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History |
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Wars & Campaigns |
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►Boer
War
►First
World War
►►Western
Front
►►►Trench
Warfare: 1914-1916
►►►Allied
Offensive: 1916
►►►Allied
Offensives: 1917
►►►German
Offensive: 1918
►►►Advance
to Victory: 1918
►►Siberia
►Second
World War
►►War
Against Japan
►►North
Africa
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro and Moro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Southern
France
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
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Operations |
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Battle Honours |
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Boer War
First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
Allied Offensive: 1916
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►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
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►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
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►Bazentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
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►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
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►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
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►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
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►Flers-Courcelette |
15-22
Sep 16 |
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►Thiepval |
26-29
Sep 16 |
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►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
Allied
Offensives: 1917
|
►Arras 1917 |
8
Apr-4 May 17 |
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►Vimy, 1917 |
.9-14
Apr 17 |
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►Arleux |
28-29 Apr 17 |
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►Scarpe, 1917 |
.3-4
May17 |
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►Hill 70 |
.15-25
Aug 17 |
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►Messines, 1917 |
.7-14
Jun 17 |
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►Ypres, 1917 |
..31
Jul-10 Nov 17 |
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►Pilckem |
31
Jul-2 Aug 17 |
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►Langemarck, 1917 |
.16-18
Aug 17 |
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►Menin Road |
.20-25
Sep 17 |
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►Polygon Wood |
26
Sep-3 Oct 17 |
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►Broodseinde |
.4
Oct 17 |
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►Poelcapelle |
.9
Oct 17 |
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►Passchendaele |
.12
Oct 17 |
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►Cambrai, 1917 |
20
Nov-3 Dec 17 |
German Offensive: 1918
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►Somme, 1918 |
.21
Mar-5 Apr 18 |
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►St. Quentin |
.21-23
Mar 18 |
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►Bapaume, 1918 |
.24-25
Mar 18 |
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►Rosieres |
.26-27
Mar 18 |
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►Avre |
.4
Apr 18 |
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►Lys |
.9-29
Apr 18 |
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►Estaires |
.9-11
Apr 18 |
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►Messines, 1918 |
.10-11
Apr 18 |
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►Bailleul |
.13-15
Apr 18 |
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►Kemmel |
.17-19
Apr 18 |
Advance to Victory: 1918
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►Arras, 1918 |
.26
Aug-3 Sep 18 |
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►Scarpe, 1918 |
26-30 Aug 18. |
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►Drocourt-Queant |
.2-3
Sep 18 |
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►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
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►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
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►Cambrai, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
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►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
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►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
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►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
The Sangro and Moro
Battles of the FSSF
|
►Anzio |
22
Jan-22 May 44 |
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►Rome |
.22
May-4 Jun 44 |
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►Advance
|
.22
May-22 Jun 44 |
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to the Tiber |
. |
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►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
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►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
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►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
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►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo in
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13
May 44 |
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Teodice |
. |
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►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
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►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
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►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
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►Gothic Line |
25 Aug-22 Sep 44 |
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►Monteciccardo |
27-28 Aug 44 |
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►Point 204 (Pozzo Alto) |
31 Aug 44 |
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►Borgo Santa Maria |
1 Sep 44 |
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►Tomba di Pesaro |
1-2 Sep 44 |
Winter Lines
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►Rimini Line |
14-21 Sep 44 |
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►San Martino- |
14-18 Sep 44 |
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San Lorenzo |
. |
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►San Fortunato |
18-20 Sep 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo |
11-15 Sep 44 |
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in Salute |
. |
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►Bulgaria Village |
13-14 Sep 44 |
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►Pisciatello |
16-19 Sep 44 |
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►Savio Bridgehead |
20-23
Sep 44 |
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►Monte La Pieve |
13-19
Oct 44 |
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►Monte Spaduro |
19-24 Oct 44 |
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►Monte San Bartolo |
11-14
Nov 44 |
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►Lamone Crossing |
2-13
Dec 44 |
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►Capture of Ravenna |
3-4
Dec 44 |
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►Naviglio Canal |
12-15 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Vecchio |
16-18 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Munio |
19-21 Dec 44 |
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►Conventello- |
2-6 Jan 45 |
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Comacchio |
. |
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
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►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
Southern France
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
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►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
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►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
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►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
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►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
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►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
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►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
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►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
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►The
Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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Elten |
. |
Korean War
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Domestic Missions |
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►FLQ
Crisis |
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International
Missions |
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►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
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►UNTEA |
W. N. Guinea 1963-1964 |
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►ONUCA |
C. America
1989-1992 |
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►UNTAC |
Cambodia
1992-1993 |
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►UNMOP |
Prevlaka
1996-2001 |
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|
Exercises |
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Maltôt
|
Maltôt
was a Battle Honour granted to units participating in the initial
battles to take the heights south of Caen during the Battle
of Normandy, the first phase of the North-West Europe campaign of
the Second World War. The battle was a component of the larger
Operation GOODWOOD and actions for which the battle honour for
Bourguébus Ridge was granted.
Background
The background to the
fighting at Maltôt is described in detail in the
Bourguébus Ridge article.
Operation ATLANTIC was a component of Operation GOODWOOD, the
largest British offensive operation mounted during the battle of
Normandy. ATLANTIC was the first operation of the 2nd Canadian Corps
(consisting of the newly arrived 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, the
now-veteran 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and the 2nd Canadian
Armoured Brigade). The objectives of the operation were to capture
the portions of Caen beyond the Orne and establish a firm bridgehead
in the countryside beyond.
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Operations GOODWOOD and ATLANTIC had run
their course during July 21st when the Black Watch restored positions
along the road between St. André-sur-Orne and the Troteval Farm, as
described in the article on the fighting at St.
André. The Germans now formed a new defensive line and the British
2nd Army turned its attention to the best way to crack the new
positions. The 2nd Canadian Corps, who had suffered over 1,300 battle
casualties killed, wounded, or evacuated as exhaustion cases, had an
additional problem of rebuilding the infantry battalions of its two
divisions. And an additional problem remained:
When "Goodwood" was
planned it was assumed that XII British Corps, to the west of the
River Orne, would have succeeded in clearing Hill 112 and the high
ground overlooking Fleury and St. André. Operation "Greenline" began
on the night of July 15/16 but it proved impossible to capture the
initial objective, Evrecy, and the attack stalled. The village of
Maltôt in the shadow of Hill 112 remained in enemy hands as did
Etavaux, a straggling village on the east bank of the Orne."1
Etavaux, also still in German hands,
remained an annoyance to the 2nd Division. The Queen's Own Cameron
Highlanders of Canada in St. André had to deal with German infiltrators
who crossed the river from nearby Maltôt over a portable wooden bridge.
The Calgary Highlanders on Hill 67 attempted to use long range fire to
hamper German movements but were ineffective in their efforts, and
forbidden by their brigadier from getting embroiled in further fighting
by directly attacking to the west, the rationale being that the Germans
would be compelled to withdraw from the area anyway once the British
43rd Division attacked Maltôt.2
Hill 112, lying west of Maltôt, had recently
been the scene of major fighting on July 10th and both the hill and
Maltôt itself had been taken by the British, but lost again in a two-day
action that ended up costing the British two thousand casualties.3
On 22 July, the 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment was ordered one more
to clear Maltôt in order to ease the Canadians' burdens and Le Régiment
de Maisonneuve were told to raid Etavaux to likewise help the Wiltshires.
The Battle
The Maisonneuves planned to attack Etavaux
astride the railway, with an artillery fire plan that would "walk them
into the village." Tanks of The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment took post
on high ground overlooking their approach. "D" Company, on the left of
the advance, took heavy fire and their company commander, Major Gérard
Vallières was killed. "C" Company on the right under Major Jacques
Ostiguy "moved forward hesitantly" as the barrage had left a number of
enemy machine guns untouched and the Sherman tanks were unable to locate
them from their positions.
During the advance, Sergeant Benoit Lacourse
changed the tempo of events when, instead of taking cover as natural
inclination might have inspired him, he led four of his men forward at
an enemy machine gun post and in succession destroyed three such MGs.
The advance was renewed but halted again by heavy fire coming from a
hedge. Major Ostiguy personally dashed forward to destroy four enemy
positions with grenades, and used a rifle to destroy a fifth, then led
"C" Company into Etavaux, where the Canadian presence kept pressure on
the Germans until the British barrage on Maltôt was scheduled to begin,
signalling the attack was due to begin. They received their order to
withdraw.
That night when the 43rd Division reported
the battle at Maltôt was over, "A" and "B" Companies of the Maisonneuves
returned to Etavaux to occupy it, collecting almost 100 prisoners of
Infantry Division 272; their own casualties had been 10 killed, 48
wounded and 50 battle exhaustion cases. With francophone riflemen in
short supply, and with the battalion short-handed by 200 men, the
Maisonneuves were seriously under-manned, and the 5th Brigade was
required to go into the next major action - Operation SPRING - with only
two infantry battalions.4
Battle Honour
The following Canadian unit
was awarded the Battle Honour "Maltôt" for participation in this action:
5th Canadian Infantry Brigade
Notes
-
Copp, Terry The Brigade: The Fifth Canadian
Infantry Brigade 1939-1945 (Fortress Publications, Stoney
Creek, ON, 1992) ISBN 0-919195-16-4 pp.59-60
-
Ibid, p.60
-
Ellis, L.F. Victory in the West: Volume I The
Battle of Normandy (Queen's Printer, 1962 - reprint by The
Naval and Military Press Ltd, Uckfield, East Sussesx, UK, 2004) ISBN
1-845740-58-0 pp.317-318
-
Copp, Ibid, p.60-62
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