Bespoke Tours
Operation Goodwood
About This Tour
Operation Goodwood (July 18–20, 1944) was the largest British armoured offensive of the Normandy campaign. Three armoured divisions, 7th, 11th, and Guards, launched from the narrow Orne bridgehead in a massive assault intended to break through the German armoured screen south of Caen. Initial progress was dramatic, with the armour advancing rapidly through the first German defensive line. But German counterattacks from the Bourguébus Ridge brought the advance to a catastrophic halt. Hundreds of tanks were lost in three days of fighting. This tour explores the battlefield in detail: the start lines, the advance through the villages, the Cagny crossroads, a major problem to the armoured advance.
Detailed Itinerary
The largest British armoured offensive of the campaign, three armoured divisions launched from the Orne bridgehead in a bold attempt to break through south of Caen, ending in catastrophe on the Bourguébus Ridge.
Orne Bridgehead
The narrow start line from which three armoured divisions had to deploy, creating massive congestion on the roads east of Caen and delaying the advance before it had even begun. Your guide explains the operational planning and the constraints that shaped the battle.
Cuverville and Démouville
The first villages through which the armour advanced on the morning of July 18, initially at speed, with German resistance apparently broken by the weight of the preliminary bombardment.
Cagny
A major problem to the armoured advance, where a single Luftwaffe 88mm battery, commandeered by SS General Sepp Dietrich, halted the Guards Armoured Division and devastated the 11th Armoured. The crossroads at Cagny became one of the decisive tactical points of the entire operation.
Bourguébus Ridge
The anti-tank killing ground that stopped the entire British armoured advance. German counterattacks from the ridge and its reverse slopes brought the advance to a catastrophic halt, hundreds of tanks destroyed in hours. Walking the ridge, you see immediately why it was so defensible and so lethal.
Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries
Three days of fighting cost the British armoured divisions hundreds of tanks and thousands of casualties, recorded in the War Graves cemeteries of the Bourguébus area. Your guide identifies specific units and their losses in the context of the battle.
Tour Highlights
- Orne Bridgehead start line
- Cagny, the fatal anti-tank crossroads
- Bourguébus Ridge
- Bras & Hubert-Folie villages
- Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries
What’s Included
- Expert specialist guide
- Private vehicle
- Operational maps & reference materials