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| Part of Battle of Normandy | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Aircraft of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force | HQ of Panzer Group West | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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40 Typhoons 61 Mitchells | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None recorded |
Killed: Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans and 17 other staff officers Wounded: Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg | ||||||
The Attack on Panzer Group West's headquarters at La Caine in Normandy was carried out by aircraft of the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force on 10 June 1944.
During the Battle of Normandy, the headquarters of Panzer Group West was established in the Chateau at La Caine. On 9 June 1944, only three days after the Normandy landings, the headquarters' new location was revealed to the British Intelligence by Ultra's decyphering of German signals traffic. On 10 June 1944, aircaft of the Second Tactical Air Force bombed the village. The raid was carried out by 40 rocket-armed Typhoons which attacked in three waves from low altitude and by 61 Mitchells which dropped 500 lb bombs from 12,000 ft.
Casualties and damage
Eighteen members of the HQ staff were known to have died in the raid, including the chief of staff, Generalmajor Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans, the most senior officer to be killed. The Panzer Group's commander, Generalleutnant Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg, was wounded in the raid.
Although the Chateau was not badly damaged, the nearby orchard in which the HQ's vehicles were parked, was thoroughly bombed. German communications equipment was also destroyed.
Effects
The HQ was rendered non-operational and it was withdrawn to Paris. German command of the sector was temporarily given to the HQ of the I SS Panzer Corps.
References
- ^ "Day 1944 Air Power Over the Normandy Beaches and Beyond" (HTML). HyperWar Foundation. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- ^ RAF Air Historical Branch Records (typed manuscript), The Liberation of North-West Europe - Operation "Overlord", Volume 3 - The Landings in Normandy, pages 129 and 130.
- "Liste des généraux morts durant la bataille de Normandie" (HTML) (in French). debarquement.com. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- "New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force – (Vol. II) - Chapter 10 Normandy" (HTML). New Zealand Electronic Text Service. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- Wilmot, C.: "The Struggle for Europe", pages 331 and 332. The Reprint Society, 1954
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