[John McGillivray]

Here is some additional information regarding the battles on the 7th of June.

According to the book by Jean-Claude Perrigault “21. Panzer-Division”; the area of the advance by the North Novas and the Sherbrooke Fusiliers was defended by troops from a Panzergrenadier Battalion from 21st Pz Div., supported by detachments from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 200, along with troops from 716th Division.

The presents of armoured halftracks indicates that the Battalion was I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 192 (gp).

Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 200 was equipped with self-propelled 7.5cm Pak and 10.5cm le.FH 16 howitzers mounted on old French tanks. Note that I./192 also had 3 self-propelled 7.5cm Paks. (“Normandy 1944” by Niklas Zetterling)

The odd vehicle with the 16 mortar barrels mounted on it was a Reihenwerfer. These weapons were only used by 21st Panzer. The two Panzergrenadier-Regiments of 21st Pz. Div. each had four Reihenwerfers.

During their advance the Canadians encountered two 88mm guns. All of the 7.5mm Paks in 21st Pz Div. were self-propelled and not towed weapons. However, Panzerjäger-Abteilung 200 had 24 8.8cm Paks.

In the book “Bloody Buron! Canada’s D-Day + 1” by John Gilbert, it is indicated that “C” Sqn of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers destroyed two Panzer IV tanks belonging to 21st Pz Div. on the left side of the Canadian Advance. This occurred at about noon time, two hours before the first encounter with 12th SS Pz Div. Also he points out that most maps depicting the actions of 7th June are incorrect. “C” Sqn was ambushed by 12th SS Pz Div as they were passing to the East of Authie and never reached Franquevelle. It was “A” Sqn., which had passed on the west side of Authie that had reached Franquevelle.

The counter-attack of the 12th SS involved two Battilions of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25, 5th, 6th and 7th companies of SS-Panzer-Regimant 12; supported by the guns of III./SS-Artillerie-Regiment 12, two batteries of 8.8cm Flak guns of SS-Flak-Abteilung 12. According to Kurt Mayer’s book “Grenadiers” there was also a Nebelwerfer Battalion, which was not part of 12th Pz Div. This unit may have been from 21st Pz Div., or Werfer-Brigade 7. Note that the artillery of 12th SS Pz. Div. held its fire until the start of the counter-attack. All of the artillery and mortar fire that the Canadians endured throughout the day was from that of 21st Pz Div. and 716th Div.

In the book “Normandy 1944” Niklas Zetterling has a chapter entitled “German Combat Efficiency”
On page 92 he states:

“There are, however, a few situations with ample data. When SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25, supported by Panzer IV's of the II./SS-Panzer-Regiment "Hitlerjugend", counterattacked Canadian forces on 7 June, the Germans lost 205 men, compared to 308 Canadian soldiers.”

This is suppose to show the superiority of German Troops. However, he is comparing the Canadian losses for the entire day only to those of 12th SS Pz. Div, and has ignored the losses of 716th and 21st Pz. Div. The Canadians were in action for more than seven hours before they had their first encounter with 12th SS.

In summary the North Novas and SFR had engaged a vastly numerically superior enemy force, made up of troops from three German Divisions, and possessing a vast superior in fire power. The Canadians most likely inflicted a greater number of casualties on that force, then what they themselves had suffered; and had finished the day 2km deeper into France then where they had started the day.