. The "Iron Fist" anti-tank rockets ran out, and in the end several "Shermans" were hit and smoked, but there were more tanks behind. The grenadiers no longer have heavy weapons, we can only hold on to our rifles"

In the days that followed, the Allies continued to test the defenses of the 12th SS Panzer Division, and the German defenses were already undermined. On the battlefield full of wolf smoke, there are ruins and broken walls everywhere, and there is a bleak scene. As far as the eye can see, soldiers on both sides can be seen dead, and the destroyed weapons and equipment are like dead beasts, lying lifeless on the battlefield.

Operation "Epsom" was a brutal battle for both sides. In early July 1941, the Allies had made every effort to expand their landing grounds, but the fighting around Caen had dragged on for too long, and the fact that they had not made decent progress at such heavy losses made the Allies increasingly aware of the gravity of the situation.

The 12th SS Panzer Division's defenses were so stubborn that even when they were driven out of their destroyed positions, the "boys" held out to resist that the Allied intention to advance into the open areas south of Caen was not realized, and Montgomery ended hastily.

…… (To be continued......)